9 Guinness World Records you could actually break
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How do you fancy setting a new Guinness World Record?
Your chances of winning the Open may be incredibly slim, but that doesn’t mean you can’t secure your place in golfing history. The Guinness World Records Book is jam-packed with weird and wonderful feats, many of which are just begging to be broken.
Ian Poulter, Matt Fitzpatrick, Matthew Southgate and Tyrrell Hatton smashed the record for the fastest golf hole by a team of four in Turkey last year, but were beaten in 2018 by four PGA Tour rookies who set an astonishing record of 27.88s. It may be hard to beat, but there’s nothing stopping you from finding your own niche by attempting one of these golf challenges.
#1 Most Golf Balls Held In One Hand
Italian Silvo Sabba managed 27 in 2012, which seems beatable until you try it. We managed 14 before dropping them all in the golf club car park, half of which haven’t been seen since!
#2 Greatest Distance Between Two Rounds Played On The Same Day
Need a cure for jet lag? Play a round of golf. Aussie John Knobel got a quick 18 in at The Coast in Sydney, before hopping on a flight and travelling 9,931 miles to play another round at Forest Park in New York. Something to remember when you book your next trip abroad.
#3: Most Golf Ball Catches In One Minute (100 metres)
It may sound painful, but a handy pitcher and a good wicket keeper could easily rival Jamie Redknapp and Andrew Flintoff’s record of 11 on A League of their Own. Find an understanding greenkeeper first.
#4 Fastest Ever Round By A Team Of Golfers
Grab a bunch of mates and try to play 18 holes in under 13 minutes and 42 seconds. Eighty members from Farnham Golf Club in Surrey achieved the feat in 2005, but there’s no limit to the amount of golfers who can take part.
#5 Lowest 18 Hole Score Using Only One Club
Breaking par is hard enough using 14 clubs, so kudos to Thad Daber for doing it using just one club. Armed with a 6-iron, the American signed for a two-under-par 70 at the 1987 World One Club Championship. One for the pros we reckon.
#6 Largest Collection of Golf Clubs
Robert Lantsoght has been stockpiling clubs since 1992, and has all 4,393 on display in his restaurant on the Costa del Sol. The Spaniard updates his collection on a weekly basis, so you’ll need to be dedicated (and rich) if you want to beat him.
#7 Most Golf Balls Hit Into A Target Area In 12 Hours
Getting through a bucket of 100 balls feels like hard work, so heaven knows how Brian Cha felt when he hit 9,959 shots in 12 hours. To beat it, you’ll need to better his average of one shot every 4.33 seconds. Good luck with that!
#8 The Most Holes Played In 12 Hours By A Walking Golfer
So much for playing 72 holes during the MacMillan Longest Day challenge. Canadian Scott Holland set the bar in 2005 by completing 221 using just a 7-iron. To train for it, he played 54 holes of golf and ran for two hours every day. Better hit the gym then!
#9 Fastest Round (Fourball)
Ben Crosby, Andrew Crawford, John Lyon and Russell Hayhoe completed 18 holes in one hour, four minutes and 25 seconds at Ponteland Golf Club in Northumberland. Keep that in mind next time you fancy playing ‘a few holes’ in your lunch break.
