Is My Math Correct?

After posting and reading the Seahawks thread about the $420k payout and my little Googling of Hole in One insurance it got me thinking(scary). If an average golfer had a dump truck full of golf balls on the tee of an average 165 yard par 3, could he sink one(or more). Well, hmmm, how many golf balls will a typical 12yard dump truck hold, so please check my math:

Golf ball size: diameter not less than 1.68" so I'll use that number.

Volumes
1.68/2=.84R .84 cubed=.592704 x 3.14=1.86109 x 1.33333=2.4814 sq. inches.

12 cu. yard dump truck converted to cu. inches: 559,872 cu inch

559,872/2.4814=225,627 golf balls or there abouts.

The two volume calculations are correct, but the final answer is incorrect because golf balls don't stack nicely. There are little gaps when you pack spheres into a container.

The highest density is known to be about 74%, so the answer is closer to 167,000 golf balls

Thank you. I didn't think about the air gaps between the balls. Good catch.

Ever hit a hole-in-one?

I have, but if there were ever a hole that could be called, "Easy," to do it on, it was that one. My personal GiR rate on that hole was about 90%, so you figure about 10% of that 90% have a chance...I also golfed regularly back then.

Quote: Mission146

Ever hit a hole-in-one?

I have, but if there were ever a hole that could be called, "Easy," to do it on, it was that one. My personal GiR rate on that hole was about 90%, so you figure about 10% of that 90% have a chance...I also golfed regularly back then.

Nope. But if I had 167k chances I might make one. I've holed out from about 175 yard approach shot on a par 4. They both count the same, -2.

Quote: Alan

Nope. But if I had 167k chances I might make one. I've holed out from about 175 yard approach shot on a par 4. They both count the same, -2.

Nice!

I don't think I've ever dropped a full-on approach shot. I have seven or eight other -2's, lifetime. Two of them are from Par-5's in which I just happened to have a nice iron approach to get on the green in two, probably plenty of missed opportunities in that regard, as low-irons and putting are tied for the worst aspects of my game. Low-Irons probably are the worst aspect of my game, actually.

The other five or six -2's all come from a local course in which Green-in-One's are perfectly feasible on two different Par 4's. The one is about 230, somewhat uphill, with some trees just to the left of the green. In any event, when the pin position is to the right of the green, if you can get some air under your tee shot, then you can stick it up there on the green and leave yourself a reasonable putt. There have probably been people to Ace that Par 4.

There's another one at the same course that runs 250, but it's all gradually downhill. Basically, you just want to keep you tee shot nice and low with some good forward momentum when it hits the ground and hope not to overrun it, it's pretty severely downhill at the end, so you'll actually overrun it more often than you'll wind up on the green. I suppose that a hole-in-one would be possible on that hole, but only if the pin position is in the back. If the pin position is in the front on that hole, even if you had some air under the drive, I just think it comes in too fast for a hole-in-one to be anything greater than extremely remote.

Four of my Eagles came from the latter hole, and either one or two came from the former. I can't remember if it was one or two because of how long ago it was, and also because I'd had an Eagle on a Par 5 as well as the hole-in-one before these, so they didn't stand out as much as they may have.

I witnessed my (effective) brother-in-law get an Albatross once, and he's only a slightly better golfer than I am. Some people call it a double-Eagle, I call it an Albatross, though I've not had personal reason to be worried about what it is called. It was the most miraculous thing ever, Par-5 with a dogleg left, technically, the Green is only a couple hundred from the pin, but for the freakin' forest between the two. He announces he is going over the trees, I lay $10 against his $5 on Bogey-or-worse, provided he sticks to going over he trees. He slices it to the right, now he still has 200+ to the pin, but he's on the fairway...on the wrong hole!!! He announces that he's going to try to go over the trees again rather than lay up and hope to get on the green in four, I tell him he might as well pay me now, he pulls out the Five-Wood and somehow hits it up and over the trees. We searched for that ball for twenty minutes, knowing he should have cleared the treeline...I get bored and ask if I can finish up (I'd hit my first approach shot at that point)...he consents and I put my third shot on the Green and two-putt for par. I pulled the flag without even paying attention and didn't hear the, "PLUNK," that there must have been. Imagine my shock when I go to get my ball out of the cup and I see the Pinnacle in there with his initials in permanent marker....AMAZING!!!

Quote: Mission146

I witnessed my (effective) brother-in-law get an Albatross once, and he's only a slightly better golfer than I am. Some people call it a double-Eagle, I call it an Albatross, though I've not had personal reason to be worried about what it is called. It was the most miraculous thing ever, Par-5 with a dogleg left, technically, the Green is only a couple hundred from the pin, but for the freakin' forest between the two. He announces he is going over the trees, I lay $10 against his $5 on Bogey-or-worse, provided he sticks to going over he trees. He slices it to the right, now he still has 200+ to the pin, but he's on the fairway...on the wrong hole!!! He announces that he's going to try to go over the trees again rather than lay up and hope to get on the green in four, I tell him he might as well pay me now, he pulls out the Five-Wood and somehow hits it up and over the trees. We searched for that ball for twenty minutes, knowing he should have cleared the treeline...I get bored and ask if I can finish up (I'd hit my first approach shot at that point)...he consents and I put my third shot on the Green and two-putt for par. I pulled the flag without even paying attention and didn't hear the, "PLUNK," that there must have been. Imagine my shock when I go to get my ball out of the cup and I see the Pinnacle in there with his initials in permanent marker....AMAZING!!!

Sweet. Thanks for the story. I don't golf much anymore, I have way too many other things going on, plus it gets expensive and it takes too long to play-I would have to play on the weekend, when everyone else is playing.

Quote: Mission146

Ever hit a hole-in-one?

I have, but if there were ever a hole that could be called, "Easy," to do it on, it was that one. My personal GiR rate on that hole was about 90%, so you figure about 10% of that 90% have a chance...I also golfed regularly back then.

I've holed out twice from the tee on par 3 holes. Notice how I worded that? I was hitting 3 both times after putting one in a pond and one in a cemetery. I do have a very rare double eagle that, thankfully, was in a tournament with lots of witnesses.

deleted

Quote: Alan

Sweet. Thanks for the story. I don't golf much anymore, I have way too many other things going on, plus it gets expensive and it takes too long to play-I would have to play on the weekend, when everyone else is playing.

No problem, that's my best story, just wish it was technically MY story!!!

I used to work for a local Parks Commission when I was young, we're talking 18-19 years old, and said Commission has four or five total golf courses upon which I could golf for free on all but one if I didn't want a cart. The one I'd have to pay for was half price, as were carts, though I didn't typically use a cart.

The story with my brother-in-law was just two years ago, though. I don't golf very often, either, because I don't feel that there's very much value there for the price, but I will occasionally join a group as a social matter.

Quote: 1BB

I've holed out twice from the tee on par 3 holes. Notice how I worded that? I was hitting 3 both times after putting one in a pond and one in a cemetery. I do have a very rare double eagle that, thankfully, was in a tournament with lots of witnesses.

That's awesome!!! I was the only witness to my brother-in-law's, but I swear on my life it happened and he could not have snuck the ball in on me. We immediately saw that it was not on the Green, and I kept an eye on him while simultaneously looking for his ball to make sure he didn't go to the green...as he would have had no reason to do so.

Was the one in the cemetery still playable? I've never played out of a cemetery before, but I did take a shot off of the highway, once. Fairway 4 Golf Course in either Tiltonsville or Rayland, OH. I think it is technically Rayland, except there is a highway and overpass between Tiltonsville and Rayland, so the golf course is what you might term, "On the Tiltonsville side." Anyway, there's a small stretch of highway that runs to the left on some holes, technically OB, of course, but he let me play it. I hit a decent shot that was just a little left of target and BARELY rolled up on the highway. No immediate traffic coming, so I asked, "Can I hit that?" Permission to hit from the spot with no penalty was granted and I put it on the Green. Unfortunately, my first putt was too aggressive and went off the green, then I chipped it onto the green within six feet and still managed to two-putt.

I love my putting game! You could give me the most expensive putter made, or a GD cucumber, and it probably wouldn't make a difference.

Since thread jumped a bit to" holes in one"......how this this little tibet?.....The greatest tee to green player of all time was Ben Hogan. He never had a hole in one. Art Wall a journeyman professional golfer had 43 holes in one.

Math guys, figure that one out.

Quote: Mission146

I love my putting game! You could give me the most expensive putter made, or a GD cucumber, and it probably wouldn't make a difference.

My putting sucks too. And that's where you make the $$$...As they say, drive for show, putt for dough.

Quote: Alan

My putting sucks too. And that's where you make the $$$...As they say, drive for show, putt for dough.

I can't do either, because my game blows.

(I use a Three-Wood off the tee, hopeless with a proper driver)

What am I good at?

Pitching and chipping, great at both of those, and that's about it.

Quote: Mission146

That's awesome!!! I was the only witness to my brother-in-law's, but I swear on my life it happened and he could not have snuck the ball in on me. We immediately saw that it was not on the Green, and I kept an eye on him while simultaneously looking for his ball to make sure he didn't go to the green...as he would have had no reason to do so.

Was the one in the cemetery still playable? I've never played out of a cemetery before, but I did take a shot off of the highway, once. Fairway 4 Golf Course in either Tiltonsville or Rayland, OH. I think it is technically Rayland, except there is a highway and overpass between Tiltonsville and Rayland, so the golf course is what you might term, "On the Tiltonsville side." Anyway, there's a small stretch of highway that runs to the left on some holes, technically OB, of course, but he let me play it. I hit a decent shot that was just a little left of target and BARELY rolled up on the highway. No immediate traffic coming, so I asked, "Can I hit that?" Permission to hit from the spot with no penalty was granted and I put it on the Green. Unfortunately, my first putt was too aggressive and went off the green, then I chipped it onto the green within six feet and still managed to two-putt.

I love my putting game! You could give me the most expensive putter made, or a GD cucumber, and it probably wouldn't make a difference.

The cemetery was most definitely out of bounds. I was between clubs, went with the longer one and hit it "too" good. I dropped down a club and holed the next shot for the par. Both shots looked pretty much the same from the tee.

If I remember supposed odds of a hole in one from Golf magazine, a pro: 1/3000, an amateur: 1/12000.

I came up with ~ 169100 using 3/4 as packing fraction. I'll say 165K-170K close enuff.

Never had a hole-out 2 or Ace, but one Eagle-3 on 510yd. par 5 (fairly legit distance in the 80's). That was a putt (18-20 ft. IIRC): not hole-out.

You're right, close enuff. A hell of a lot of balls for sure.

I play in our company golf tournament every year. This year our group was putting on a green that was hidden from the fairway due to a real sharp dogleg. We are just finishing our putting when all of a sudden a ball flys through the air and bounces on the green and ends up on the fringe of the green. As we are stepping off the green, a friend runs back on and moves the ball thats on the fringe to right on the lip of the hole. We get ready to tee off right on next hole next to the green and watch the excitement. The group behind us were friends and we watched their excitement of seeing a ball right on the lip of the hole. They are all high fiveing and taking pictures of the ball. We broke the bad news to them the next day. It was still a great shot. :-)

ha ha I bet they were bummed when you broke the news. ahhh man!!

Many good stories. My golf is usually just drinking beers and running over friends' golf balls with the cart to drive them into the ground. Or getting the cart stuck in water/sand traps. Or ripping it through the woods for no reason whatsoever.

You'd think, being a hockey player and quite the ball striker in baseball, that my long game would be my strong point. Nope. I use a driver on long par threes. 140yds to the pin? That's a 5 wood for me XD

Putting is my forte. I don't golf much, maybe once a year for the last 7 years or so, but I have a handful of 50+ footers. My longest was 70+. I'm always good for one ridiculous putt per round.

My "best shot ever" story was a complete fluke. It was a low 300yd par 4, one that rose 60' easy. It was a big damn hill. As always, I hit a worm burner from the tee that only went about 80 yards and sliced off into the rough. To get to the tee, I had to go well over 200 more yards up a huge hill that had a "step" in it, upon which sat a pond that one couldn't see. A pond I always land in if I "go for it".

The group in front of me was putting on the green, so I took my turn. Ain't no way I'm even making the pond, they're completely safe. I grab my 3 iron and settle in to the deep stuff. Pat down the weeds around my ball, aim right at the pond, and WHACK!

Amazingly, I got ahold of it. And of course, headed right for the pond. Of course, right? You play it like you're going to suck because you do, and instead you hit a beauty of a shot that's really garbage because you didn't play it like you were gonna hit it well. I wait to see the confirmation splash, and instead see the ball bounce. "Sweet", I think. I hit it short and maybe it'll bounce over the pond. But the next bounce happens on the face of the next hill. I hit it OVER the pond. Sweet! And when it bounces again, I can't see it. I HIT ALL THE WAY UP THERE.

One of the dudes on the green spins my way and hold his arms up in the air. "Shit", I think. I didn't mean to interupt them, no way I thought I could possibly hit that far, now he's pissed. I meekly trot back to my cart and approach them slowly.

I arrive and stay well back. They finish up their round, retrieve their balls, and start to motor away. As they leave, the same guy throws his arms at me again. "Damn", I think. Really pissed him off. I park, start looking, and can't find my ball anywhere. Not on the fringe, not in the rough, not in the trees...

I head back to the cart, and there. Three Feet From The Cup! Dude holding his arms up was signalling how close I was!! Mr "Driver on Par Threes" knocked one from the rough with a 3 iron damn near 250 yards and almost sunk it. Think I finished with a 96 (?) that day.

And of course... I was golfing alone ><

A priest and golf enthusiast wakes up one Sunday morning to a gorgeous day. It is simply too glorious a morning to spend in church, and the priest, on impulse, decides to play hooky from services and goes out alone to golf. God, who watches over all, summons St. Peter from the Pearly Gates and says, "Watch this". Miraculously, there are no other golfers out on the course, and the priest can play at his own pace. He hits 300 yards straight and true from the first tee, a par 5, lays up at the approach, and chips in for a double eagle. The second hole, a left dogleg 4, he drives down the right side; his ball hits the 150 yard stone marker, bounces high and left, and lands on the fringe, where he putts for an eagle. The next hole, a short par 3, he hits a 7 iron for a hole-in-one. The incredible round continues, while all along, the priest is jumping for joy, praising God, and running the course in his enthusiasm.

St. Peter finally turned to God. "Lord," he said, "This priest is shirking his duty to his flock and playing a game instead. How can You reward him like this? It has to be You; no one can play this well hole after hole! I thought You would punish him with sand traps, water hazards, missed putts, and the like for this transgression!"

God said, quietly, "Think about it, Peter. Who can he tell?"

Quote: beachbumbabs

A priest and golf enthusiast wakes up one Sunday morning to a gorgeous day. It is simply too glorious a morning to spend in church, and the priest, on impulse, decides to play hooky from services and goes out alone to golf. God, who watches over all, summons St. Peter from the Pearly Gates and says, "Watch this". Miraculously, there are no other golfers out on the course, and the priest can play at his own place. He hits 300 yards straight and true from the first tee, a par 5, lays up at the approach, and chips in for a double eagle. The second hole, a left dogleg 4, he drives down the right side; his ball hits the 150 yard stone marker, bounces high and left, and lands on the fringe, where he putts for an eagle. The next hole, a short par 3, he hits a 7 iron for a hole-in-one. The incredible round continues, while all along, the priest is jumping for joy, praising God, and running the course in his enthusiasm...."

Alternate ending ...

Until a shot comes where the priest decides to use his 2-iron. He carefully lines up his shot and "duff!" The shot scoots along the ground for about 20 feet and comes to a halt. It's a terrible shot. The priest turns to God and asked "what happened?" God shrugs his shoulders and says, "Not even God knows how to hit a 2-iron."

Yeah, I like that one too! Thanks for the smile, eliot!

I thought it was a one iron, or that what Lee Trevino says anyway. I think that's who said it.

In case of a thunderstorm, stand in the middle of the fairway and hold up a one iron. Not even God can hit a one iron. Lee Trevino

I've always been rubbish at golf and many years ago some of us went round the local council course. To give you an idea my average would probably be well over 130 (easy par 72). Once, on a par-5, I holed an approach shot from about 90 yards, for a +1 result! Similarly playing darts somehow I once got 60-60-50 which was a fluke considering the 50 was still aiming for the 60.

Given I'm still a complete beginner, I suspect odds of these kinds of things happening to better people are actually higher than we might think.

Quote: charliepatrick

Similarly playing darts somehow I once got 60-60-50 which was a fluke considering the 50 was still aiming for the 60.

You hit the board all 3 times? You are a lot better than I am!

I know this thread is getting dated, but what the hell...since this is golf related(it started that way...), check this out:

http://newsfixnow.com/2014/01/08/arizona-couple-hit-two-holes-in-one-in-same-round/

and see if the math is correct:

Quote:

What are the odds a husband and wife would sink holes in one in the same round of golf?

Sandy knows, “I read online that it was 17 million to 1 odds.”