Channel: Britclip

Category: Sports

Tags: running marathon traininggreat golf coursesgolf marathonluke willett iron golferthe open golf championshipbest golf courses in englandspeedgolfpgathe iron golferluke willettbritish speedgolfgolfhimalayas coursesrunning marathongreatest golf courses in the worldmarathon trainingpga prorunning whilst playing golfluke willett speed golfprince's golf clubmarathons of golfroyal st george's golf club

Description: The reigning British Speedgolf champion, Luke Willett likes to push the boundaries of golf. In early January, he played both Sandwich ‘The Open’ courses in record time; Royal St George’s the host venue of last year’s Open, and Prince’s the host venue to the 1932 championships. Not only did he play both courses, 36 holes of golf in speedgolf style (jogging between holes) but also ran every street in Sandwich in what he describes as a ‘marathons of golf’ challenge. The day began at Prince’s just after sunrise on a cold but clear morning. He shot 79 in just 58 minutes on this iconic course. After a refuelling breakfast, there was time for a stretch to ease muscle tension, before setting off to run the streets of Sandwich. Experiencing the historic streets of the town is all part of this golfing adventure. Along the way, he managed to sustain an ankle injury but this did not deter him from finishing the challenge with another punishing 18 holes of golf at Royal St Georges just before sunset but in diminishing light. Despite the pain of his injury, he managed to complete Royal St George’s in 2 hours, (slow by his normal standards) with the help of a little limping but still shot 82. ‘Marathons of golf’ is an attempt to run every Open town and play all 14 courses in 2022 to have staged golf’s oldest major. Luke has already played several of these courses, but Sandwich is the only Town to host two Open venues. This demonstrates that even the most revered courses can also embrace modern formats of golf and this firmly places golf alongside fitness. Luke is a PGA Professional but has the nickname ‘The Iron Golfer’ and is fast becoming golf’s face of health and fitness. He aims to highlight the health benefits to attract a broader audience in golf and also the sense of personal adventure that the sport can bring. You follow him on his Instagram feed @lukewillettgolf or #marathonsofgolf and if you are inspired why not check out #speedgolf too britishspeedgolf.co.uk !