Although professional golfers are much more likely to hit hole-in-ones than your average player, they can go their entire careers without achieving that feat.
According to the National Hole-in-One Registry, the chances of a Tour player hitting a hole-in-one are 3,000-to-one, compared to 12,000-to-1 for average players.
Watts hit his first ace in June 2021, with 10 more to come in the next few months.
The British golfer actually admitted this during an interview with British broadcaster ITV in December, when the cameras were rolling.
Watts specifically remembers being given a box of balls to be interviewed by Tracy Park Pro Shop – the golf club where he achieved his feat.
He hit the first 10 balls before the interview and was then asked to hit the remaining balls for some more footage.
“Because I turned to him and I said: ‘He’ll be close because he’s just like the one I put on the first hole.’
“And when we got there, the cameramen went into the hole, they said: ‘There’s one in the hole,’ and we all said: ‘Don’t be a fool.’ And he said: ‘No, I’m not kidding, there’s a ball in the hole.’ And this was one of those they gave us from the Pro Shop.
“It was fantastic. And luckily, they filmed it. They had the camera on the green at the time, so it showed the ball going in as well.”
Escape
Watts has been playing golf for more than 35 years, starting at age five when his father threw him a ball and he would hit him.
When Watts was eight, he joined Tracy Park Golf Club’s junior team, as well as spending time on the junior teams at the county level.
But nothing could prepare herself for the hot streak she has been on since June.
Watts remembers his first hole-in-one, which came on the 12th hole of the Cromwell Course in Tracy Park.
“I actually saw the ball go in. It was absolutely lovely. It was two bounces and it really just rolled into the hole,” Watts said.
“He was the first. And I was over the moon with him, obviously, being the first hole-in-one. I think my teammates who played with him at the time were more excited than I was. Honest with you “
His second came two weeks later during the club’s championship in a round with Tracy Park, the club’s owner.
It was only when he drilled a few more holes that Watts really began to consider his extraordinary run.
“I was like: ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe this is clearly happening this time,’ because you can go a whole life without a hole. And in six months, it all just went one It’s been a little ballistic with everything really,” he said.
“Like every time I went out, I was sure I was going to get another one because that’s how I felt at the time.”
a costly feat
Watts says that his friends and family have reached out to him from Australia and New Zealand to congratulate him.
Inevitably he is asked the question of what is the secret to hitting a hole-in-one.
Along with practicing your swing and focusing on accuracy, Watts says it’s important to believe that you can achieve the feat.
He’s also honest enough to admit that there’s something “weird” about hitting 11 hole-in-ones — 10 of which on par three and one on par four — in such a short amount of time and he can’t really Explain the incident.
“Yet every time I play on the golf course, every time I hit the ball, someone yells: ‘Get in the hole.’ When I look or when I come in, everyone asks with the same question: ‘Do you have one today?'”
Golf tradition dictates that if a player hits a hole-in-one, they must buy a drink for everyone at the clubhouse bar after completing their round.
Watts twice supported the tradition, but since it was “too expensive”, he reconsidered his generosity.
“When I did it the third time, I found out I had to put the keys in the car and get out really quickly once I got back. Otherwise, it would cost you an absolute fortune to do it.”
The actual record for the most holes punched in a single career, professional or amateur, is unclear, but Watts has his eye on his career for about 20.
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