Local golfers made the Carolinas Golf Association’s list of hole-in-one rarities last year as three scored two aces each during the calendar year.

Ruth Hammel holed her tee shot with a 7-wood from 85 yards on the 12th hole at Longleaf Golf and Country Club on May 31, then followed it up by holing a 5-wood from 107 yards on the eighth hole on Sept. 17.

Both of James Kelly’s aces came on the West Course at the Country Club of Whispering Pines. He used a 7-iron from 158 yards on the ninth hole to get the first one on March 31, then holed an 8-iron from 155 yards on the 16th hole on July 21.

Joe Merry, of Whispering Pines, played no favorites, dividing his aces between the East and West courses. But he did show a preference for the month of November, scoring his first hole-in-one Nov. 5 with a 4-iron from 154 yards on the fifth hole of the West Course, then acing the 156-yard eighth hole on the East Course with a 5-iron.

They were among nine golfers reporting the double feat to the CGA.

Three husband and wife combos made holes-in-one during 2010. Nick and Lucy Cascio, of Easley, S.C., had aces at Smithfields Country club; Robert and Debby Masten both aced the 11th hole on the Players Club at St. James Plantation; Michael Payne had a hole-in-one at Golf De L Club in Lincolnton, Ga., while Janice Payne picked up her ace on the Monticello Course at Savannah Lakes Village Golf Club in McCormick, S.C.

The CGAcers Club holds a drawing for members who score holes-in-one during a calendar year with the three winners receiving a CGA pewter keepsake box and Centennial books.

The lucky golfers this year were Mary Dailey, of Southport, Greg Magee, of Elisabeth City, and Robert Heath, of Wilmington.

A total of 349 CGA members submitted applications for aces in 2010. The longest reported was by John Fowler, of Crooked Creek Golf Club in Fuquay-Varina, who used a driver to hole his tee shot from 290 yards. The shortest was a 75-yard 9-iron shot by Angela Bryant at The Links at Stono Ferry in Hollywood, S.C.

The most likely place for a golfer to score a hole-in-one in 2110 was St. James Plantation, which reported a total of 28. Moss Creek Golf Club in Hilton Head Island was second with 14.

CGA members who’d like to participate in 2011 may do so by visiting the website at www.carolinas golf.org and submitting the form displayed there.