BUTLER TWP — Talk about long-lasting golf buddies.

Knoch graduates Llew Strachan and Steve Hutchinson share two special memories on the course — 38 years apart.

Strachan, 55, of Butler Township was a senior on the Knoch golf team when he scored a hole-in-one at Saxon in 1980. The ace occurred on the 215-yard par-3 No. 15 hole.

Hutchinson, a teammate, was on the course with him when he made the memorable shot.

Fast forward to last month. The two were golfing toghether at Birdsfoot in Freeport when Strachan scored another hole-in-one — this one on the 130-yard No. 17 hole. He used a pitching wedge for this ace, a 5-wood for his first one.

And Hutchinson saw them both.

“I actually had another hole-in-one Steve didn't witness,” Strachan said. “It was on the 137-yard No. 17 at Lake Arthur in October of 2016. That was with a 9-iron and the shot hit the flag on a fly and went right in.

“But Steve and I are best friends. For him to be golfing with me for two of those aces, so many years apart ... That was pretty special to me.”

Hutchinson has never had a hole-in-one himself.

“It was pretty amazing watching Llew do that again after so many years,” Hutchinson said. “When we were in high school, I was probably a slightly better golfer than him.

“He's much better than I am now. Llew is an avid golfer who loves the game.”

Strachan estimates he plays golf two or three times a week. He is a teacher's aide at Glade Run.

“Steve and I play a round together once a week or so,” Strachan said.

When Strachan aced his shot at Lake Arthur, it was on an elevated green “and I never saw the ball go in.

“In fact, I figured it deflected off that flag and wound up well off the green somewhere,” he added.

He saw the shot at Birdsfoot all the way.

“It flew over the flag, stuck at the far end of the green and backed up into the hole,” Strachan said. “I'm the first to admit, there's a lot of luck involved with those shots

“Steve's brother Jack was also playing with us that day. He said he had been playing golf for 55 years and never saw a hole-in-one, let alone had one. He was more excited than I was.”

Steve Hutchinson said he grew up in a house “about a 9-iron away from the No. 9 hole at Butler Country Club.”

Strachan and Hutchinson learned the game together at BCC. The Hutchinson family always had bags of clubs on the back porch.

“Llew's family lived about three miles from us. He used to ride his bike over and we'd go play,” Hutchinson said.

Strachan chuckled while recalling those days.

“Those bags of clubs were always good to go,” he said. “We each just grabbed one and off we went.”

Strachan is 6-foot-3 and played basketball as a youth. Hutchinson was 5-8 and “all I could do was play golf.”

It doesn't bother him that Strachan has three aces in his lifetime while he has none.

“If and when I ever do get one, I hope Llew's there,” Hutchinson said.

“I'd love it,” Strachan said of the thought. “I definitely wouldn't want to miss it.”