Answer: Hole-in-One Insurance

In a rather curious case of a tradition taking on a life of its own (and requiring a tiny insurance policy rider to go along with it), scoring a hole-in-one on the golf course turned into a liability somewhere along the way.

In many countries around the world there is a tradition that any golfer that scores a hole-in-one needs to return to the clubhouse and celebrate by buying drinks, food, or other tokens for the golfers present that day. While the tradition is debated (and not firmly entrenched) in places like the United States, it is very entrenched in countries like Japan. So entrenched, in fact, that golfers worry about having to shell out for all the drinks and gifts they’ll need to buy if they sink a hole-in-one at a large course.

Japanese golfers typically add hole-in-one insurance to other golf-related insurance like equipment and injury protection plans. Golfers there find it perfectly reasonable to pay a few dollars to add hole-in-one rider to their insurance to avoid (however improbable getting a hole in one might be) spending large sums of money on champagne back at the clubhouse and extravagant gifts for family and friends should they sink that once in a lifetime shot.