Last updated September 2026 · Operated by Ace Nation, an Illinois limited liability company.
Agreement to these terms
By entering the Ace Nation contest at a participating course, you agree to these terms and to the rules posted at that course. If you do not agree, do not enter. The hole plays normally whether or not you enter.
These terms vary by state
Ace Nation operates under the laws of each state where a participating course is located. Prize contest law is not uniform across the United States. Entry fees, prize limits, age minimums, and the treatment of skill contests all differ from one state to the next.
Where a supplement for a specific state is posted at the course or on this page, that supplement controls over anything inconsistent here. Where a provision of these terms is not permitted in your state, that provision does not apply to you and the rest still stands. Ace Nation does not operate in states where this contest cannot lawfully be offered.
Who can enter
You must be at least 18 years old, or older if the state where the course sits requires it. You must be physically present at the course and playing the designated hole.
Employees, owners, and contractors of Ace Nation and of the host course, and members of their immediate households, may play the hole but are not eligible for cash prizes.
This is a contest of skill
Whether you win is determined entirely by the golf shot you hit. There is no draw, no random selection, and no element of chance in how a winner is decided. All prizes are fixed, announced in advance, funded by Ace Nation, and are not determined by the number of entrants or the amount of entry fees collected. Ace Nation is not a lottery, a raffle, or a wager, and is not offered as one.
Free entry, no purchase necessary
You do not have to pay to take part. A free method of entry is available at every participating course, described on the tee signage and on this site, and requires no purchase of any kind. Free entries are played on the same hole, under the same conditions, and are judged by the same standard as paid entries. Free entries earn points rather than cash prizes.
Entering
- Scan the code at the tee of the designated hole and select an entry tier.
- One entry covers one shot, played from the designated tee.
- Your entry applies to the next shot you play from that tee after entering.
- You may enter as many times as you play the hole. Each play requires a separate entry.
- Entries are non-transferable. Once the shot has been played the entry is used and is not refundable, except where these terms say otherwise.
Prizes
- $5 entry — flagstick $10, two feet $100, hole-in-one $1,000.
- $10 entry — green earns a mulligan, flagstick $20, two feet $200, hole-in-one $1,500.
- $20 entry — green earns a mulligan, flagstick $40, two feet $400, hole-in-one $2,500.
- Prizes are not cumulative. A shot wins at the highest tier it qualifies for and no other.
What counts as a winning shot
- On the green. The ball comes to rest on the putting surface. The fringe and the collar are not the putting surface.
- Within the flagstick. Lay the flagstick flat with its base at the edge of the cup. If your ball is at rest inside that length, it counts.
- Within two feet. Measured from the edge of the cup to the nearest edge of your ball, at rest.
- Hole-in-one. Your tee shot comes to rest in the cup.
- The ball must come to rest before it is measured. Mark it, lay the pin down beside it, and signal the camera.
- The shot must be your own, played from the designated tee, during posted contest hours.
The mulligan
Entries at the $10 and $20 tiers earn a free replay — a mulligan — when the ball comes to rest on the putting surface.
- Issued as a single-use entry code sent by text after the shot is verified.
- Cannot be redeemed on the day it was earned.
- Valid only at the course where it was earned.
- Cannot earn another mulligan. It remains eligible for every cash prize.
- Has no cash value, cannot be sold or transferred, and expires 90 days after issue.
Verification
Every claim is checked against the recorded footage of your shot. Ace Nation's review of that footage decides the outcome, and that decision is final. We cannot honor a claim we cannot see on camera.
If footage covering your entry is missing or unusable for any reason on our end, we refund that entry. We will not ask you to prove a shot our equipment failed to record.
Claiming and getting paid
Submit your claim before you leave the course on the day you played, by scanning the code on the camera housing. Claims submitted after that day may not be honored.
Verified cash prizes are paid electronically within five business days. To receive payment you will need to provide the details we need to send it. Prizes totaling $600 or more in a calendar year require a completed IRS Form W-9 before payment, and will be reported on Form 1099.
Taxes
Prize money may be taxable income to you. You are responsible for your own taxes. Ace Nation will issue tax forms and withhold where required by law. Nothing here is tax advice.
Being recorded
The designated hole is under continuous recording during contest hours, and signage at the tee says so. By playing the hole you accept that you may be recorded.
If you win, we may publish the clip of your shot and identify you by first name and last initial. Tell us at the time of your claim if you would rather we didn't, and we won't.
Your privacy
We collect what we need to run the contest and pay you: your contact details, your entry and claim history, and footage of the designated hole. We do not sell your information. Footage not connected to a claim is deleted after 30 days. Footage supporting a paid claim is retained for seven years for tax and dispute purposes.
Refunds
We refund an entry when the camera failed to record it, when a suspension prevented you from playing it, or when a technical fault charged you twice. We do not refund entries because a shot missed.
Playing safely and following course rules
You play at your own risk. The host course's rules, pace of play, and staff instructions govern while you are on the property. You are responsible for your own conduct, your own property, and any damage or injury you cause.
When we suspend or cancel
We may suspend or end the contest at a course for weather, darkness, equipment failure, maintenance, course closure, or anything that makes fair verification impossible. Entries bought but not played when a suspension begins are refunded.
Cheating and disqualification
Moving or placing a ball by hand, obstructing or tampering with the camera, playing from other than the designated tee, entering on someone else's behalf, reusing or sharing a mulligan code, or submitting a claim you know to be false voids the entry, forfeits any prize, and may result in a permanent ban. We may also report it to the course.
No warranty
The contest, this site, and our equipment are provided as they are. We do not promise the camera, the site, or the payment system will be available without interruption or free of error.
Limits on our liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, Ace Nation's total liability to you for anything arising out of the contest is limited to the amount you paid in entry fees in the 30 days before the claim arose, plus any verified prize we owe you and have not paid.
We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, or for lost profits or lost opportunity, even if we were told they were possible. Nothing here limits liability that cannot be limited by law.
Indemnity
You agree to cover Ace Nation against claims, losses, and reasonable legal costs arising from your breach of these terms, your conduct on the course, or your violation of any law or third-party right.
Events outside our control
We are not responsible for failure to perform caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including weather, power or network outages, carrier failures, vandalism, or acts of government.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. The version posted here and at the course when you enter is the one that applies to that entry.
Governing law and disputes
These terms are governed by Illinois law, except where the law of the state in which you played requires otherwise. Before filing anything, contact us and give us 30 days to resolve it — most disputes end there. Any claim that cannot be resolved will be brought in the state or federal courts sitting in Bureau County, Illinois, and you and Ace Nation each consent to that venue.
If part of this is unenforceable
If any provision is found unenforceable, it is limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary and the rest of these terms stay in force. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it. You may not assign your rights under these terms; we may assign ours in connection with a sale or reorganization of the business.
