All eyes in golf are on the final round at The Open at Carnoustie, but away from the grandeur of that major, a dedicated bunch made history today by competing in the Inaugural British Speedgolf Pairs Championship at West Kent Golf Club, near Biggin Hill in Kent. Embracing this fast paced golf format, British Speedgolf Pairs is based on a simple one ball, alternate shot format. Each pair aim to finish 18 holes with the lowest Speedgolf score, which is a combination of the time it takes to complete the round added to their golf strokes.
This form of golf is adrenalin fuelled, but the skill is balancing pace to retain golf accuracy and in the pair’s format, team work is critical. A fast round was not an easy task on what is expected to be one of the hottest days of the year. Even with the early start; temperatures had already reached 25 degrees as players swept across the fairways. There are few rule changes to regular golf but players use less clubs and can putt with the flagstick in! In British Speedgolf Pairs, players must run behind the ball, so effectively pace is set by the slower player.
The Inaugural British Speedgolf Pairs title went to George Boxall (golf amateur) and Tom Roberts (Assistant PGA Pro) who finished their 18 hole round on this demanding undulating course at a staggering pace in just over 41 minutes (41:06) Incredibly, they were a little disappointed with their golf strokes tally of 81 as they missed several short putts. Their Speedfgolf Score was 122:06.
Runners up, were PGA Pro Chris Benians and amateur golfer Jamie Fowler shooting 79 in just shy of 48 minutes for a Speedgolf Score of 126:57. Speedgolf is inclusive, welcoming PGA Pros, amateur golfers and those wanting a faster, fun golf game. It is also attracting a growing number of women to the sport that want to set the pace in golf and arguably streak ahead.
