It was an exciting morning at Melbourne’s Ringwood Golf Course on Monday 11 April, as an enthusiastic group of golfers gathered to set a number of world records for the fastest rounds of golf played on a Golf Skate Caddy ‒ a feat never attempted previously.
Professional golfer Graham Maher set the overall fastest time of the day, completing the full 18 holes of golf in just over 43 minutes. Not far behind him was professional golfer Michelle Scerri, finishing the course in just under 45 minutes.
A pair of amateur golfers followed closely behind, with Darren Browning finishing the 18 holes in 47 minutes 20 seconds, while Mei Lee completed the challenge in 47 minutes and 44 seconds.
36 men and women also took part in setting the male and female relay records, with 18 participants in each team taking turns to play a single hole on the Golf Skate Caddy, then “tagging” the next player on the following tee, who would then hit their shot before hopping aboard the Golf Skate Caddy.
The day was capped off with members of the community and local golf clubs trying the Golf Skate Caddies as part of a free ride trial.
The official world record results:
Male professional golfer: Graham Maher Total time: 43:07
Female professional golfer: Michelle Scerri Total time: 44:57
Male amateur golfer: Darren Browning Total time: 47:20
Female amateur golfer: Mei Lee Total time: 47:44
Male amateur golfers relay total time: 55:24
Male amateur relay team members:
- Alan Walton
- Justin Lowe
- Mathew Fitzgerald
- Jeremy Cutajar
- Stephen Fulton
- Tim Burgess
- Darren Browning
- Adrian Crane
- Neil Harrington
- Matt White
- Peter Denier
- Joshua Burt
- John Beswick
- Guenther Bohnke
- Geoff Wallis
- Usman Naseer
- Tim Cocks
- Jarrad Glenn
Female amateur golfer relay total time: 1:29:12
Female amateur golfer relay team members:
- Sue Stanley
- Lisa Den Elzen
- Michelle Shafran
- Kaye Tankard
- Helen King
- Pam Happ
- Helen Reid
- Sue Lancaster
- Gilda Moore
- Pam Byrne
- Sandy Goddard
- Lee Thompson
- Sharon Cousins
- Fiza Errington
- Corinne Dyer
- Julie Browning
- Marge Reid
- Glenys Harrison
The Golf Skate Caddy, a combination of a single-person golf cart and surfboard, gives players a unique experience of “surfing the golf course” – gliding down the fairways, directing via a central controller. Golfers of all ages and abilities can use it, and it provides those with limited time the opportunity to still enjoy a sport they love.
It also provides, as shown by the world record times above, a potential solution to golf’s current problem of slow play.
Ringwood Golf is the first golf course in Victoria to offer the Golf Skate Caddy for hire (9 Holes, $15 and 18 Holes, $25) but it is also available at a number of courses across Australia.
To find out more about the Golf Skate Caddy, visit www.golfskatecaddy.com.au. For more information about Ringwood Golf, visit www.maroondahlesiure.com.au or call on 03 9298 4500.
A four-time winner of the Australian Golf Media Awards, including Best Photojournalism, Best Opinion, Best Column and Best Photographic Presentation, Inside Golf Group Editor Richard Fellner is the quintessential Golf Tragic, having played the game for over 50 years (but has never gotten any better!) He has played and reviewed courses all over the world, and has interviewed many of the great players of the game (including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Greg Norman). Richard is a member of both the Australian Golf Media Association and the Golf Society of Australia, and has been a featured guest on many Australian "sports talk" radio shows and networks, including ABC Grandstand, SEN 1116, Melbourne Talk Radio 1377, 2GB and others.
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