Ace pair eludes golfer

He called it a reasonably good day, weather wise, but the sun was definitely shining on Hawkestone Golf Club member Kevin Rei on Saturday afternoon.

The 74-year-old from Marton swung his five wood club to make a hole-in-one on Hawkestone's new 11th hole, a 160m par 3.

Rei joked he probably should have called it a day then and there, competing during third round qualifying for the club championships.

However, lightning nearly struck twice on the 14th hole when another drive left him only inches short from a second hole-in-one.

"It was close there. It was a good day," Rei said.

"I left some money on the bar but most of them had gone home by the time I got back in."

It was Rei's second ace during his playing career, the last being back in 1982 on the Hawkestone course.

Having played for 40 years, his passion for the sport remains undiminished.

"It's longer to walk, that's about all."

It is the third hole-in-one from a Hawkestone club member this year after Joy Stantiall achieved it on the club's eighth hole in late March, then two weeks later Pam Charlesworth hit one during a seniors tournament on the Rangitira course.

American company US Hole In One, a leading provider of hole-in-one insurance for golf outings and tournaments, calculates the odds of the average player making the feat at 12,500 to 1.

For professionals, it puts the odds at 2500 to 1.