Condor Definition: Four Under Par on a Single Hole
A condor is a score of four strokes under par on a single hole. It is the rarest scoring achievement in all of golf, far rarer than a hole-in-one, an albatross, or even a round of 59 on tour. The condor sits at the extreme end of golf's avian scoring scale:
| Term | Relative to Par | On Par 5 | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birdie | -1 | 4 | Common |
| Eagle | -2 | 3 | Uncommon |
| Albatross | -3 | 2 | Very Rare |
| Condor | -4 | 1 (Ace!) | Nearly Impossible |
In practical terms, a condor almost always means a hole-in-one on a par 5. It could theoretically also be a 2 on a par 6 (a few par 6 holes exist in the world), but the overwhelming majority of condor discussions center on acing a par 5. The ball must travel anywhere from 400 to 550+ yards in a single shot and find the cup, making it one of the most improbable feats in all of sports.
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Download Free on iOSHow Is a Condor Physically Possible?
For a condor to occur, several nearly impossible conditions must align simultaneously:
The Right Course Design
The par 5 must be reachable from the tee in a single shot. This typically requires a severe dogleg where the ball can cut the corner dramatically, reducing the actual distance from tee to green from, say, 500 yards (around the dogleg) to perhaps 300-350 yards (as the crow flies). Significant downhill elevation also helps, as does a firm, fast fairway that allows massive roll-out.
Perfect Conditions
A strong tailwind, hard and fast ground conditions, downhill terrain, and possibly high altitude (thinner air = less drag) all combine to extend the ball's distance beyond what is normally possible. On a flat course at sea level with no wind, even PGA Tour players max out around 340 yards off the tee, well short of most par 5 greens.
Exceptional Luck
Even if the ball reaches the green, it must then find a cup that is only 4.25 inches in diameter on a surface that could be 5,000+ square feet. The ball arriving at the green at high speed must either hit the pin, roll perfectly along the putting surface, or bounce and land directly in the hole. The probability of this happening, even on a reachable par 5, is astronomically low.
Recorded Condors in Golf History
There have been only a handful of confirmed condors in the entire history of golf. Exact records are difficult to verify because many occurred in casual rounds without official witnesses or documentation. Here are the most commonly cited instances:
Larry Bruce (1962)
Widely credited as the first recorded condor, Larry Bruce aced the 480-yard, par-5 5th hole at Hope Country Club in Hope, Arkansas. The hole was a sharp dogleg left, and Bruce's drive cut the corner, traveling an estimated 320 yards through the air before rolling onto the green and into the cup.
Dick Hogan (1973)
Dick Hogan reportedly scored a condor on a par 5 at a course in Norfolk, Nebraska. Details of this accomplishment are less well-documented than Bruce's, but it is included in several historical records of the feat.
Shaun Lynch (1995)
Lynch achieved a condor on the 496-yard, par-5 17th hole at Teign Valley Golf Club in Christow, Devon, England. The hole featured a dramatic dogleg and significant downhill slope, allowing his tee shot to reach the green and roll in. This is one of the best-documented condors from outside the United States.
Jack Bartlett (2007)
Bartlett scored a condor at Royal Wentworth Falls Country Club in Australia on a par 5 measuring approximately 511 yards. The hole had a steep downhill slope that allowed his drive to travel an extraordinary distance and find the cup.
No condor has ever been recorded on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, or any major professional golf circuit. The combination of long, straight par 5s on tour courses and the absence of extreme doglegs make it virtually impossible in professional competition.
How Rare Is a Condor Compared to Other Golf Achievements?
| Achievement | Estimated Odds | Total Known Instances |
|---|---|---|
| Hole-in-One (Par 3) | 1 in 12,500 (amateur) | Hundreds of thousands |
| Albatross | 1 in 6,000,000 | Hundreds |
| Sub-60 Round (Pro) | Extremely rare | ~12 in PGA Tour history |
| Condor | Incalculable | ~5-6 ever |
To put this in perspective, a hole-in-one on a par 3 happens multiple times every day across golf courses worldwide. An albatross (double eagle) happens perhaps a few times per year on professional tours. A condor has happened roughly 5-6 times in the entire recorded history of golf, spanning over a century and billions of rounds played. It is, by any measure, the single rarest scoring accomplishment in the sport.
Could a Condor Happen on the PGA Tour?
It is virtually impossible on current PGA Tour setups. Tour par 5s are designed to be unreachable in one shot, typically measuring 530-620 yards with no extreme doglegs. Even with the longest hitters in the world (Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Young) averaging 310-320 yards off the tee, there is simply no way to reach a par 5 green in one stroke.
The only scenario where a condor might theoretically be possible on tour would be a dramatically downhill, sharp-dogleg par 5 where the straight-line distance to the green is under 380 yards, with firm conditions and a strong tailwind. No such hole currently exists on the PGA Tour schedule, and course designers at the professional level intentionally avoid creating such opportunities.
Courses Where a Condor Could Theoretically Happen
Condor-possible holes share common characteristics: severe doglegs, significant elevation drops from tee to green, hard fairway conditions, and relatively short overall yardage for a par 5. Courses in arid climates (where fairways are firmer and roll-out is greater) and at high altitudes (where the ball flies farther) are the most likely candidates.
Mountain courses in places like Colorado, Mexico City, or Johannesburg (all at significant elevation) with downhill, dogleg par 5s present the most realistic, if still astronomically unlikely, opportunities. A 300-yard drive that catches a downhill slope and rolls another 100-150 yards could theoretically reach a green that is 450-500 yards away by scorecard measurement but only 300-350 yards in a straight line.
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