Speed freaks

WORDS: ROD MORRI  PHOTOGRAPHY: BRENDAN JAMES

At 7.09 on a crisp winter’s morning, a group of golfers gathers near the 10th tee of a suburban Sydney golf course.

It’s a scene that would be quite normal, if it weren’t for the constant nervous glancing at watches and the presence of a starter with a countdown clock. Despite their otherwise ordinary appearance, what these golfers are about to embark upon is not a normal round of golf. This is Speed Golf which, as the name suggests, involves running around the course while also attempting to play golf.

It’s a hybrid version of the game that has a longer history than most would suspect and is garnering more interest almost weekly as fitness becomes a priority for many, regular golfers included.

Contrary to assumption it is not a sport solely for the young and super fit, with several of this day’s participants beyond their 40s and even into their 60s.

Each ‘group’ contains only one golfer (for safety and logistical reasons) and they tee off in order of fastest to slowest to avoid congestion on the course.

“I think the appeal of it is the counter-intuitive notion of the two sports being played together,” says Roddy Cain, a member of Pennant Hills Golf Club, who first floated the idea of a regular Speed Golf get together on a Sunday morning at the Sydney course. “That’s what first struck me about it. I’m a keen runner as well as a keen golfer, though I don’t excel at either, and when I first saw Speed Golf I just couldn’t imagine how you could do it.

“Trying to hit a golf ball with your heart pounding and your lungs bursting and all that comes from running just seemed too much. I think I was intrigued more than anything.”

Intrigued enough to ask the club’s board if he could organise a trial of the concept on a Sunday morning to see how much interest there was.

“They were open to the idea once I had assured them there would be no damage to the course and we wouldn’t be in the way or anything like that,” Cain says. “And then I put the feelers out and was very pleasantly surprised with the response.

“It’s become a once-a-month thing on Sundays and I now have 35 people on my mailing list and 25 of those have actually played at least one event.”

The numbers seem surprising to an outsider, but Speed Golf Australia founder Virginia Deigan says not so. Speed Golf has been on a big upward curve internationally in recent years, helped in no small part by the inaugural World Championships played at the highly regarded Bandon Dunes facility in the United States in 2012. Thanks to YouTube and social media, that event got plenty of exposure and has sparked interest globally in a sport that can trace its roots back to the 1970s.

“Running has become such a popular pastime and there is increased interest in fitness and for a lot of people the challenge of combining fitness and golf is just too much to resist,” Deigan says.

“Both are such individual pursuits I think they attract the same sort of personality type in a lot of ways, so it’s not really a surprise that it’s getting people’s attention.

“Obviously it will never overtake running or golf in popularity but I’d like to think there will come a time when the majority of golf clubs in Australia run a Speed Golf league of some sort.”

The advantages of Speed Golf for participants are obvious but there is a potential revenue stream for clubs in the sport as well.

“It’s not hard to imagine a significant block of tee-times being booked out on a Sunday morning for a course that set aside perhaps even just nine holes for Speed Golf,” says Deigan. “For a lot of people, nine holes is enough and at Pennant Hills the Speed Golfers go off the back nine so as not to interfere with the golfers on the front, and that’s a system I could see working at most clubs.

“With the Australian Open coming up I’m really hoping there will be some good publicity about the sport and that will hopefully get people motivated at a grassroots level.”

Cain agrees and says most who try it are nervous the first time but quickly get hooked.

“It’s amazing to hear people after their second attempt,” he says. “The first thing they want to know is if they beat their previous time. It becomes strangely addictive and just to see the sense of achievement on the faces of people when they finish the nine holes is fantastic.”

As the last of the participants arrive back at the Pennant Hills clubhouse, that sense of achievement is almost palpable. For some this marks the first time they’ve run more than a hundred metres in many years and just to have finished is a source of pride.

“If that’s not better than a bike ride I’m not alive,” says one participant on completion, referring to the number of golfers who’ve reportedly swapped their weekend round of golf for a bike ride to better fit into family life.

“It’s a workout, it’s a game of golf and it’s over before a lot of people are ready for Sunday breakfast. Not to mention there’s no danger of getting run over!”

Deigan says Speed Golf doesn’t see itself as a ‘Grow the Game’ initiative, more a way to appeal to golfers who, because of time constraints, might be facing a choice: golf or fitness.

“I think what it might do is help keep some people in the game who might otherwise be lost to more fitness-oriented activities,” she says. “For many it’s a difficult choice to make because they love their golf but other commitments mean they just can’t justify the time needed for it. This ticks both boxes and if it brings some new people to the game as well, that’s a bonus.”

Deigan hopes to build a ‘Find a League’ section of the Speed Golf Australia website in coming months and encourages any interested Speed Golfers to get in touch with her with any queries.

“This movement will be driven at the grassroots level by people who want to try it but we’re here to help those people build that network of Speed Golfers,” she says. “If we can get some leagues going at clubs around the country, I don’t doubt this sport can really grow into something significant and be good for the game as a whole.”

For more information about Speed Golf, visit www.speedgolfaustralia.com.au