“We just broke the world record for the most holes of golf played in 12 hours”

Dylan Thornborough and Patrick Law celebrated with their families after breaking the world record for the most holes of golf played in 12 hours.

In aid of cancer research, two scratch golfers in Canada lapped a nine-hole golf course 37 times and set a new Guinness World Record for the most holes of golf played in 12 hours. This is their story…

It all started with 126 holes at their childhood golf club in 2012. Patrick Law and Dylan Thornborough called it ‘Marathon Monday’, their version of the Longest Day Golf Challenge. The name stuck, and so did the fundraiser in their calendar. They’ve competed in it every year since, lapping the nine-hole course at Glenboro Golf & Country Club as many as 37 times in under 12 hours for a cause which hits close to home. 

“Over the years we’ve had family members and friends touched and lost through the terrible disease that is cancer,” says Law, whose own mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. “That’s really why we do it, to raise awareness and money, because our ambitions and focus have always been on the Canadian Cancer Society.”

Since 2012, the pair have set themselves the challenge of beating each other, as well as last year’s total of holes and donations. So when they heard about another group of Canadians who had just set a new world record for the most holes of golf played by a twosome with carts in 12 hours, they figured they could beat them too.

“It’s been in the back of our minds for a few years,” admits Law. “Seeing them attempt it last year and break the record that is in the Guinness book, that piqued our interest a little bit more. It got to the point where we thought we could maybe give it a try this year.”

The distance between them – “about 1,000km,” according to Thornborough – meant the childhood friends had to forgo any practice runs in the build-up. The unofficial record was set at 306 holes and they worked out that they had to average one hole every two minutes and 21 seconds to beat it. They were given a boost when Glenboro offered to shut the course for the day to avoid any hold-ups. Four volunteers were also recruited to work six-hour shifts and drive them round in separate buggies for the duration.

“We knew we had to take about 21 minutes per nine,” says Thornborough. “We did our front nine in 17 minutes and we knew at that point that it was possible. But before that, I’m not sure we had full confidence that we could do it.” 

What helped their cause is that both are better than scratch handicaps. Last summer they played 225 holes at Glenboro and finished a cumulative 32 under par. They would have kept score this year, but time constraints meant they had to save seconds wherever they could. Often it led to them playing speedgolf and knocking the ball into a hole with any club that came to hand.

“We were playing so quick and we were so focused on time that we weren’t spending a lot of time looking for balls or clubs,” says Thornborough. “By the end of the day, I had four clubs sitting next to me the whole time.”

“It kind of got lost in the grand scheme of things,” says Law, the General Manager and Head Professional at Minnedosa Golf & Country Club. “It’s actually my second ace on that hole, and it’s also the second time it’s happened in one of these Marathon Mondays. Dylan holed one on the same hole as well, exactly 10 years ago.

Asked for some highlights, the pair look at each other and start smiling. It took more than 20 minutes after finishing for them to tell everyone back in the clubhouse that Law made a hole-in-one on the 176-yard 1st hole. 

“It was pretty cool really, because we both hit at pretty much the same time and the balls kind of crossed each other in the air. We actually weren’t sure until we got up there whose ball went in the hole – or Dylan wasn’t, anyway. He tapped in for a two, so it took all of about 17 seconds to play the hole. That was by far our quickest of the day.”

Not to be outdone, Thornborough did make three eagles of his own throughout the day. Together they posted a betterball score of 14 under par from the 37 laps of the course.

“I think by the end of the day, we’d both birdied every hole and we had five of the nine holes eagled,” adds Thornborough. “There were some good shots, for sure, but some bad ones too. Glenboro has got one of the trickier par 4s around with a narrow, sloping fairway and a tough green. That hole definitely had our number. I know we had to ask somebody to grab a few more balls at one point.”

Though they broke the record with 90 minutes to go at 4.30pm, they allowed themselves just five minutes of celebration with their friends and family before driving off to continue their marathon. They then squeezed in another 26 holes and finished their 333rd hole with 15 minutes to spare. This time, however, they didn’t carry on.

“I remember I stomached down a beer and then took myself off to bed,” admits Law. “That’s how I celebrated. I was pretty gassed by the end of it and it took a while for it all to kind of sink in.”

Other than meeting up with Thornborough to play golf and reminisce a few days later, Law has barely played in the weeks since and scoffs at the suggestion that they might look to improve on their record next year.

“Let’s just say we probably won’t be doing 334 holes!” he laughs.

Their focus now is on growing Marathon Monday into a universally recognised fundraiser. So far this year 10 other pairs have played 100 holes (or more) for the same cause in different locations across Canada. Many more have already pledged to take part next year too.

“The support we’ve had has been really humbling,” says Thornborough. “When we first started, our initial goal was 100 holes, and then every year we’ve challenged ourselves to beat that and push it more and more. We’ve also added other events throughout the year, like hole-in-one challenges and a Sunday fun day event, so it’s not just us any more.”

A look at the Monday Marathon website highlights the scale of their achievements so far. They’ve already beaten last year’s fundraising record of $28,000 and are close to breaking through the $200,000 barrier in total donations since 2012.

“It looks like we’ve raised around $35,000 this year, so we’ve not only surpassed our record on the course, we’ve surpassed it in fundraising as well,” says Law. “We’re pretty proud of what we’ve built so far and the big thing for us is about getting more people involved now. Hopefully we can continue to grow it throughout the years and maybe even expand that umbrella into the UK as well.”

To find out more or to sign up, click here.

About the author

Michael Catling – Features Editor

Michael Catling is an award-winning journalist who specializes in golf’s Majors and Tours, including DP World, PGA, LPGA, and LIV.

Michael joined Today’s Golfer in 2016 and has traveled the world to attend the game’s biggest events and secure exclusive interviews with the game’s biggest names, including Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Martin Slumbers and Justin Thomas.

Get in touch with Michael via email and follow him on X.