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What is a Condor in Golf? (And Known Instances)

By Chris Moore •  Updated on 02/15/22

A condor is a golf scoring term that is used to describe when a player hits their ball four strokes under par on a single hole.

It’s rare for any golfer to score a condor, as there are only a few circumstances where it can be achieved!

How can one score a condor?

There are only two ways to score a condor, and one of them isn’t possible on most common golf courses.

First off, you can score a condor by scoring a hole-in-one, or ace, on a Par 5 hole. Since most golf courses include multiple Par 5s, this option is a lot more likely than the next one.

And the second way is to score a 2 on a Par 6 hole; it’s rare to find a Par 6 to begin with, so this one is nearly impossible and has never been achieved.

Why is it called a condor?

In golf, four-under-par is considered a condor since it sticks to the theme of naming under-par scores as birds, increasing in size as the score gets lower.

Here’s the scoring and name breakdown:

How rare are condors in golf?

It’s extremely rare, and almost never happens.

To put this in perspective, the odds of an amateur scoring a hole-in-one is 12,500 to 1, while the odds of scoring an Albatross is closer to 6,000,000 to 1.

Now, imagine how likely it would be to score a condor on a Par 5? At least 10,000,000 to 1, and probably much closer to 100,000,000 to 1.

How often do you hear of somebody scoring an ace, or hole-in-one, on a Par 5? I’ve certainly never seen or heard of one, but there are a few known instances of a condor happening!

Are there any condors in the history of golf?

At the time of writing this, there are only 6 proven condor scores in golf history:

Chris Moore

Hi, I'm Chris Moore and I'm the guy behind Golfah.com. As an avid golfer since 2010, I decided to create this blog to share everything I've learned over the years. Whether it's golf equipment, swing tips, or anything in-between, I want to make sure you have everything you need to become a better golfer.