On Friday, June 8, 2018, over 200 community leaders representing more than 35 local businesses gathered at the Edison Club in Rexford to support and play in the 36th Annual Junior Achievement Golf Day. One of these businesses was the Lia Auto Group, who is known for providing a hole in one contest at several golf tournaments across the Capital Region of New York state. This year there was a winner, and they took home a prize $15,000!

Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York

The Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York is dedicated to educating students about issues relating to work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy through the use of experiential, hands-on programs. In partnership with local business and education communities, and with the support of community volunteers, JANENY brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential.

Lia Auto Group Hole-in-One Contest

The hole-in-one contest sponsored by the Lia Auto Group is pretty straightforward. If a player makes a hole in one on a specific green, they have the option to win various prizes. Quite often one of these will be brand new vehicle from the Lia Auto Group. This year, it was a luxurious, all-wheel drive 2018 Infiniti QX50 compliments of Lia INFINITI. The Lia family was thrilled when they heard someone had actually made the shot. “We love bringing extra excitement to the tournaments and supporting local events that help bring our communities closer”, said Lia Auto Group co-owner William Lia Jr. Now in the event that the winner of the contest may not need or want a new vehicle, the Lia family graciously offers also offers a cash option in lieu of the automobile. This year’s winner Michael Podgorski opted for this, and on Monday, August 20th, Bill Lia Jr. met with Mr. Podgorski at Lia INFINITI in Cohoes to present him with a check for $15,000. Watch the following video to see him receive his prize.

Keep reading if you are interested in learning a little bit more about how often a hole-in-one happens.

Hole-in-One Facts

Most players don’t step up to the tee expecting to make a hole-in-one. They obviously always want to score that "ace", but when it comes down to real numbers, how often does that really happen? According to the National Hole-In-One Registry, the chances of an average player making a hole-in-one are twelve thousand to one. Even a low-handicapper only has a five thousand to one chance. Tour players – three thousand to one. In the words of our winner, getting a hole-in-one is a "one in a lifetime occurrence" Now go and throw in the chance at $15,000 into the mix and see how you feel. This was MR. Podgorski's first ever hole-in-one. That’s why it was such outstanding moment when an unassuming player by the name of Michael Podgorski stepped up to the tee at hole thirteen on the Edison Club’s course, and sunk a hole-in-one on an amazing 432-yard drive! It was a truly amazing shot.

Before you go, let us know in the comments below if you have ever made a hole in one and where it happened! Here are a few more interesting golfing facts to fill your head with as well.

• There are approximately 450 million rounds of golf played each year in the U.S
• On average each course has about 25,000 – 30,000 rounds played each year
• Each course reports 10-15 hole in ones each year
• A hole in one is scored once every 3,500 golf rounds
• Odds of making a hole in one is 1:3500
• Only 1-2% of golfers score a hole in one during the year
• Average years of playing is 24
• Average handicap of golfers making a hole-in-one is 14
• Age group that makes the most holes-in-one is 50-59 (25%)
  • The next highest is 40-49 (24%)
• Ball used most often is Titleist (45%), Nike (14%), and Top Flite (11%)
• A Hole-in-One on a par four is called an Albatross

Thanks for reading everyone.