LONGEST HOLE / Golfer hits 20,093 shots on 2000km golf hole in Mongolia
A golfer has just played golf across 2000km in Mongolia. And his mate caddied for him the whole way.
Good friends Adam Rolston and Ron Rutland decided to play the longest ever golf hole by trekking across 2000km of central Mongolia. Rolston would hit the golf ball while Rutland would pull the clubs and equipment on a make-shift cart to raise money for Laureus’ children’s sports charity.
So why Mongolia?
Well as Julian Bennetts at The Telegraph reported, it’s a huge country with very few fences or people in the way. In effect, one of the longest ‘fairways’ they could find.
The idea was to finish on the 18th green of the one golf course in the country, and to tee off from the western most point of Mongolia. He calculated it would take him 14,000 shots – and set that as his par.
Rutland agreed to be his caddie, and eight months later, they were raising money for Laureus, which runs children’s sports charities worldwide, and were at the base of Khüiten Peak, the highest as well as the most western point of Mongolia.
Rolston hit his first tee shot on June 28 from the base of Khüiten Peak, the highest point in Mongolia and calculated that par for the hole – across deserts, frozen rivers and swamps would be 14,000.
The journey didn’t come without challenges including seeing their planned route become a swamp after heavy rains, the cart get stuck in mud and at several times saw both men under pressure to find food and water along the way.
Along the way a the stray dog joined them and stayed with them for the last 1500km to the outskirts of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar where 80 days after the first shot was played, Rolston hit his 20,093rd shot on the 18th green at Mt Bogd Golf Club – the only golf course in the country.
Nailing a slippery 7 foot downhill putt to break 20,094 and bring The Longest Hole to a close!! @RonRutland @LaureusSport @FaskenMartineau pic.twitter.com/1IcsLltkiF
— The Longest Hole (@TheLongestHole) September 18, 2017
The Twitter feed for The Longest Hole is worth a look for more info and more incredible photos. A seriously incredible achievement.