That elusive hole-in-one comes at a price

IT took me by surprise when a flight mate in a social game recently declared that he did not want to ever accomplish another hole-in-one.

His reason? He had already bagged two aces in previous social games and actually came off the poorer for it.

He was assured of the usual S$500 insurance claim from the club (as a result of the hole-in-one) on each of the two occasions, but he eventually shelled out three times that amount on drinks and tidbits for his friends as a treat. So he argued: "You've hit a shot that has statistically been measured as a 1-in-13,000 chance and what's your reward? Dig deep into your pocket and shell out. Surely, it should be the other way around?"