After having achieved a “hole in 1” on the course of the Ecogolf Ariège Pyrénées, in Unjat, Linda, Alain and Christian will fly to Hawaii with the hope of winning… 1 million dollars!
The odds for an amateur golfer of hitting a hole 1 in a par 3 (that is, hitting the ball directly into the hole) is 1 in 12,500. And, on average, it does. only after 20 years of practice. Amateurs or professionals, there are even some who have never made it. Between talent and luck, the limit is sometimes fine. But the challenge is still so exciting. The company 18-events decided to surf it. “To energize their club, highlight their partners, reward their players, all golf courses organize numerous competitions. The installation of the ” hole in 1 ” on each of the competitions is almost inseparable”. In September 2019, the brand “W1n1none” was therefore launched. “The concept is simple. Partner golf courses are installed, on one of their pars 3, two completely autonomous cameras (in Unjat, the installation is financed by a sponsor) . One at the start, the other at the finish. “This removes all the constraints.” The Ecogolf Ariège Pyrenees of Unjat is one of the twenty French golf courses to have tried the experience. “I am the one who I requested them, explains Jean-Alain Rives, president of the Ecogolf. With the Palmola golf course in Toulouse, we were the pioneers. “A great opportunity to offer licensees (and others) a new challenge. All this while respecting the environment.” The two cameras are powered by photovoltaic panels. “Everyone can benefit from this new system (subscriptions at an exceptional rate to all club licensees – € 40 instead of € 120 – and a green fee of € 2 instead of € 5 for all outdoor green fees). All within the limit of one course per day, so one chance per day. To go further, 18-events has decided to reward the lucky ones who succeed in this famous hole in one par a trip to Hawaii. Better, the one or the one who will be the first to make another hole in one there will win… 1 million dollars! In just under 2 years, there are only 8 in France (the only country where the challenge is organized for the moment) to have succeeded in this feat. And, out of these 8, 3 are Ariégeois! Jean-Alain Rives cannot I don’t have a smile. Are golfers from Ariège more talented? Not quite. “It was I who chose Unjat hole 12 to install the cameras. There is a small stopper that allows the ball to come back and, if we are lucky (laughs)…” A particular hole since the arrival is below the departure. Alain Mazzonetto is one of the three happy Ariège residents to have achieved the performance of sending his ball directly into the hole. “I had the right distance, I played a good hole that day. Par 3 is fine with me.” After a rich career as a rugby player, Alain took up golf barely 4 years ago. And became addicted to it. He hits balls every day … at home, in his garden. He was also happy to have been the first, last summer, to achieve this “hole in 1” at Unjat. “If it is, I will never do it again. When my playmate told me he thought the ball had entered the hole, my heart raced. The 12 is one of the holes that I like the most. ” The first to congratulate him was Simon Armstrong. The Scotsman installed in Ariège could have been in his friend’s place but also managed a “hole in 1” on the 12 … “but it was two or three days before the cameras were installed” (only the video can prove that the shot was successful by proving the identity of the person who hit the shot). He was able to console himself a little later because it was his wife, Linda, who validated the magic blow. One of the two women out of the eight qualified. “It’s the best shot, explains Jean-Alain Rives. He bounced a few centimeters before the hole and came back quietly.” Linda and Simon started playing golf 9 years ago, in Unjat precisely. “It’s weird for a Scotsman to start so late, right?” laughs Simon, who will accompany his wife to Hawaii and who will be his shopping cart. “To play golf here is a dream.” Christian Huet is the third to have validated his ticket. Like his friends, he hasn’t played golf for so long (8 years). He still can’t believe he made this “hole in 1”. “I won’t hide from you that I was lucky. We had been trying for a year and a half. With my partners, we joked about it every time. That day, it was a quarter of a game. hour. After that, it was dark. ” Christian explains why this hole 12 allows, perhaps, to have a little more luck than elsewhere. “You have to hit the slope, to the right. Even when you miss your shot, it allows the ball to come back to the green.” He hadn’t seen that his ball had returned either. “I thought she crossed the whole green (laughs).” Linda, Alain and Christian could even have been accompanied by Jean-Alain-Rives. “I also made the hole in 1 but it was on my second ball (laughs).” One too many (only one attempt per day).
Obviously, the trip won to Hawaii is the icing on the cake. But Linda, Alain and Christian admit above all their luck to have succeeded in an almost impossible blow. They got caught up in the game. And if they were to succeed again in Hawaii, then we would have to take a serious look at the statistics…
