In the world of golf, there are two things that most players dream of achieving at some point during their careers: getting a hole in one and hitting an albatross. If you get the former on some holes then you might well end up getting the latter too. We have written about hole in one bets in more detail elsewhere on this site, with this page being dedicated to that mythical creature of the albatross. It is worth mentioning them together, though, given the manner in which they are so closely linked to one another as bet types. Getting three strokes under par isn’t easy, which is why betting on it can be extremely speculative.
What is an Albatross?
First things first and an explanation of what an albatross actually is. In its simplest form, an albatross is when you get three under par on a hole. It is part of the golfing lexicon that follows on from getting one under par, which is known as a birdie and two under par, which is called an eagle. It is impossible to get an albatross on a par 3 hole, so they’re only likely to occur on par 4s or par 5s. Of course, the fact that par 4s and par 5s are usually very long holes on the professional tour means that getting an albatross on one is still very unlikely, albeit becoming more and more possible thanks to the big hitters that play the modern game.
The term ‘albatross’ comes from the rare sea bird of the same name and was first used in the world of golf in 1929. It didn’t become a commonly used term until a few decades later, however. In fact, some still don’t call it an albatross, preferring the term ‘double eagle’ instead. Whilst it is very unlikely that an albatross may be hit, with some putting the odds of a regular golfer getting one at 6,000,000/1, it isn’t impossible. The odds certainly improve when you’re talking about professionals, with 18 having been hit during a major between 1870 and 2012, with four coming in a women’s major between 1993 and 2014.
What You’re Betting On
The likelihood is that you’ve already figured out what you’re betting on, but it is worth spelling it out just in case. When it comes to albatross betting, you’re betting on whether or not there will be an albatross managed during the course of a tournament. It is usually offered as a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ market, with no having much shorter odds than yes on account of the fact that it is a rare sight indeed. Placing a bet on an albatross could be seen as audacious, given how unlikely it is for one to be scored. That being said, they have been scored in professional tour events, so it isn’t so out of the realms of the possible that you’d be mad to bet on it.
Obviously the likes of a birdie, an eagle or a bogey are all much more likely to happen during a round of golf, but because of that the odds on all of those are going to be much lower than they will be on an albatross happening. Should weather cause problems for a competition and reduce the amount of golf that can be played, albatross bets will usually be made void unless at least 36 holes have been played or the bet has already been settled. That is to say, if a player gets an albatross on the front nine of the first day of playing, for example, then you will be paid out on that even if the tournament is cancelled before the second day starts.
What to Look Into
If you are going to place an albatross bet then there are several things you can look into before doing so. The first is how long each hole is on the golf course that the competition in question is taking place at. You can then compare this with the maximum drives of the players that are taking part, which will give you a sense of how likely an albatross is to happen at the course. You should look at the average drives of the players too, rather than the record drive that they’ve hit. The latter is usually under specific conditions that are unlikely to be in play during the course of the tournament that you’re betting on.
The other thing that you’ve want to do some research into is how the weather conditions are during the competition. There is no point placing a bet on an albatross happening if the weather forecast says that there are likely to be extreme winds that will stop a player from being able to reach the green or even close with their drive. At the same time, perfectly still weather or even wind that is coming from behind the tee and is therefore likely to give the ball a helping hand towards the hole are both worth taking into account before you choose to place your wager. You will need a perfect storm of events for an albatross bet to win, but it has happened before and will happen again.