Florida man makes hole-in-one on same hole in consecutive rounds

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Raymond Brunelle knows how special a hole-in-one is in golf. He hadn’t had one in almost a half century.

He was thrilled when he aced the par-3 16th on the Heritage Course at The Club at Ibis on Oct. 2 with an 8-iron from 160 yards even though he wasn’t certain until he found the ball in the hole.

“It was kind of hazy that day,” the 63-year-old Brunelle said. “We saw it bounce toward the hole and disappear, but we weren’t absolutely sure it was in the hole or hidden behind the pin. When we got to the green, we didn’t see and, sure enough, it was in the hole.”

Four days later, Brunelle, who lives in West Palm Beach, returned to the 16th hole at the Heritage, knowing the golf gods are good at extracting their revenge.

“I just didn’t want to embarrass myself,” he said. “I was hoping just to make a par.”

Instead, using a pitching wedge from 128 yards, it was déjà vu all over again as the ball disappeared into the hole. And this time, they could celebrate on the tee.

“There was no question it went in the hole,” Brunelle said. “I had two hole-in-ones as a junior, but to make two in a row on the same hole … What are the odds of making two hole-in-ones in the same week, let alone consecutive rounds, with different clubs, different tees and different conditions.”

But the same result.

The odds of the average golfer making a hole-in-one are 12,500-to-1 and it happens once every 3,500 rounds, according to the National Hole-in-One Registry. The odds of a player making two holes-in-one in the same round is 67-million-1.

Normally, making a pair of holes-in-one can be an expensive deal. The player traditionally is supposed to buy drinks for everyone in the clubhouse. At The Club at Ibis, members who make a hole-in-one are given a $50 credit to take care of their friends.

Brunelle has a new best friend – the 16th at Heritage. During his next round on the hole Wednesday, he hit it to 8 feet. No hat trick, but definitely not embarrassing.

“When I step on that tee, I feel like, “Yeah, I got this hole,’” he said.