
What is an albatross in golf?
In golf, "albatross" is a term for scoring 3-under par on an individual hole. Yes, albatross is another word for a double eagle - the two terms are identical in meaning.
What is the difference between an albatross and an ace?
Albatrosses are far rarer than aces . Remember that " par " is the number of strokes an expert golfer is expected to need to complete the play of a hole. And each hole on a golf course is assigned a par rating. With that in mind, a golfer gets to claim an albatross by:
What are the odds of scoring an albatross?
An albatross is one of the rarest scores in all of golf; only a condor is rarer. Considering the odds of an amateur golfer scoring a hole-in-one, or an ace, is 12,500 to 1, the odds of an amateur scoring an albatross is closer to 6,000,000 to 1.
Can you make an albatross on a par-6 hole?
Par-6 holes are rare in golf, but they do exist. So you can also make an albatross by scoring 3 on a par-6. Albatrosses on par-3 holes are impossible.

What is an albatross in golf scoring?
Albatross: This term means three under par, but the "double eagle" synonym is simply a continuation of the aviary theme of good scores. The albatross is rare, as is a three under par.
How many strokes is an albatross in golf?
Albatross / Double Eagle - An "Albatross" or "Double Eagle" is when a golfer scores three fewer strokes than par on an individual golf hole. Ex: 2 strokes on a par-5 hole. An Albatross is far rarer than even a hole-in-one (ace).
Can you albatross a par 4?
An albatross is achieved when a player either scores a two on a par 5 or aces a par 4.
What is an albatross on a par 5?
An albatross, also called a double eagle, is a score of three-under-par on a single hole. This is most commonly achieved with two shots on a par-5, but can be done with a hole-in-one on a par-4.
Is a hole-in-one on a par 4 an albatross?
Albatross or Double Eagle An albatross is achieved when a player either aces a par 4, or scores a "2" on a par 5.
What is a ostrich in golf?
Supposedly, this is the name assigned to completing a hole having struck the ball five fewer times than par. In other words, this is what happens when you hole-out a Par 7 with two strokes or shoot a Hole-In-One on a Par Six. Frankly, this is a case of folklore.
What is an eagle golf?
An eagle in golf is a score that is achieved when you are 2-under par. For example, you need to do it in one stroke to score an “eagle” on a par-3 hole and two strokes on a par-4 hole. An eagle is a good indicator of advanced gameplay and is typically not achieved until the professional level.
How many albatrosses have there been in the PGA?
Only 18 albatrosses achieved, in history, at major tournaments.
What's harder hole-in-one or albatross?
The odds of scoring a hole in-one, or ace, is 12,000 to 1, while an albatross is six million to 1, according to golf experts. The odds of doing both in the same round are, well, almost incalculable.
How many albatrosses are in the Masters?
four timesAn albatross has been made at the Masters four times.
Has anyone made a hole-in-one on a par 5?
Holes-in-one on par 5 (or higher) holes The longest recorded straight drive hole-in-one is believed to be 517 yards or 473 metres, on the par-5 No. 9 hole at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver in 2002, aided by the thin air due to the high altitude.
What is a condor in golf terms?
Scoring a condor is the rarest event in golf. This is normally a hole in one at a par five (a two at a par six would also count, but this has never been done). Only five condors have ever been recorded: The most recent was Kevin Pon, who made a 2 on a par 6 at Lake Chabot Golf Course on the 10th December 2020.
Why is it Called an Albatross?
You have to go back to 1899 to first learn about the origins of the albatross term in golf.
Is it Double Eagle or Albatross?
In the US, a double eagle is still used – but in the UK and Europe as a whole, the term “albatross” is a more widely used term to describe a double eagle.
Is it Hard to Shoot an Albatross?
Most amateurs will never shoot an albatross in their lives. When you think about what is required to make this shot on a par 5 hole it seems impossible!
What Professional Golfers Have Made an Albatross?
Remarkably, there are numerous players that have shot an albatross in golf, such as Jack Nicklaus who in 1996 hit an albatross on the par 5, 18th hole at the Atlantic Beach Country Club.
What Is The History Of An Albatross In Golf?
An albatross can grow to a massive wingspan of twelve feet, symbolizing how noteworthy scoring one is.
Tips for Scoring an Albatross
Scoring an albatross is something that even professional players can’t regularly do. There is a little bit of luck involved and a lot more skill. Even still, there are a few tricks and skills you can implement to improve your chances of scoring one.
Conclusion
Now you know what an albatross is in golf, where the term comes from, and a few anecdotes of its historical usage. You learned about some recent notable albatrosses in tournaments that turned the tides of games. Finally, you learned some general tips for improving your chances of scoring a double eagle of your own.
Who has scored an albatross in golf?
Other pro golfers, including Jack Nicklaus, Shaun Micheel and Joey Sindelar, have scored albatrosses in their careers. A notable, recent albatross and belongs to Nicholas Thompson, who achieved the feat at the 2009 Fry.com Open.
How to score an albatross?
Scoring an albatross on a given hole requires that you are playing on a par-5 hole. If you were to hole out three shots below par on a par-4, this accomplishment would technically be called a hole-in-one rather than an albatross. On a par-5 hole, you would need to sink your second shot to achieve an albatross.
What does albatross mean in golf?
In golf, an albatross is something that most golfers will never have the fortune to make. This scoring term, which represents three strokes under par on a single hole, is extremely difficult to achieve.
What hole did the golfer make an albatross on?
After making an albatross on the par-5 11th hole, he made a hole-in-one on the par-3 13th hole. The back-to-back albatross and hole-in-one is an extremely rare occurrence in the game.
Who was the first professional golfer to record an albatross?
Notable Albatrosses. PGA Tour legend Gene Sarazen was the first professional golfer to record an albatross in one of golf's four modern major events, and he did so when the stakes were high. Sarazen earned this rare score on the par-5 15th hole of the 1935 Masters, which forced a tie for the lead and a subsequent playoff that he won.
Can you make an albatross on a par 5?
Because it's only possible on a par-5 hole, this limits your chances of an albatross to the number of par-5 holes on the course . Although you have a chance to make a 1-under-par birdie or even a 2-under-par eagle on any hole on any given course, the albatross remains highly elusive. Sorry, the video player failed to load.
Do golfers score albatross?
Several professional golfers have scored an albatross in a tour event, but the list remains relatively short compared with the number of holes collectively played by all the golfers in PGA Tour and LPGA Tour history.
How rare is an Albatross in golf?
An albatross is one of the rarest scores in all of golf; only a condor is rarer.
Is there a difference between an Albatross and a Double Eagle?
An albatross and a double eagle are the same score: three strokes under par on any particular hole.
Is an Albatross the best score you can achieve in golf?
While an albatross is impressive, it isn’t the best score you can achieve in golf.
What is an Example of an Albatross Shot in Golf?
An albatross occurs when a golfer gets the ball into the hole three strokes under par. For example, on a par 5, an albatross will arise if it only took two strokes to get the ball in. If the hole was a par six and you got the ball into the hole in three strokes, it will also be an albatross.
Can You Get a Hole-in-One and a Double Eagle on the Same Shot?
Yes, you can achieve both a hole-in-one and a Double Eagle on the same golf shot. For example, on par 4, you can hit a hole-in-one and achieve an albatross. In January 2022, Rowan McCarthy recorded a hole-in-one and albatross on the same shot.
Why is it Called an Albatross?
Golf uses bird names to score certain shots, so they call it an albatross or a double eagle. For example, a Birdie means that you got the ball into the hole one shot under par. Meanwhile, an Eagle occurs when you take less than two shots to score what the par says.
How Rare is an Albatross Shot in Golf?
According to the Tamos Hanter Golf, your odds of making an albatross shot is about one in six million. To put that in perspective, you have a 12,500 to 1 chance of making a hole-in-one in golf, according to Ahno.com. Getting a hole-in-one, while incredibly impressive, isn’t even close to what an albatross is in the odds.
Is There Anything Better than an Albatross Shot in Golf?
The rarest shot in golf belongs to a condor, where you are four under par. As of January 2022, there have only been six players to achieve that. Interestingly, all of the six players were amateur golfers.
Has Anyone got an Albatross in the U.S. Open?
Three players got a double eagle during the U.S. Open as of January 2022. Their names are Chen Tze-Chung, Shaun Micheel, and Nick Watney. The most recent occurrence of the double eagle in the U.S. Open was in 2012.
Has Anyone got an Albatross in The Open Championship?
Eight professional golfers got a double eagle during The Open Championship as of January 2022. The players’ names include Young Tom Morris, Jonny Miller, Manny Zerman, Greg Own, Greg Evans, Paul Lawrie, and Bill Rogers.
Why is albatross such a difficult feat in golf?
An albatross is almost an impossible feat to achieve in golf. A scoring term means a player can score a particular hole by three strokes under par. It is a challenging accomplishment for any golfer, given that most of the holes in a golf course or driving range are 3-par, 4-par, and 5-par.
Who has scored an albatross so far?
In the long and illustrious history of professional golf, there were only a few occasions when it scored an albatross. However, PGA Tour veteran Gene Sarazen is recognized as the first professional golfer to score an albatross at one of the four major events of modern professional golf.
Some most remarkable albatross in the history of golf
Making a par-5 in two shots is rare, and you need to make some very shots and a great deal of luck to achieve such a rare feat. According to an estimate, only 10% of all the golfers can make 5-par in two shots.
What are your odds of making an albatross?
The odds of scoring an albatross are 6 million to 1. The National Hole worked out this estimate in One Association that tracks and sets odds for holes-in-one.
Why is scoring an albatross so rare?
Scoring an albatross is tricky because it can achieve it only on 5-par holes whose number on a golf course ranges from 2 to 5.
Is it an albatross or double eagle?
Albatross and double eagle refer to the same thing and have identical meanings. The use of double eagle is more common in the United States.
Conclusion
By the discussion so far, you must see what makes albatross such a difficult feat to accomplish. Albatross remains an enigma in the game of stamina and power coupled with deft and subtle stroke play.
What Is an Albatross in Golf?
Albatross is an extremely rare golf shot that entails scoring a 2 on a par-5 hole or three under par on a particular golf hole. To make an Albatross, you need to take two perfect shots under par, the latter taking the ball into the hole.
Why Is It Called an Albatross?
Albatross is a scoring term in the game of golf. It’s called an Albatross because the shot is as rare as the seabird itself. But why Albatross when three-under-par could literally be anything? To understand the clearly visible aviary theme in golfing, we have to take a look at the golf history.
How to Score an Albatross in Golf?
There are no hard and fast rules to bag this golden achievement because the ones who had made an Albatross did not live to make another. Except for Jeff Maggert, the only golfer to have scored an Albatross twice in major championships ( PGA Tour )!
Professional Golfers Who Scored an Albatross
Albatrosses have been made a total of 18 times in Major golfing events. Shaun Micheel gave the world a spectacular scene in the final round of the US Open at the Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s possible to score better than an Albatross as long as you count a bird or a hole-in-one as the better term. You’re not allowed errant shots when it comes to a hole-in-one.
Rounding up
Hitting an albatross may seem difficult and is an extremely rare feat and golf term, even for professionals but that doesn’t mean that other golf scores such as an eagle, birdie or a par aren’t a good score too.

How Rare Are Albatrosses in Golf?
- Veryrare. Consider these facts: 1. In the entire history of The Masters, there have been only four albatrosses scored (they are listed on our Masters Recordspage); 2. In the U.S. Open, only three albatrosses have ever been recorded (listed in the US Open FAQ); 3. And over the first 60 years o…
Origins of The Golf Use of 'Albatross'
- You know what an albatross is in golf, but why that word? How did "albatross" come to be used as the word for 3-under par on a hole? It was simply in keeping with the already established avian theme of terms applied to below-par golf scores. Birdie, for 1-under par on a hole, came first. Eagle, for 2-under par, evolved next. (See The Origins of Birdie and Eagle in Golffor more about t…
Double Eagle vs. Albatross
- The two terms are identical in meaning, but where are they used? This is easy: "Double eagle" is the preferred term in the United States, "albatross" is used almost everywhere else. Why "double eagle" came to be the commonly used term in the U.S. probably dates to the 1935 Masters. That's where Gene Sarazenhit a shot that is still among the most famous in golf history, a par-5 hole-ou…