A SOMERSET golfer who has recently recorded two holes-in-one in just over a week now has an incredible 12 one-stroke pots.

Seven of those have come at the Isle of Wedmore course, including four at the same hole, while he has also had aces in Scotland and Wales.

John Russell, 69, of Draycott, Cheddar, registered his most recent holes-in-one on July 31 and August 9 at Wedmore, where four of his one-stroke wonders have been at the ninth, with his other two on the 11th.

He told England Golf: “I got my first hole-in-one in 1977 at Shirehampton, where I’d been a member for 14 years to that point. I didn’t think I’d ever get another one.

“Forty-two years later I was there playing for Wedmore in a friendly and when we got to the hole, I said to the two Shirehampton guys, 'Believe it or not, I had my first hole-in-one here 40-odd years ago'. One of the guys turned round and said, 'I bet you can’t do it again!' And guess what happened?

“The hole slopes quite a lot, so we didn’t see it go in, but it was very nice to get it. It was so spooky.”

His playing partner that day, Graham Hayes, said: “I remember it well as he broke his driver on the first tee – it just snapped in half when he hit a shot down the middle.

“John’s quite a straight-hitter, but it’s amazing really. You don’t even think about getting one really, so to have 12 is just being greedy, isn’t it?”

After his first ace in 1977, John had to wait 19 years for his next one, at Oake Manor Golf Club, before clocking up a further 10 over the past 25 years.

The odds of a single hole-in-one for an amateur golfer are 12,500-1, while it is estimated that over 90 per% of golfers will never make one in their lifetime. So, for John, now having 12 to his name, is simply incredible.

John, an 11.8-handicapper, who used to own a chain of sports stores, began playing golf regularly when he retired in 2010 and now plays three or four times a week.

He said: “I love golf because it keeps you physically and mentally fit. It’s the golf that keeps you going.”

JOHN RUSSELL'S 12 HOLES-IN-ONE.

1. Shirehampton Park, May 25, 1977.

2. Oake Manor, July 25, 1996.

3. Scotscraig, June 11, 1998.

4. Isle of Wedmore, May 16, 2005.

5. Isle of Wedmore, July 9, 2009.

6. St Pierre, Wales, August 29, 2011.

7. Isle of Wedmore, August 7, 2012.

8. Isle of Wedmore, April 25, 2015.

9. Isle of Wedmore, February 1, 2016.

10. Shirehampton Park, August 15, 2019.

11. Isle of Wedmore, July 31, 2023.

12. Isle of Wedmore, August 9, 2023.