What Is a Condor in Golf?
A condor is a score of four strokes under par on a single hole. In practice that almost always means a hole in one on a par 5: one shot from the tee, straight into the cup, on a hole that's meant to take five.
It's the rarest named score in golf. Only a handful have ever been reliably recorded, and none in a major professional championship.
Where the condor fits
Golf names its under-par scores after birds, and the bigger the bird, the better the score:
| Name | Strokes under par | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Birdie | 1 under | 3 on a par 4 |
| Eagle | 2 under | 3 on a par 5 |
| Albatross (double eagle) | 3 under | 2 on a par 5 |
| Condor | 4 under | 1 on a par 5 |
The pattern started with "birdie", American slang for something excellent, and grew from there. An eagle is a bigger bird than a birdie, and an albatross and a condor are bigger again. You can read more in what is a birdie in golf? and what is an eagle in golf?
Ways to make a condor
In theory there are three ways to be four under on a hole:
- A hole in one on a par 5. This is how nearly every recorded condor has happened.
- A 2 on a par 6. Par 6 holes are very rare, so this almost never comes up.
- A 3 on a par 7. A handful of par 7 holes exist around the world, mostly as novelties.
The word "condor" usually refers to the first: an ace on a par 5.
Why a condor is so rare
A par 5 is normally well over 450 yards long. Even the longest hitters don't carry a ball that far, so a tee shot would need to fly a long way and then run a very long way, straight at the hole. For a condor to be possible, the hole usually needs at least one of these:
- A sharp dogleg, where a player can cut the corner over trees and take hundreds of yards off the hole.
- A steep downhill tee shot, so the ball flies further and keeps rolling.
- Firm, fast ground, so the ball runs on after landing.
- High altitude, where thinner air lets the ball fly further.
Most of the recorded condors share some of these: a shortened route over a dogleg, a big drop from the tee, or dry, hard summer turf. Because they're so rare and usually happen in casual rounds, a few reported cases are hard to verify. For more on bent holes, see what is a dogleg in golf?
Other names for a condor
You'll sometimes hear a condor called a double albatross or triple eagle, both of which mean the same thing: four under. There's no widely agreed name for five under par. You would need a hole in one on a par 6, which isn't known to have happened.
Albatross vs condor
People mix these up because both are big birds and both are rare.
- An albatross is three under par: usually a 2 on a par 5 or an ace on a par 4. Rare, but tour players do make them from time to time.
- A condor is four under par: usually an ace on a par 5. It's in a different league of rarity.
Can you make a condor in Mashy?
No. Mashy is a pitch and putt game, so every hole is a par 3 or par 4, and there are no par 5s. Only a putt can drop, too, so there are no holes in one. The best score you can realistically aim for is an eagle 2 on a par 4, if your tee shot finds the green and you hole the putt. That's worth 3 coins, and it's a lot more likely than a condor.
Frequently asked questions
How many strokes under par is a condor?
A condor is four strokes under par on a single hole. It's almost always a hole in one on a par 5, but a 2 on a par 6 or a 3 on a par 7 would also count. All of these are extremely rare.
Has a condor ever happened on a professional tour?
There's no recorded condor in a men's major championship, and they are virtually unknown in top-level professional golf. The handful of accepted condors have mostly come in amateur or casual rounds, often on doglegs where the player cut the corner.
What is better, an albatross or a condor?
A condor is better. An albatross is three under par on a hole, such as a 2 on a par 5, while a condor is four under par, such as a hole in one on a par 5. Condors are far rarer than albatrosses.
What is a double albatross in golf?
A double albatross is another name for a condor, meaning four under par on one hole. It's also sometimes called a triple eagle. All three terms describe the same score, usually a hole in one on a par 5, but condor is the name you'll hear most often.
Is there a name for five under par on a hole?
There's no widely accepted name for five under par. It would need a hole in one on a par 6 or a 2 on a par 7, and no such score is known to have happened, so golf has never needed an official word for it.