A very short update to deliver this week.
Still no practice completed yet, although I am road-testing the new driver & shoes tomorrow for a few holes.
The team were due to have a catch up call yesterday but, due to work commitments, we had to put it back - hopefully more to report next week.
Fitness levels, personally speaking, remain dreadful.
Ho hum
I am the Part-Time Golfer
Another week gone; no practice completed. Gulp.
To be honest, I'm genuinely concerned about this and, having discussed this very matter with Pete last night, feel that completing this challenge might end up being driven by willpower alone.
So, what's been happening this week (apart from no practice or training of note)?
Well, the biggest development to report is that Never Up Never In will now be a team of 9, playing in three 3-balls. Dave has a group of friends from Sussex who are very keen to get involved & help us raise lots of money for the On Course Foundation. At the time of 'going to press', I don't have even the basic info to report on who these fine people are but they are a welcome addition to the cause.
This now shifts my attention nicely over to the world record aspect of this challenge - we had a nice goal in mind and a framework in which to present it to the folks at Guinness, which is now all to cock thanks to these Johnny-come-latelys...ok, I'm kidding. I've done absolutely sod all about liaising with Guinness, so the addition of extra bodies makes no difference whatsoever. The key decision would appear to be whether to work towards a cumulative total across the three teams (450 holes, maybe?) or look at each player as an individual and add up the total number of times a ball has hit the bottom of the cup (1400 holes? 1500 holes?) - something to be worked out pretty quickly methinks.
Next item to be given some serious attention is the fundraising drive - we are off the mark, thanks to the generosity of my father-in-law (thanks v much, Noel) but we've a long way to go. A significant benefit of bringing an extra group into the team is the corporate matched funding that they can bring to the table - without wanting to declare a new target (and potentially make a rod for our own backs) it would be disappointing not to pass our financial goal by some considerable margin. At the risk of sounding repetitive, if you are (still reading this & feel) moved enough to support us, please visit www.bmycharity.com/golfathon - anything you can spare towards our total would be incredibly valuable.
I mentioned at the start the alarming lack of practice - clearly the weather in January & February didn't do anyone any favours and, since then, the weekends have been full up with kids birthday parties and recharging the batteries after the working week. My new job is taking me to New York at the start of April & I'll have a free weekend of which to take advantage so, weather permitting, I'm planning to pay a return visit to Bethpage and play a round or two (it might just be the opening weekend for the Black course and it would be rude not to, wouldn't it?!)
So, I absolutely must find some time to play in the next 3-4 weeks before the US trip - I bought myself a new driver last week (yes, it was off eBay; never hit it; don't know if I'll like it - don't judge me) and I am now facing up to the very real prospect that the first swing in anger with the new dog could be at 7am on the first tee Bethpage Black. Shitty knickers.
Ah well, onwards and upwards - we have our next catch up call in a fortnight and, hopefully, some progress (or even some practice) will be made upon which to report in next week's thrilling instalment.
I am The Part-Time Golfer
Granted, I might be slinging a considerable millstone around my neck but, as 2014 rushes by, with March nearly upon us, I thought it would be a good idea to post weekly updates on our progress towards completing our mammoth golfing challenge - to play golf for 24hrs & raise money for the On Course Foundation
So, here we are with 15 weeks to go until tee off. On the surface, it sounds like a very long time to get prepared but, in reality, it's not very long at all, considering all the elements that need to come together. That said, I do feel like the basics are all in place.
We have an enthusiastic and committed team of intrepid golfers who are willing to test their physical & mental strength over 24hrs.
We have two fantastically supportive golf clubs, who are willing to let us take over their venues for a full day and run roughshod over their tee sheets as we plough through the holes at great* speed.
We have ourselves a financial target for fundraising - right now, when looking at our page (www.bmycharity.com/golfathon), £10,000 seems like a lofty ambition but I firmly believe we will achieve this.
We are also supporting a young & exciting charity, who have achieved so many great results in their short history but, with the support of everyone who donates to the cause, have so much more to give. We are really looking forward to meeting some of the members who have benefited from the charity's work, as well as playing a few holes with them on the day.
So, with all this great planning in place and plenty of time left until we get going, what's the concern? What else is pending?
The world record - we believe that our approach to tackling this challenge (six golfers; two courses; medal play; 24hrs; walking) has not been attempted before or, at least, not in the context of setting a record with the Guinness folks. Now that we have confirmed the format that we're going to play - we toyed with Stableford or Scramble as options before deciding on Medal play - we can now put the case forward to the powers that be to enable us to put a marker in the sand for future groups of equally idiotic golfers to surpass.
Publicity - if you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen your timeline clogged up with my endless requests for retweets from well-known, high profile & influential people around the world of golf & beyond. This generated some satisfying results, such as a couple of the Sky Sports golf team and Sir Nick Faldo himself. To come, we understand that The Telegraph are going to do some coverage in the lead up to the event, as well as various local newspapers. Hopefully this will inspire people to put their hand in their pocket and help support this cause.
Fitness - hmm, yes. This challenge will present a completely new set of physical & mental tests for us all, the likes of which we've not really experienced before. Some of the group did a Land's End-John o'Groats bike ride a couple of years ago which at least spread the physical pain out over a longer period of time. I recall the 72-hole Macmillan Longest Day challenge I did in 2011, and the physical wreck I was for a few days afterwards - on that basis, completing more than double that amount of golf could produce some interesting results.
Practice - setting aside the abysmal weather that has recently been bestowed upon this fair isle, there is a concern about having sufficient opportunity to put in a decent stretch of training. Playing 18 holes once a month isn't going to cut the mustard, so we all need to be sure we are preparing properly. We have a 36-hole day pencilled in for mid-April and then a 72-hole practice about a month after that. I really don't know if that will do the job - I guess we'll find out at some point during the night of the 12 June.
So that's the first of these weekly updates complete - not much more to add really except that if you've stuck with it and read all of my rambling, and feel sufficiently moved to support us, please visit www.bmycharity.com/golfathon - anything you can give will be hugely influential.
I am the Part-Time Golfer
*this speed may well diminish as the day progresses
