The proliferation of betting markets on every professional golf tournament mean that layers quote a price on a hole-in-one being achieved at each event.  

With a scientific, statistical approach is it possible to tip the odds in the punter's favour ?

Obviously the likelihood of a golfer acing a hole is dependant on their ability, the weather, course conditions and the difficulty of the pin position.

But insurers have studied the statistical probability of insuring a sponsor against a golfer scooping their prizes and generally quote 2,500-1 for a professional to achieve the feat and 12,500-1 for a handicapper to be buying the drinks in the clubhouse.

Armed with this, and making some assumptions we can surmise the odds of someone making a hole in one at a given event.

Most PGA Tour events have a field of 144 professional players, and include four par 3 holes as standard.

That stacks up at 576 chances of a pro holing their tee shot in each round - odds of 1 in just under 4.5 per day and approximately 1 in 1 per four-round tournament - even money!

However, you must also factor in the cut, which comes after round two and
generally splits the field in two, give or take a couple of places - leaving us with a rounded off calculation of 1 in 1.5 - odds of 1.66 that a hole in one will occur in a regular tournament.

This week's main US event is the Target World Challenge and presents a quirky format - only 16 of the world's best players will be there and with no cut that makes only 256 total chances during the four-round championship.

It is little surprise therefore to see the bookmakers quoting 1/10 on no hole in one and a miserly 5/1 on one of the field holing out from the tee.

And for the South African Airways event, with a field of 152, the prices are hardly any more attractive.

One bookmaker is quoting 4/5 that there is no hole in one at the Pearl Valley Estate course, but with a calculated 1824 par three tee shots scheduled - that makes the 'true' odds of an ace 1.72 and consequently of no-one doing it 2.37 - about 7/5.

Written by Craig Smithson, a professional sports writer who blogs about golf betting at Betfair.