CHICAGO — Don't bet on acing a hole at any of Chicago's 10 public park district golf courses.
Since 2007, only 133 holes-in-one have been recorded within city limits on public grounds — and just four have been accomplished this year.
That's about 14½ holes-in-one per year, or about 1½ a season at each course: Billy Caldwell Golf Course in Forest Glen; Burnham Woods Golf Course in Hegewisch; Columbus Park Golf Course in Austin; Edgebrook Golf Course; Indian Boundary Golf Course in O'Hare; Jackson Park Golf Course in Woodlawn; Marquette Park Golf Course; Robert Black Golf Course in West Ridge; South Shore Golf Course; and Sydney Marovitz Golf Course in Lakeview/Uptown.
The data was culled by Andy DeKeuster, a public relations representative for Billy Casper Golf, which oversees the Chicago Park District golf courses.
Justin Breen says one man got two aces in a single round:
There are multiple ways to record a hole-in-one, according to Travis Kane, a regional manager for Billy Casper Golf. Usually, golfers report a hole-in-one to golf course staff at the conclusion of their rounds. Witnesses or playing partners verify the hole-in-one. A player then fills out a hole-in-one form, which is forwarded to a BCG team member keeping a tally of all holes-in-one. Golfers who score a hole-in-one receive a certificate in the mail, Kane said.
Golf course staff or rangers on the course also have witnessed holes-in-one and can verify them, Kane said.
An amateur's chance of getting a hole-in-one is 1-in-12,500, according to Golf Digest.
There have been a few local hole-in-one anomalies. Golfer Eric Johnson had two aces on park district courses in 2011: on June 29 at Chick Evans in suburban Morton Grove and Sept. 12 at Edgebrook. On May 1, 2013, two golfers had holes-in-one in Chicago: Kevin Brennan at Billy Caldwell and Carolyn Cooney at Robert Black.
The ultimate ace story was accomplished by Paul Dombrowski, who recorded two holes-in-one on the same day: July 23, 2013 at Burnham Woods.
"It was luck, lots of luck,” Dombrowski told CBS Chicago in 2013.
Since 2007, the best city year for aces at public courses was 2011, when 32 were shot. In both 2007 and 2008, only four holes-in-one occurred in Chicago.
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