Speedgolf: Like Regular Golf but for People Who Have Sh*t to do on Saturdays

My partner is a golfer. Which means every Saturday he leaves for the majority of the day to play golf and drink beer. Which leaves me to parent the kids, ship them to soccer, pick up groceries and do all the weekday jobs that didn’t get done.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind that he plays golf and has a social life, but WHY DOES GOLF HAVE TO TAKE FIVE FLIPPING HOURS TO PLAY?

Enter Speedgolf. It’s like regular golf, but for people who have sh*t to do on the weekends.

Yes, ladies, your husband CAN play golf and mow the lawn in the same day. Possibly even in the same afternoon. Think of the possibilities…

Speedgolf is pretty much the same as normal people golf, take away the slow pace, the beer breaks and the golf buggies. It takes an average of five hours to play a game of regular golf (7 hours when you factor in the before-tee-off beers and the after-tee-off beers).

But Speedgolf… 40 minutes to an hour and you’ve wrapped up 18 holes (that’s a full round of golf for non-golfers out there).

And get this: The best of the best finish 9 holes of golf in just 20 minutes. My partner can’t even poop in 20 minutes.

If Tiger Woods and Jess Hull Had a Baby

It would be Speedgolf. Because Speedgolf isn’t just for golfers, but for runners too. After all, you have to have a love of running to run around a golf course.

Golfrunners can lower their handicap and their PBs. Two birds. One sport.

speedgolf uk — Parkrun called. They want their Saturday run group back. Source: Speedgolf UK Facebook

How Does Speedgolf even work?

Speedgolf points come from a combination of time and strokes taken. Like golf and running, the lower you score, the better you place.

Basically in Speedgolf, you sprint between holes and try to get your ball into each hole as quickly as you can. Don’t hold me to this but I think the average golf course is around 6 km to walk (according to my golfing partner who may have added a few kms onto this to sound more athletic). So if you are doing this in 40 minutes to an hour, you’ve got a pretty good pace on.

There are a few other rules in speedgolf. You can’t use big drivers. Seven clubs are the maximum allowed in speedgolf. Top-level golfers will take three or four; a three-wood or hybrid, a short iron like a seven or eight and then a wedge. Putters are rarely used at the highest level with most opting to use their wood or wedge to putt but taking one is recommended for entry level to make the most of scoring opportunities.

Golfers tend to only bring the clubs they need, no bag and no esky, but some will run with their giant golf bag dangling next to them. They zig-zag through the course at a ridiculously fast pace and in competitions, they have a bib number on their shirt or shorts. Yes, ladies and gents – there are speedgolf competitions all around the world. It’s actually becoming quite a popular sport.