British Open Speedgolf heads to Piltdown Golf Club

The rules? You play a round in the lowest sum of shots as usual, but combine it with the time taken to run the course. 

Andy Roberts's picture
Thu, 30 Mar 2017

British Open Speedgolf heads to Piltdown Golf Club

The British Open Speedgolf Championships will take place on Sunday September 17, moving to the superb Piltdown Golf Club, East Sussex just 20 miles from London Gatwick.

Speedgolf addresses pace of play head on, with this more athletic golf format; it attracts both golfers and runners or those who seek a fresh fitness challenge. Whilst it is more physically demanding than the traditional golf game, providing a good work out, it is also a lot of fun.

Competitors combine their total strokes with the time it took to complete the round.

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The current 2016 British Open Speedgolf Champion is Rob Hogan from Ireland who in 2016 put in a blistering performance shooting a round of 82 strokes in just 36 minutes and 59 seconds; Speedgolf Score of 118:59, successfully defending his championship title.

“One of the major issues in attracting new people to golf is the time it takes to play," said Piltdown Golf Club secretary Phil Bonsall.

"Speedgolf certainly solves that problem, although it looks a bit extreme for some!"

Pam Painter, the co-founder of British Speedgolf said: "The common misconception is that Speedgolf is simply rushing around a golf course, it is the opposite.

"Whilst it is faster, the skill in Speedgolf is balancing your running pace with your capacity to accurately play your shots to get the lowest combined score possible."

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Many have proved that Speedgolf can enhance performance, mainly due to the fluidity of the sport which eliminates time consuming practice swings and other rituals, which can actually improve your golf game.

Speedgolf is a summer sport with the new season starting in May. Along with other clubs who are looking to welcome Speedgolfers to their clubs, Piltdown GC will be hosting a taster event on Sunday 23 July ahead of the championship.

Newcomers to the sport should visit the website which has more information on the sport and how to get involved.

For more information visit www.britishspeedgolf.co.uk