Thirty-five golfers took their chances with some ominous looking clouds...and got in nine holes as rain and lightening seemed to hit everywhere in Shoal Lake except for the golf course. There was a scary moment when I was teeing off on the third hole and heard the ambulance. I thought for sure someone had been struck by lightning.
Most golfers like numbers and statistics so here are some interesting ones for consideration. The odds of getting a hole in one are approximately 12 500 to 1 for an amateur...and around 7 500 to 1 for a professional golfer. The odds of being struck by lightning are closer to 600 000 to 1. So, as an amateur, you are 50 times more likely to score an ace then being hit by a bolt from the sky.
Before you get too excited about the hole in one odds, 12 500 to 1 is similar to your chances of winning an academy award for acting. It is actually more likely that you will be fatally injured from a slip in a shower or bathtub (3500 to 1) then going from tee to cup in one shot. Hole in ones are random. Sure the better you play the better your chances. But there are hackers who have holes in one while some PGA pros are still awaiting their first.
In terms of local odds, your chances of winning a skin last week were approximately 6 to 1. That was because six guys out of 35 made cash. They included Ken Stewart and Clayton Hunter ($20 on #1), Brad Benton and Dick Edgeworth ($39 on #2), and Blake Cramer and Jason Hunter ($121 on # 4). The big prize for the last pairing was the largest single skin this year. If we use the skin winners as our sample, the odds of someone over 50 winning a skin compared to someone under 50 were 2 to 1. All of the first four winners qualify as senior golfers. In other evening odds, it appeared you had approximately a 12 to 1 chance of getting a deuce. We had three (Brad, Austin, Ken).
Closest to the pins were recorded by Austin Hunter on #5 and Joel Ostash on #9. Thanks to our prize sponsors - Murray Farm Supply and Kim Services / Susinski Farms.
There were a couple of important decisions made by the mens' night which are worth noting. Firstly, the 7:00 pm experiment is over after one week. We will be going back to 6:30 pm tee-off times this Wednesday. Secondly, golf will continue on the regular night on June 27th despite Shoal Lake grad the same evening. Thanks in advance for Luke and Neuf who will run things then.
One more comment about lightning. In North America, about 5% of deaths due to lightning strikes occur on golf courses. Remember always to make safety a priority. If you must golf in inclement weather, play with someone taller.
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