Tips for hitting the Hole-In-One...

[IHaveTheMagic]

I've attempted this shot literally hundreds of times. I've hit it maybe three times. I know it's hard but I can't believe it's supposed to be this hard. I've tried everything. Flip early, late, pass it to the other flipper, nudge at various times. Nothing is reliably even close. Is there something I'm missing or is it really that hard?

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

It's one of the hardest shots in all of pinball. In PHOF, I used to bank it off the golf cart; you might try that if the direct shot isn't working.

 

[David Smith]

Seems that shots near the edges of the slam ramp work best. Near the left side, it may bank of the golf cart; near the right side a direct hole-in-one is possible. Both shots are risky (an wild post bounce is likely). FWIW, the difficulty of the shot in TPA is close to the difficulty on a real table.

 

[Kevlar]

Well I've had a hole in 1 maybe 10 times in the short time we've had NGG compared to 2 in real life after 20 years of playing golf so I'd say its a bit too easy really

 

[Worf]

On TPA, it's a much harder shot than it was on PHoF - PHoF was rather easy to get the hole in one by accident. On TPA, I only made it once or twice. Hard enough that I don't try to get it - if I get it, good, if not, oh well.

Though, on TPA, I've been able to give it too MUCH power so it skips over the hole and onto the right habitrail. Grr.

 

[Fungi]

Though, on TPA, I've been able to give it too MUCH power so it skips over the hole and onto the right habitrail. Grr.

That's ALL I've been able to do.

 

[eckless]

I've also not been able to do it successfully and repeatedly...but that's what makes it such an awesome shot! (On PHoF, I agree, it was easier. Not 100% repeatable, but I seem to remember getting it frequently. TPA, I get it maybe 1 out of 10)

 

[spoonman]

Hoping it's not this hard on the PS3 version!

 

[Matt McIrvin]

I got it completely by accident once. I have no idea how.

 

[Fungi]

Well, maybe if I tip the pad to the right. How 'bout that?

 

[Worf]

I seem to be getting it more frequently, but I seem to be doing it purely by blind luck. Haven't figured out a good way to get it consistently.

 

[Kevlar]

Think how boring this table would be if you could hit that shot every time.

 

[ClaudeHenrySmoot]

I just had a 200m game and hit the hole-in-one NINE times! That was a freak 30 minute game - I must have been in the zone tonight. I had like 4-6 extra balls. I think 2 of the extra balls came when I made the hole-in-one shot at holes 9 and 18. I think I ended up around hole 23 or something.

My best score to date had been 50m and I had been hitting the hole-in-one about once every 5 games. (My average score has been around 5m-20m) That being said, that's still a luck shot for me. Not sure if there's anything one can do to make it a guaranteed shot. Only thing I can think of is I was aiming on the right side of the middle ramp a lot during that game. That seemed to increase my odds of a hole-in-one. But when you think of how many times I hit that middle ramp during the entire 30 minute game... it's still like a 1%-5% chance of making the shot.

 

[Chk1975]

I was at the dutch pinball open this weekend and played a NGG and the shot is also very hard to make on the real machine.

 

[Worf]

Grr.

Nothing worse than finally scoring a hole-in-one and finding the random hole award being a... hold-in-one!

Though, I think I was in a mode where the hole-in-one didn't register, which was also very annoying.

 

[David Smith]

Grr.
Nothing worse than finally scoring a hole-in-one and finding the random hole award being a... hold-in-one!

If that happens in normal play, you get Hole in One for the current hole and the next hole.

In Speed Golf mode (I think -- the multiball mode where Driving Range is always lit), the Hole in One shot does *not* award a Hole in One. So what mode do you think I was in when I hit *three* holes-in-one in a row?? Just two lame cart hits each, grrr....

 

[Worf]

Hrm, then I got gypped a couple of hole in ones because that happened to me twice. And it's only awarded me 1 hole in one in the score sheet... Even though it did the hole-in-one animation twice.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

In Speed Golf mode (I think -- the multiball mode where Driving Range is always lit), the Hole in One shot does *not* award a Hole in One.

Correct. You can't score a hole in one during Speed Golf. Of course, Murphy's Law dictates that you will make the shot repeatedly during this mode and not anytime else.

 

[The-Noid]

The Hole in One shot happens in normal play two to three times per game after much practice. I have played thousands of games on NGG (it was the first machine I owned, since 2000).

Anything more than that would make it unrealistic.

 

[Worf]

After playing a lot more, it seems there's a very specific angle you need to hit the lift at which would careen the ball towards the hole, over the little ridge and then roll down it into the hole. A little one way or the other flings the ball down the right habitrail or around the back (hitting the cart, maybe) and down the left habitrail. But get it right and and you see the ball go up, then roll into the hole.