Frequently Asked Questions

(This page was last updated on February 2, 2021)

1. What is a double eagle or an albatross?
A double eagle or an albatross are terms used in golf for a three-under-par score on any single hole. A golfer can only achieve this on par 4 and par 5 holes. On a par 5 hole a double eagle or an albatross is made by holing out from the fairway on the second shot. On a par 4 hole it is a hole-in-one. Both scores are very rare. The term used most often by American golfers is double eagle. These two terms are interchangeable as they mean the same thing. The term albatross originated in Scotland.

2. Who scored the first double eagle or albatross?
Tom Morris, Jr.: On September 15, 1870, while competing in the 10th Annual British Open Championship, Young Tom, as he is often referred to, holed out from the fairway on his third shot at the Prestwick Golf Club, Scotland. It occurred on the 578 yard 1st hole which was rated as a par 6 at the time.

3. Who scored the most double eagles in competition?
According to golf historians it was Murray Irwin “Moe” Norman who scored 9 in competition. Moe, as he was known, was a legend on the Canadian PGA Tour winning 55 Championships. “Hole-In-One King”, Mancil Davis, has scored 10 double eagles. Nine were on par 5’s and one was a hole-in-one on a par 4. Two of the par 5 double eagles were scored as a professional in competition.

4. What is the longest double eagle ever scored?

Par 6 Record Holder:

Fifteen year old amateur Michael Wallace scored a double eagle on the 715 yards 12th hole at the Meadows Farms Golf Course in Locust Grove, Virginia. He did it on March 18, 2017 while paying a casual round with his dad Rick Wallace and his godfather Randy Wood.

Par 5 Record Holders:
Golf professional Andy Bean scored a double eagle on the par 5, 663 yard, 18th hole competing in the 1991 Kapalua International, on the Kapalua Resort Plantation Course, on the island of Maui. Thus making his the longest ever scored on a par 5 during tournament play.

Amateur golfer Brett Stowkowy also double eagled the par 5, 663 yard, 18th hole on the Kapalua Plantation Course during casual play on May 26, 2010. He holed out from 227 yards. Andy and Brett now share the record for the two longest double eagles ever recorded on par 5's.

Naval Officer Kevin Murray made a double eagle on the par 5, 647 yard, 2nd hole during casual play at the Guam Navy Golf Club in 1982.

5. What is the longest double eagle ever scored on a par 4?

In 1965 Robert Mitera got a double eagle on a 447 yard, par 4. In 2007, Bret Melson hit the new record in Oahu, Hawaii at 448 yards, beating the old record by just one yard.

6. How many women have scored double eagles?
There are 90 to date; 39 professional and 51 amateur. There are 26 amateur women scoring double eagles during tournament play and 25 during casual play. Among the professionals 37 were scored during tournament play and 2 during casual play. Dawn Coe-Jones and Sherri Turner, who play on the LPGA Legends Tour, have scored two double eagles each throughout their careers. Tiffany Joh has scored one double eagle as an amateur and one as a professional.

7. Who is the oldest living member of the Club?
Not really sure about this information; research for the answer is currently being done. The honor did go to the UCLA retired basketball coach, John Robert Wooden, who would have been 100 years young on October 14, 2010. He died on June 4, 2010. Coach Wooden scored a double eagle and a hole-in-one during the same round in 1939.

8. What age was the oldest person when they scored their double eagle?

On January 12, 2012, professional golfer, Bill "Speedy" Erfurth scored a double eagle while competing in the PGA Stroke Play Championship. Bill was 82. It came during the 3rd round, on the Wanamaker Course, at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie. He was playing the par 5, 460 yards, 16th hole. Bill won the 80 to 84 year old division of that tournament. He shot his age all three days with 79 - 72 - 75 for a final score of 226. "Speedy" is not only the oldest golfer to have scored a double eagle, he did it during tournament play, and went on to win the competition. That is truly achieving excellence!

9. What age was the youngest person when they scored their double eagle?

Just shy of his seventh birthday, six year old Nathan Notes scored a double eagle competing in the Junior Tour powered by Under Armour on September 20, 2020. He did it on the par 5, 250 yards (kids appropriate), 2nd hole at the Heritage Hills Golf Course, in York, Pennsylvania. He dad was his caddy and he is a 10 handicap.

On January 20, 2014, seven year old Ben Kablach scored his double eagle while playing the U.S. Kids age appropriate yardage tees at the Heron Ridge Golf Club. It was a hole-in-one on the 181 yards par 4, 6th hole. Ben is an excellent golfer winning two U.S. Kids regional tournaments and finishing in the Top 20 in the U.S. Kids World Championship 6 year old division.

Eight year old Joseph Benjamin Newton, III, known as "Bunk" to family and friends, scored his double eagle on June 9, 2017 while playing a casual round at the Highlands Country Club, in Highlands, North Carolina. He did it on the 275 yards, par 5, 6th hole. It was witnessed by his dad, Ben Newton, his sister, Ridley Newton, and Club Professional, Lauren Ceyrolles. Highlands Country Club was the summer home for fellow Club member Bobby Jones. The yardage for the hole was set up by the U.S. Kids Golf Organization and deemed age appropriate.

Ten year old Danish golfer Line Toft Hansen. She scored her double eagle on July 15, 2010 in a junior tournament at the Gilleleje Golf Club, Olsted, Denmark. It came on the par 5, 419 yard, 9th hole.

Eleven year old Eddy Lai from San Jose, California, scored his double eagle on August 7, 2010 during the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship at the Legacy Golf Links in Pinehurst, North Carolina. It took place on the par 5, 430 yard, 16th hole. His drive off the tee was 260 yards. Lai used a 4-hybrid from 170 yards to find the cup on his second shot. Eddy won the tournament by two strokes. It was the first double eagle in the 11 year history of the U.S. Kids Golf event.

Ethan N. Ray, also eleven, scored his double eagle on May 12, 2013 during the United States Junior Golf Tour tournament at the Wedgewood Golf Club in Olive Branch, Mississippi. He scored it on the 452 yards, par 5, 3rd hole.

Golf Historians have long cited Tommy Moore as being the youngest golfer to ever score a double eagle at age 13 in 1975. This is not the case anymore.

A Guinness World Records submission states that James Blane, age 14, scored a double eagle, hole-in-one, on the par 4, 303 yards, 15th hole at Badgemore Park Golf Club, United Kingdom on July 6, 2007.

10. How many double eagles have been scored during tournament play?
There have been 872 since Tom Morris, Jr. scored his at the Open in 1870. There have been 437 scored by amateurs and 435 scored by professionals.

11. How many have been scored during casual play?
So far, the research has yielded 1,633 during casual play; 41 by professionals and 1,592 by amateurs.

12. How many double eagles have been scored in a Major Championship?
There have been 5 scored during the LPGA Tour Majors, 14 scored during the PGA Tour Majors and 3 scored during the Champions Tour Majors.

13. Who scored the longest double eagle competing in a Major Championship?
That is Johnny Miller at 585 yards. He scored it during the 2nd round, on the par 5, 5th hole, in the 1972 British Open Championship at the Muirfield Golf Club. John said of his rare accomplishment, "the ground was super hard and I hit both shots as hard as possible."

14. Has anyone ever scored a double eagle in more than one Major?
Yes, Jeff Maggert scored a double eagle in the 1994 Masters and again in the 2001 British Open Championship making him the only player to have accomplished this feat.

15. How many golfers have scored more than one double eagle?
There are 49 golfers with multiple double eagles scored.
Amateurs Casual Play: 15; Amateurs Tournament: 3; Australian Tour: 2;
Japan Golf Tour: 4; LPGA Tour: 3, Women (various Tours): 1; Nationwide Tour: 1;
PGA Tour: 5; Champions Tour: 9; European PGA Tour: 4;
Sunshine Tour: 2.

16. Has any golfer ever scored more than one double eagle during the same round of golf?
Yes, two. While golfing at the Del Valle Country Club on August 30, 1964, amateur golfing legend, Norman Manley scored a double eagle on two consecutive holes in the same round of golf. Both were on par 4 holes. The first was on the par 4, 330 yard 7th hole and the second was on the par 4, 290 yard 8th hole.

On his way to a round of a life time, Patrick Wills, scored three hole-in-ones. Two on par 4's, for double eagles, and one on a par 3. Patrick's extremely rare accomplishment was on June 22, 2015, during the Solstice Survival Annual Golf Tournament at the Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Virginia. His first double eagle was scored on the par 4, 289 yards, 7th hole, while his second came on the par 4, 334 yards, 10th hole. His par 3 ace was on the 187 yards, 14th. Wills had seven birdies, one eagle, and two double eagles for a score of fourteen under par, 57.

17. Has any golfer ever scored a hole-in-one and a double eagle during the same round of golf?
Yes, there have been sixteen so far, including Norman Manley and Patrick Wills mentioned above. John Robert Wooden scored a double eagle and a hole-in-one on the front nine during one round on June 26, 1939 at the Erskine Park Golf Course in South Bend, Indiana. His hole-in-one was on the par 3, 149 yard, 6th hole and the double eagle came on the par 5, 505 yard, 16th. Coach Wooden is one of the ten golfers, and the first in history, to have scored a double eagle and a hole-in-one during the same round of golf!

Female member, Paige James, scored a hole-in-one and a double eagle during a casual round on March 27, 2007 while playing at the Charlotte Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The hole-in-one came on the par 3, 3rd hole and the double eagle was on the par 5, 13th hole making Paige the first woman golfer to have ever accomplished this very rare feat!

In August of 2008, amateur golfer Curt Hocker scored a hole-in-one on his first hole and a double eagle on his 15th during the same round at the El Paso Golf Club in Bloomington, Illinois. Curt was playing from the Blue tees that day. Hole number one, a par 4, was 278 yards and the par 5 15th hole was 507 yards to the pin.

Professional golfer Nicholas Thompson accomplished this rare feat on October 24, 2009 while playing in the 3rd round of the Frys.com Open at the Greyhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. His double eagle came on the par 5, 572 yard 11th hole, when he knocked in a 3-wood from 261 yards. He got par on the 12th hole and scored a hole-in-one on the par 3, 230 yard, 13th hole with a 7-iron.

Amateur golfer, Kurt Weis, accomplished this one of a kind experience during a casual round of golf on June 5, 2010. It occurred while playing on the Legend At Bristlecone Golf Course in Hartland, Wisconsin. The hole-in-one came on the par 3, 210 yard, 6th hole. The double eagle happened on the par 5, 423 yard, 11th hole.

Canadian amateur golfer, Michael Farquharson, bagged his double eagle and ace on June 8, 2011 during a casual round at the Quinelle Golf Club in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada. The double eagle came first on the par 5, 480 yard, 6th hole. His drive off the tee was 292 yards and he finished up the hole with his 7-iron from 188 yards out. Michael's hole-in-one came an hour and a half and two holes later. He had to wait for a thunderstorm to blow over. His hole-in-one was on the 154 yard, par 3, 8th hole, using his 8-iron.

July 15, 2011, Chie Arimra, scored a double eagle and a hole-in-one while competing in the Stanley Ladies Golf Tournament, on the Japanese LPGA Tour at the Tomei Country Club, Shizuoka, Japan. Her double eagle came on the 503 yards par 5, 8th hole and the hole-in-one was on the 135 yards par 3, 16th. She went on to win the tournament!

On July 21, 2011, Former Champions Tour professional golfer Bob Dickson, age 67, made a double eagle at the par 5 second hole of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and a hole-in-one at the par 3 eighth hole on his way to a front-nine score of 7-under-par 29 and a final score of 6-under 66. One shot under his age!

On January 13, 2013, professional golfer Nikolai Wheeler, age 23, while playing a casual round at the Hilton Head Lakes Golf Course, Hardeeville, South Carolina, scored a double on the par 5, 520 yard, 7th hole and a hole-in-one on the par 3, 215 yard, 17th hole. His drive off the tee on the par 5 was 330 yards.

Jim Dyer, a 39-year-old man from Mukilteo, Washington, was playing a casual round on March 29, 2014, at the Highlander Golf Course in Wenatchee, Washington, when he scored both a double eagle and a hole-in-one during the same round. The double eagle was first. It happened on the par 5, 472 yards, 5th hole, when Jim holed out using his 3-wood from 230 yards. His hole-in-one came on the par 3, 140 yards, 7th hole using a 9-iron joining a very rare Club.

While playing a causal round with his family, on February 18, 2016, Jim McNiece, age 66, became the thirteenth golfer in recorded history to have scored both a hole-in-one and a double eagle during the same round. He did it while playing with his brothers Mike and Christopher and his sister Maryellen on the Chiricahua Course at the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The hole-in-one came first on the par 3, 131 yards, 14th hole. The double eagle was bagged on the par 5, 461 yards, 17th.

On April 24, 2016, 18 year old Cooper Cordova scored a hole-in-one and a double eagle while competing in the Ping Junior Interclub at the Randolph North Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona. The hole-in-one was scored on the par 3, 132 yards, 6th hole and the double eagle was on the 469 yards, par 5, 9th hole. Cooper is a 1 handicap.

Jeff Erdelac, on March 28, 2017, scored his double eagle and hole-in-one while playing a casual round at The Golf Club at Fossil Creek in Fort Worth, Texas. The double eagle came first on the par 5, 510 yards, 3rd hole. Two holes later, Jeff scored his ace on the par 3, 198 yards, 5th hole. Jeff is a 10 handicap.

On July 19, 2018, 16-year-old, Conor Kelly, while competing in the AJGA Junior Golf Hub Championship at the Country Club of Halifax, Massachusetts, finished his front nine with a hole-in-one and followed it with a double eagle. His hole-in-one came on the par 3, 198 yards, 8th hole and his double eagle on the par 5, 480 yards, 9th. Conor finished with a 5-under 67.

I am sure there are more. I just don’t know them… yet!

18. Has any golfer ever scored a double eagle during both casual and tournament play?
Yes, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, John Cook, Murray "Moe" Norman and Mancil Davis have all scored a double eagle in both casual and tournament play. Jack scored a double eagle during casual play when a teenager, also while competing on the PGA Tour and again on the Champions Tour making him the only player in the world to have done so.

19. Which Tour has the players with the most double eagles?
That would be the PGA Champions Tour with 79. The PGA Tour has 74 and the European PGA Tour has 71. The Korn Ferry Tour has 51 and the LPGA Tour has 28.

20. How many amateurs have scored a double eagle?
To date 2,030; 1,978 men and 52 women.

21. How many were during tournament play?
Currently 438; 412 men and 26 women.

22. Has scoring a double eagle ever factored in on winning a tournament?
Yes. In 1935 Gene Sarazen’s double eagle on the 15th hole at the Augusta National Golf Club, during the final round, tied him with Craig Wood at the end of regulation play. The next day Gene went onto win the Masters in a 36 hole playoff. His “Shot Heard Round the World” propelled him to victory, and due to the news coverage of his accomplishment, both the game of golf and Augusta National, the Masters in particular, enjoyed new heights of popularity.

Also, on July 15, 2011, Chie Arimra, scored a double eagle and a hole-in-one while competing in the Stanley Ladies Golf Tournament, on the Japanese LPGA Tour at the Tomei Country Club, Shizuoka, Japan. She went on to win the tournament!

23. Have there ever been two double eagles scored during the same tournament?
Yes, it has happened six times. They are as follows:
1978: Jim Nelford & Tommy Valentine in the Atlanta Classic on the PGA Tour.
1990: Steve Pate & Jim Gallagher, Jr. in The International on the PGA Tour.
1999: Joey Snyder III & Joel Edwards in the Omaha Classic on the Nike Tour.
2005: Tim Petrovic & Tad Ridings in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on the PGA Tour.
2007: David Hearn & Zoran Zorkic in the Peek’n Peak Classic on the Nationwide Tour.
2013: Billy McKenzie & Julian Taylor in the William Woods University Fall Invitational.
2015: Daniel Berger & Zach Johnson in the Arnold Palmer Invitational

24. Have there ever been two golfers to each score a double eagle while playing together?

Yes. While playing a casual round together, on May 21, 1982, at the Pecan Valley Golf Course in Texas, Manuel Land and Louie Smith both scored a double on the same hole. This very rare event took place on the par-5, 525 yard 18th hole.

25. What does the "J.L." stand for in Club member J.L. Lewis's name?
The “J.L.” stands for John Lee… John Lee Lewis.

26. When and where did the Club founder score his double eagle?
He has never gotten one… He simply has a great passion for the game, which unfortunately does not contribute to lowering his handicap.