BRET MELSON

DEC. 1

KO'OLAU GOLF CLUB

HOLE NO. 18, 448 YARDS, DRIVER

Though rare, there are a lot of aces in golf. But few will match the hole-in-one that Bret Melson recorded Dec. 1 at the Ko'olau Golf Club.

He aced the par-4, 448-yard hole 18th hole — the most difficult on the golf course — by taking the shorter route with a 373-yard drive that carried everything, including the jungly ravine that hides the green from the tee area.

"I go for it once in a while, and I've hit the green once before," said Melson, 23, who's enrolled in the San Diego Golf Academy in Kane'ohe.

Still, Melson wasn't sure he had a hole-in-one until he and his playing partners, Robert Hanchey and Nate Swan, found his ball in the cup after looking everywhere else.

It was the second hole-in-one for the 6-foot, 260-pound Melson, who aced a 330-yard par-4 hole back home in Kearney, Neb.

"I still don't have a hole-in-one at a par-3," he said.

Do you have a story to tell about your hole-in-one? Tell us about it. Stories must be typed and brief, around 50-100 words. The stories must include the date, course, hole, yardage and club. Return phone numbers must be listed. Holes-in-one must have been reported to The Advertiser by the golf courses. Fax submissions to 525-5491 or e-mail to: sports@HonoluluAdvertiser.com.