The Masters special: when golf and running collide

Golf and running are quite different, but that doesn’t stop people from dipping their toes in each sport. From playing the fastest hole of golf in history to playing the most holes in 12 hours, the sport known for its leisurely pace has been picked up by runners on many occasions. In honour of the start of The Masters, the biggest tournament on the golf calendar, we’ve compiled a list of four times the worlds of golf and running have collided. 

237 holes in 12 hours

In 2016, New Zealand‘s Brad Luiten broke the Guinness World Record (GWR) for most holes of golf played in 12 hours with an incredible 237. Over the course of this extended round of golf, Luiten ran 97K and averaged about seven minutes per kilometre (which includes every stop to hit his ball). According to his Strava profile, Luiten no longer owns this world record. The GWR website still lists the record at 221 holes in 12 hours, which Canadian Scott Holland ran in 2005, so it’s unclear who the current record-holder is, since this mark was beaten several times before Luiten raised the bar to 237 holes. Regardless of who holds the record now, Luiten’s run and round was and still is super impressive. 

237 holes of golf in 12 hours – Kiwi speed freak #BradLuiten just did that with a 6-iron and a pair of fast legs! pic.twitter.com/SZuquTrHUR

— AsianGolf (@AsiaPacGolfGrp) December 16, 2016

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Playing around on the treadmill

In 2017, three-time Masters champion Gary Player of South Africa posted a video of him hammering out a treadmill session, noting in the caption that it’s “important to train your mind and your body to move fast as you age.” Player, then 81, was certainly moving at a good clip in that video, and the man on the treadmill next to him can be seen looking over in surprise as the senior golfer blasts through his speed workout. Golfers may tend to walk or ride when they’re on the course, but as Player shows, that doesn’t mean they can’t run.    

It's important to train your mind and your body to move fast as you age. Don't give yourself limits. Keep working. Keep moving. pic.twitter.com/GDHLRWqsAC

— GARY PLAYER (@garyplayer) February 8, 2017

Sprinting for par

In 2019, four professional golfers on the European Tour attempted to break the world record for the fastest hole of golf by an individual. The foursome gathered on a 500-yard hole on a course in Malaga, Spain, and lined up to chase the existing record of 1:33, which Spaniard Rubén Holgado Guerrero set on the same course in 2018. Two of the men managed to beat 1:33, but the overall winner was Belgium’s Thomas Detry, who completed the hole in 1:29. We can’t know for sure, but that was probably the hardest any of those golfers had ever worked for par. 

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How fast can one person play a par five? ⏱@HiltonHonors pic.twitter.com/Pasn6UxBpg

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 31, 2019

Out for a quick round

At the 2018 Oakville Half-Marathon, a Guelph, Ont., runner named Robert Winckler ran 1:57:58 to set the world record for the fastest half-marathon while carrying a set of golf clubs. Winckler carried 13 clubs in his golf bag, which he slung over his shoulder throughout the run. A lot of people are happy to break two hours in a regular half-marathon, but Winckler did it with several pounds of irons and woods on his back. 

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