Congratulations on four more aces at Heritage Isles!

Golfers at Heritage Isles have been sinking holes-in-one, adding excitement to the course and showing that our golfers have the right combination of skill and luck.

Aces are exceptionally rare. How rare? Only once in every 3,500 rounds of golf!

Actuaries calculate the chance of an average golfer making a hole-in-one at approximately 12,500 to 1. The odds of a tour professional acing a hole are 2,500 to 1.

While pros naturally are the best, amateurs do get their share. The average handicap of a golfer who makes a hole-in-one is 14.

And it’s not just a guy thing. Women make 14 percent of all holes-in-one.

Who are the golfers who typically sink holes-in-one? He or she has an average of 24 years experience; 60 percent are 50 or older. And the average hole is 147 yards long.

So who are the golfers sinking holes-in-one recently at Heritage Isles and where are they scoring their aces?

Troy Herrick  #8

Tom Marriott  #8

Dave West  #8

Keith Ochs  #13

Congratulations to these golfers for their great accomplishment! What memory-makers!

Why does a golf ball fly in this direction or that?

Every golfer has wondered sometime about why a shot didn’t go where he or she intended.

Two key reasons help decide the direction a ball will travel.

•Path — The direction the clubface is traveling through at impact. The club can travel on three different paths during impact — Inside Out, Inside-Square-Inside, or Outside In.

•Clubface Position – The clubface can be square, open or closed through impact.

The path will determine which direction the ball starts. Clubface position will create the spin on the ball and the way it will curve.

So you see these various combinations of path and clubface position mean that a ball has nine flight patterns!

The ideal swing creates a path that is from inside-square-inside with a square clubface. This will cause the ball to travel straight.

However, you can play golf by using any of the paths with a consistent clubface position. Understanding the direction the ball starts and the curve created by the clubface will allow you to make the necessary corrections.

Snowbird Note:

Don’t rub it in, but remind your friends up North and in the Midwest what they are missing as they shovel snow and deal with sleet and ice while you are here in the Sunshine State.

Average temperatures in the Tampa area range from a high of 71.6 degrees to a low of 53.8 in February and from a high of 76.3 to a low of 58.5 in March.

Golf, anyone?

Join Us For Golfest Fun, Free Golf Clinics At Tampa Bay Downs

2018 Golfest

Tampa Bay Downs

February 17-18

Have fun and find ways to improve your game by attending Tampa Bay’s largest outdoor golf exhibition Feb. 17-18 at Tampa Bay Downs,.

You will see plenty of Heritage Isles members and staffers at Golfest, which is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 17 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 18.

Golfers will get a chance to sample and buy the newest golf equipment from the top manufacturers.

And you can learn about all aspects of the game.

Top instructors from across the country will conduct interactive clinics and local PGA professionals will offer free putting and chipping clinics.

In addition, you can enjoy a “Celebrity Skills Challenge” to see how if some big names have big game.

Tickets cost $10. We have a limited number of tickets available at Heritage Isles, so stop by the course. Or get tickets at Tampa Bay Downs in advance or on the day of the show you want to attend.