The 54 Hole Walking Challenge

[chspeed]

I have a goal of walking 54 holes of golf in a day, right around the summer equinox. Granted, there's nothing unique or especially difficult about this, but I have not been able to pull it off.

A couple of years ago, my friends and I tried to do it at one local hilly course. After 36, we were tired, but ready to go. The problem was the pace of play on the course. The first round took us about 3 hours. The second, about 5.5 hours. By the time we were ready for round 3, the course was so crowded that it would have been a 6+ hour round at least. After 9 holes, we got frustrated and quit. I think we would have had enough daylight, but waiting on each shot after spending 12 hours on the course was just too painful.

This year, we're going to try again, and thinking of playing different courses for each round, balancing out driving time with anticipated pace of play.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone done 54 holes walking in a day?

2. Where? Did you play the same course of different ones?

3. What did you do to celebrate?

 

[iacas]

I did it all the time as a kid. I played 72 in a day a few times.

Can't remember the last time I had time to play 54 in a day as an adult, though.

[David in FL]

Used to do it a lot when I was younger.  Back to back days on occasion.  On a military course where I was stationed and where pace of play was generally pretty reasonable.

Nothing really to celebrate.  It just didn’t seem out of the ordinary at the time...

[Shindig]

Eleven years ago, I played 36 holes in a day once a week for a dozen weeks or so.  One of those rounds was my first ever under 90.  I walked all of those and probably had daylight for more.  

I haven't tried this as an adult.  I suspect part of the issue is I might live too far south for enough daylight?  But I wouldn't be against trying if some other So Cal TST folks wanted to give it a try.  Maybe at the Sepulveda complex so we have (a) two courses we could draw from based on time (although they tend to be balanced in population) and (b) they're relatively easy to walk  

(I'd be fine trying this just about anywhere that permits walking, who am I kidding?)

[Buckeyebowman]

My only question would be how old are you, and what kind of shape are your knees, hips, and ankles in? It might behoove you to play flattish courses! I've gone back to courses that I used to walk in the past, and can't believe I did that! I think I must have been part mountain goat. 

This reminds me of something I read in the Cleveland Plain Dealer years ago. There's a group of guys up there who get together on the Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year), and try to arrange a tee time as close as possible to exact sunrise, and then play until exact sunset, seeing how many holes they can play in a day. They play different courses, but where they play there are plenty around. 

With the shape my knees are in, this would be a no go right off the bat! 

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by Buckeyebowman

[chspeed]

14 minutes ago, Shindig said:

 

Eleven years ago, I played 36 holes in a day once a week for a dozen weeks or so.  One of those rounds was my first ever under 90.  I walked all of those and probably had daylight for more.  

 

I walk 36 holes regularly, about once every two or three weeks. Would do more if it wouldn’t lead to divorce and child neglect! 

Yeah, up here we only get about a month with enough light for it to be possible.

[chspeed]

31 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

My only question would be how old are you, and what kind of shape are your knees, hips, and ankles in? It might behoove you to play flattish courses! I've gone back to courses that I used to walk in the past, and can't believe I did that! I think I must have been part mountain goat. 

My body can still take it, but probably not for too long! I walk 36 on very hilly courses regularly without a problem.

I’ll be very tired, but I think the bigger problem will be finding course with fast enough rounds.

[p1n9183]

As a kid it was easy. At certain age i guess it something to celebrate.
At my 35 years old i played 36 holes and on the next day i couldn´t move. 54 holes i guess i will rest in bed the rest of the week. 

[chspeed]

17 hours ago, iacas said:

I did it all the time as a kid. I played 72 in a day a few times.

Can't remember the last time I had time to play 54 in a day as an adult, though.

72 holes walking is impressive. If you were a kid, I can see walking the 25 miles carrying a bag not being a problem, but how did you have the daylight? Were you in Sweden??

[krupa]

 

[chspeed]

15 minutes ago, krupa said:

 

Thanks! That looks awesome. I want to try that one day. However, they used caddies by the 3rd round. Cheating?

Edited June 4, 2019 by chspeed

[ChetlovesMer]

I've played 72 in a day, but never walking. 
I'm pretty sure I've never walked more than 36 in a row.  

Believe it or not, I've once walked 36 holes after work, all in a row but technically in 2 days. 

I was up in Northern Finland during the 3 weeks where the sun doesn't go down. Walked 18 after dinner. Walked 18 more after that. It was about 2:30 in the morning when we left the course. We could have kept on playing, but the club house was closed and we were hungry. 

 

[Wally Fairway]

I've only walked 36 in a day a few times, years ago when I was younger.

But I caddies 36 in a day many times, when I was even younger. Back when I was 13 or 14, there was nothing better than getting 2 loops for the day, put some extra cash in your pocket and the players were much more generous at the half-way house when they knew it was your 2nd go around for the day.

[Papa Steve 55]

I golf for fun, this does not seem like fun.

[chspeed]

34 minutes ago, Papa Steve 55 said:

I golf for fun, this does not seem like fun.

Golf for fun?  🤣🤣🤪

[sjduffers]

3 hours ago, chspeed said:

Thanks! That looks awesome. I want to try that one day. However, they used caddies by the 3rd round. Cheating?

Perhaps I was mistaken, but it looked to me like the caddie was a forecaddie, caddying for the whole group, but not carrying bags. Pointing out lines, looking for lost balls, maybe reading putts, etc...

Regardless of whether carrying or pushing one's own bag, or having it deal with by someone else, walking 4 rounds in a day on these hilly courses is quite a feat. I know I feel beat after walking and pushing my cart for 27 or 36 holes!

[chspeed]

11 minutes ago, sjduffers said:

Perhaps I was mistaken, but it looked to me like the caddie was a forecaddie, caddying for the whole group, but not carrying bags. Pointing out lines, looking for lost balls, maybe reading putts, etc...

That fore-caddie looks suspiciously weighted down 🤭

13 minutes ago, sjduffers said:

 

Regardless of whether carrying or pushing one's own bag, or having it deal with by someone else, walking 4 rounds in a day on these hilly courses is quite a feat.

Yes, but I think walking 25 miles without a bag, without having to rake bunkers or look for balls would make 4 rounds a LOT easier.

 

 

[ncates00]

Does the simulator count?  haha. 

But in all seriousness, most I've done is walked 45 in a day.  Did 18 in the morning, went home and ate lunch, went back out in the afternoon for another 18, and finished with the front 9 before going home.  I felt good doing that a few times other than my feet.  My former home course has a pretty flat and score-able front 9 and a few steep ones on the longer and tougher back 9.