NATCHEZ — For 47 years, Gerald Delaune has been playing golf, and of those 47 years, he has made five hole-in-ones including his latest last Wednesday at the Beau Pré Country Club.

Club president of the board Chuck Fields said accomplishing this feat on a course like Beau Pré doesn’t happen often.

“It’s a relatively rare occasion,” Fields said. “It goes into spurts, sometimes we’ll hear about two or three hole-in-ones close together, and sometimes we go a long time without hearing of one.”

For some people, making a hole-in-one can be an once in a lifetime event and the pinnacle of their golf success, but Delaune said he didn’t even get a chance to witness it.

“The hole was behind a sand trap so I couldn’t see where my ball landed,” Delaune said. “I walked up to the hole and I saw other golf balls around the hole but couldn’t find mine.

“That’s when I realized it was in the hole.”

Delaune made his fifth ace with an 8-iron from 120 yards out on a Par-3 hole.

Delaune has been golfing at Beau Pré for more than 20 years since he moved to Natchez after retiring from his dental practice in Ferriday.

“One of the reasons I moved to Natchez is because I wanted to move where there was a nice golf course and they had just built Beau Pré,” he said.

Delaune said he has been playing golf at Beau Pré twice a week for years, but he only plays for fun.

“I used to play in tournaments but now I’m getting older and tournaments (have you standing) five or six hours and I have back problems,” he said.

He said he also used to play softball and tennis but at 77 years old, things have changed since he was younger.

“Golf is one of the only sports you can play at this age,” he said.