Some go a life time without one, others fluke one and there are some simply make them look easy.
Holes-in-one at golf are far from rare and over the past week at the Wanganui Golf Club's Belmont links both ends of the spectrum were visited.
American export Peter Jeans slotted his fourth ace on the par 3 second at Belmont on Friday, while greenkeeper David Hodge slotted his first in 33 years on the par 3 seventh on Saturday.
Both were scored in miserable, windy conditions with Jeans scoring his with a nine iron and Hodge a three wood because "it was playing long".
While it was Jeans' fourth lifetime ace, it was his second at Belmont in the last few months and on the same green.
"I have been living in Whanganui for the past year and this is my second hole-in-one at Belmont and on the same hole, but it's my fourth since a started playing," Jeans said.
"My first at Belmont was back in March. I guess they all take you by surprise, although there are golfers who go their entire life without scoring one."
Jeans was playing a round with new found mate Joe Keating, who has yet to slot an ace and Jeans conceded that it's not something you can simply give away to those without.
"It was a miserable day and both Joe and I were wondering whether we would see out the round. But after the hole-in-one we decided we may as well continue on," Jeans said.
In dark contrast, Hodge was breaking his ace duck when he connected sweetly with his three wood on the par 3 seventh.
He knows the greens well - he chalked up 14 years as greenkeeper at Belmont on July 2.
"It was a bloody windy day and the seventh was playing long so I used a wood," Hodge said.
He was playing alongside his boss, head greenkeeper Barry Shannon, who broke the news to the five handicapper.
"I'm blind as a bat and nine times out of ten I'm asking how my shots went. The seventh has a bit of a cambered bit and the ball can roll off that to the green. Barry said 'hell, it might even go in'. I said 'don't be a silly bugger, of course it won't'.
"After 33 years playing golf I'd almost resigned myself to not scoring a hole-in-one, so I was as surprised as anyone when we found my ball sitting in the hole," Hodge said.