Barbara Langdale, from Reading, has defied the odds by scoring her seventh hole-in-one at the 94-yard, par-three fourth at Hennerton GC.
Barbara Langdale, from Reading, has defied the odds by scoring her seventh hole-in-one at the 94-yard, par-three fourth at Hennerton GC.
According to American golf mathematician Francis Scheid (1920-2011), if a low-handicapper plays 1,000 rounds in their lifetime, they have a 20 per cent chance of making at least one hole-in-one.
But 18-handicapper Barbara Langdale, from Reading, has defied both Scheid and the odds an amazing seven times, with her latest ace also winning her a limited-edition BOSS watch.
Langdale, 71, achieved her most recent hole-in-one on the 94-yard, par-three fourth at Hennerton GC, taking her tally to an astonishing seven.
She said: “I didn’t think it had gone in – I thought I’d hit it through to the back – and actually walked on to the green with my eight-iron and putter, thinking I’d have to chip it back on.
“The funny thing was, for the first three holes, I wasn’t playing at all well, and the lady I was playing with said: ‘oh, just hit it straight like you usually do’ – so that’s what I did.”
Langdale, now retired, has been playing golf for 25 years and actually went 15 years before achieving her first hole-in-one, meaning she’s carded all seven of her aces in the last 10 years.
She added: “I seem to get my aces in groups of two or three: my first and second were in 2005 and 2006, then I had three from 2010 to 2012, before achieving my sixth last year, followed by this one.
“I don’t really have a secret to getting a hole-in-one – I don’t tend to hit the ball very far, but my main strength is I can hit it straight. I think that’s all there is to it: don’t over hit it and try to hit it straight – it won’t go in the hole if you aim away from it!”
The luxury German brand has once again pledged to reward club golfers with an exclusive watch for every hole-in-one recorded during a club competition in 2015, after giving away more than £1.5m-worth of limited-edition timepieces since its launch in 2013 – and Langdale is among the latest to achieve the feat this year.
The scheme is open to any golfer whose club uses HowDidiDo – a free-to-use, web-based social network for golfers – and anybody playing in official club competitions is eligible. Currently, more than 1,800 clubs use the website.
Stephen Brydon, commercial director for MGS Distribution, the official licenced UK distributor for BOSS Watches, said: “Well done to Barbara for accomplishing one of golf’s most elusive feats.
“For most amateur golfers, a hole-in-one is as memorable as winning The Masters would be to a professional. We want to ensure they have something tangible by which to remember the day, other than an expensive bar bill.
“The limited-edition BOSS timepiece is exclusively available to golfers who achieve a hole-in-one; it not only immortalises a once-in-a-lifetime feat, but also serves as a memento of their achievement.
“We also hope it might lift the spirits of amateur golfers during club competitions who may not be in with a chance of winning the event, but can still feel excitement every time they play a par-three, knowing they are just one shot away from winning an exquisite timepiece.”
In addition to the limited-edition watch, Langdale joins more than 6,000 members in the BOSS Watches H1Club which offers access to exclusive benefits and merchandise.
No extra registration is required to participate in the BOSS Watches promotion as all official club competitions are recorded on the HowDidiDo system, so holes-in-one are noted and automatically ratified by the golfer’s club.
