Is there such thing as "hole in one" etiquette. Are you supposed to celebrate? Buy your partners a round at the bar? What is common practice?

To flip out like you just won $100?

It is the one time it is excusable to act like an idiot if yo choose to but on both of mine I just shook hands and accepted congratulations of my playing partners.

traditionally the hole-in-one maker buys the house a round after the round.

In Japan you can buy "hole in one insurance". If you get a hole in one during a round of golf, it is coustomary to buy everyone on the course a small gift. (So i've been told)...
On a side note, me, my dad, and my brother were playing a local muni in WA State two years ago and pops jarred a hole in one. Let's just say that the beverage girl had to go and restock her cart with more beer, and both I and my brother don't remember getting dropped off at home that afternoon.

I would say there are drinks to be bought after the round. What I dispute is that you are buying the course a round. I have no problem with your foursome, but what the heck does the guy who was on 17 while you aced #5 have to do with anything? My old course had a thing that billed your account $5 every ace, and when someone aced a hole, the tab ran in the clubhouse.

I think the "buy the course a round" thing was propagated by course owners who saw an easy mark for a cash grab. After all, I highly doubt anyone had the intention that acing a hole became a financial liability. On a busy day you could easily approach $750 in drinks. That's just stupid.

There is no "set" rule. I have been at courses where just his group/playing partners celebrated, where the entire clubhouse at that time was treated to one round, and private courses where it was open bar all afternoon.

At the private club members who were not even at the course that day were called in to "help" celebrate the acomplishment. That from my viewpoint was a little overboard.

But the best of all time was a coprorate outing for a large car manufacturer. A regional salesman got a hole in one, and he went crazy. Took his cell phone out and called his boss to ask how he should go about buying the rounds/alcohol. The boss congradulated him and told him he was off the hook for the bar tab....SINCE THE ENTIRE EVENT WAS OPEN BAR AND CARTGIRL ALREADY. What a break.

I have never gotten a hole in one but have seen my friend and father-in-law hit one. If I'm ever lucky enough to get one, I'll buy my playing partners lunch in the clubhouse and a round of drinks. Our club gives us $250 pro shop / bar credit for a hole in one, so I'll use the remainder to buy a new wedge or something.

I bought a round for the guys in my group. Aside from that, a fist pump and high fives and off we went to the next tee.

...the skin I won more than covered the drinks.

-mini

Yeah, that's the most stupid thing in the world. I might buy a round for my playing partners (why aren't they buying me a round?), but to think that you have to drop all that cash because you got lucky is just silly.

I figure buying a round is necessary to keep your witnesses' story straight, otherwise, the rest of the club can fend for themselves.