News & Events

Are You Insured Against the Risk of… a Hole-in-One?

With golf season in full swing, are you protected against the risk of hitting a hole-in-one?

The lucky few golfers that have achieved the feat of the hole-in-one are likely familiar with the traditional celebration. The golfer who hits the hole in one will attend the clubhouse bar at the conclusion of their round of golf to buy drinks for every person in the bar at that time.

According to the National Hole-in-One Registry, the odds of the average golfer making a hole-in-one are 12,500 to one. As a below average golfer, the odds of this author making a hole-in-one are more like 10,000,000 to one.

It seems counter-intuitive that the hero of the day is slapped with a hefty bar bill. When Sidney Crosby scored the “Golden Goal” to win the Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver games, he did not buy drinks for those in attendance. Tom Brady has [probably] never paid for a drink in Massachusetts since his first Super Bowl victory in 2002.

In North America and parts of Europe, many golf courses include in their membership dues hole-in-one insurance to cover the cost of the celebration. Hole-in-one insurance has apparently been offered since as early as 1918.

In Japan and Korea, hole-in-one celebrations are more extravagant. Golfers are expected to celebrate their accomplishment by buying drinks, food, and gifts for all their golf buddies. Golfers in these regions purchase hole-in-one insurance just as Canadians purchase home insurance and auto insurance.

Should you be lucky enough to hit a hole-in-one this summer: congratulations, and don’t say we didn’t warn you!