The greatest golf shot of my life was when I was 17 years old. My drive off the tee landed on the right edge of the fairway on a par four and I was facing a tough second shot with trees and a back to front sloping green nestled between two sand traps. I pulled out my 9 iron and gave the ball plenty of loft to clear the trees only to quickly lose sight of it in a sky full of clouds. I must have walked around the green and scoured through the ivory colored sand for nearly fifteen minutes to no avail. As I unzipped my bag preparing to drop another ball on the edge of the rough I decided to take one last look behind the green. That’s when I saw it. My ball was resting in the cup. I threw both fists into the air in victory. My first eagle! I enjoyed a small sense of victory as I glanced around with nobody to share it with.
It might be more accurate to call it my luckiest golf shot ever rather than my greatest shot, but for these professional golfers luck has little to do with it. I present to you some of the craziest golf shots in history.
The Skipper: During a practice round at the 2009 Masters Tournament at Augusta, Vijay Singh faces a 170 yard Par 3. After a couple of practice shots he decides to start skipping the ball across the water toward the green. He not only hits the green on each attempt, but on his third try actually nails a hole in one!
The Tree Wedge: In the final round of the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational, Sergio Garcia’s ball gets stuck up in a tree. Rather than take a drop and lose a stroke he instead decides to climb up into the tree. The resulting single handed backhand shot not only lands well on the green but far closer to the hole than anyone would have guessed.
The “Wait for it” Shot: After having a lack luster performance on the day, Fuzzy Zoeller seemingly defies the laws of physics with an incredibly lucky shot. After a 173 yard shot off the tee his ball gets stuck on the fringe where it sits for a long TEN SECONDS before magically deciding to roll onto the green and directly into the cup.
Trick Shot Compilation: Geoff Swain completes a series of challenging bounce shots, drop shots, chip-ins, left handed short club shots, back hands, tennis serves, ricochets, and others that you just have to see to believe. What’s almost as impressive is that professional golfer Ian Poulter tries many of them for the first time and has success himself!
The Clay Pigeon: In 2010 the European Tour decided to set up a promotional video for their upcoming tournament season. They invited several pro golfers to attempt a shot that would be seemingly impossible. After launching a clay pigeon out of a thrower, typically designed for shotgun skeet shooting, the golfers would attempt to hit the clay mid-air with a direct drive off the tee. After several close shaves from the other golfers, Simon Khan hits the pigeon dead center.
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Did you know there is a golf course bordering the DMZ between North and South Korea? It is maintained by the United States Army. Your caddy is required to be a trained sniper and all players have to be armed with a firearm before being allowed to play. Don’t sweat for long though because this high stakes golf course is only a single par 3 just under 200 yards in from the tee to the hole. But this par 3 sits at the #1 spot in our list of Most Memorable Golf Courses.
If you survive the par three in Korea you might think about trying your luck at becoming a legend. The 19th hole at the Legendary Golf Resort in South Africa features a vertigo inducing par 3. From the tee to the hole below you’ll have to place your shot on a green that sits over 1,300 feet below. Being careful not to fall over the edge of the cliff, and If you are lucky enough to hit anywhere near the green, you then get to ride a helicopter down to the fairway below – the only way to get there! #2 on our list is the Legend Golf & Safari Resort.
One of the most unique and celebrated courses in the world won’t get you shot at or dangling over a cliff. In fact, it’s nestled safely in the Rocky Mountains by the scenic Lake Coeur d’Alene. But wait there’s a twist. One bad shot on hole #14 and you’ll be swimming for your ball. This par 3 is the world’s only movable and floating green. Drifting on the lake 150 yards from the shore you’ll have one, or many, memorable shots at the floating green. Then you can enjoy a boat ride out to make your putt or scuba dive for your previous ten shots if you are off your game.
