This Week in Speedgolf | NEW WORLD RECORD!
Feb 15, 2026 2:18 pm
Howdy speedgolf family! You're reading This Week in Speedgolf.
We've got a doozy this week!
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Harry Bateman takes the speedgolf world record!
The speedgolf world record was broken twice last weekend! Actually, just once. Well, it's complicated. Eh, not that complicated, but in any case: we have a new speedgolf world record holder!
Harry Bateman started Sunday at the Wairarapa Speedgolf Open trailing 2022 World Champ Jamie Reid by 52 seconds. He ended the round with an even par 70 in 36:14 = 106:14, breaking the record Scott Dawley set in the 2021 US Speedgolf Open -- a 65 (-5) in 42:15 = 107:15.
I'm told there was a sharp contrast in celebration styles.
Who can forget Scott Dawley ripping off his shirt just seconds after sinking that final birdie putt?
Harry, on the other hand, thought he'd shot 72 (a ho-hum day on the golf course for a guy good enough to play in the slow golf NZ Open). He calmly left the green and waited for officials to tabulate the scores. He found out a few minutes later that he'd just broken the world record. I'm picturing him going "oh, neat" and asking if there were any sandwiches left.
It's no secret that Team New Zealand coveted the world record.
Jamie famously shot a 99 at Fitzroy Golf Club at the 2024 New Zealand Speedgolf Open, only to be told that it's a non-conforming course. (The ISGA stipulates that a golf course must be 6,000 yards and a 4-mile run in order to qualify for the record.) Since then, the Kiwis identified Carterton Golf Club as a record-setting venue and -- just a couple years later -- Team New Zealand has all three of the ISGA's published records.
"There is no harder place to win a speedgolf event than in New Zealand."
- Jamie Reid
Wait a second, all THREE world records?
- Men: Harry Bateman (NZL) - 106:14
- Women: Liz McKinnon (NZL) - 121:25
- Senior Men: Damian Mills (NZL) -123:20
We have a Senior Woman World Champion. We award a Senior Woman Speedgolfer of the Year, We have a senior woman in the top 3 of the ISGA's Women's World Rankings. But we don't recognize a senior women's world record?
This is an embarrassment for the ISGA.
I mean, all they'd have to do is have a form on their website that anyone on earth can submit if they believe they've earned a world record.
* Checks notes *
Oh.
If the form exists and there's no Senior Women's world record listed... Based on all available evidence, I have to believe nobody has submitted one. That means YOU could be the first!
If you're a senior woman and you've shot a speedgolf score below 150 in competition, submit it to the ISGA and see what happens! Seriously, it's not a long form. You could be a world record holder by Tuesday.
The record that wasn't (but almost was) (but definitely wasn't)
Okay, deep breath. We need to talk about Robin Smith's 107:18. I know I'm about to sound like the guy at Thanksgiving who won't shut up about NFL catch rules. But this is important.
First, the scoreboard says Robin Smith shot 107:18, three seconds shy of Dawley's record. So why are we hearing that Robin held the record for 3.5 minutes before Harry's round was complete?
(Sigh) Time to get into the nitty gritty of measuring speedgolf scores.
When Scott set the record in 2021, the timer started on his first tee shot and ended when the ball rolled into the cup on hole 18 (that's how we did it back then). At the Wairarapa Open, there was a start line and a finish line. Naturally, running from the start line to the first tee, and from the 18th hole to the finish line adds a few seconds.
From what I can gather, if Harry hadn't broken the record, the plan was to claim that "after adjustment" Robin's speedgolf score was better than Scott's.
It's a good thing Harry broke the record, because "after adjustment" might just have caused an international incident.
Look, I get it. Robin's round was excellent. One of the greatest rounds of speedgolf in history. But records cannot be based on vibes. They can't be 'well, if you account for...' You play the course the organizers put in front of you. And the rules for when the clock starts/stops are the same for everybody.
If we start allowing retroactive adjustments, where does it stop? Do we account for altitude? Wind? Whether the player had a good breakfast burrito? Records have to be clean: timed as played, under the rules at that venue, reproducible by the next person who shows up.
Wairarapa Speedgolf Open | Wairarapa, Wellington, New Zealand | Feb 7-8, 2026 |(full results)
Men: Harry Bateman | 73/70 in 39:20/36:14 | 218:34
- Sunday: 70 in 36:14 = 106:14 (World Record)
Womens: Amy Linton | 79/74 in 53:17/47:33 | 253:50
- Sunday: 121:33 — 0:08 off Liz McKinnon’s 121:25 WR
Masters: John Farron | 71/82 in 53:22/50:20 | 256:42
- Day 1: 124:22 — 1:02 off Damian Mills’ 123:20 Senior (55+) WR
Womens Masters: Annelise La Roche | 82/80 in 100:17/85:17 | 347:34
Juniors: Hamish Kerr | 99/95 in 98:55/73:16 | 365:71
Give it a Go: Hunter Smith | 38/36 in 35:32/13:12 | 122:44
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Speedgolf Directory launches
I get emails.
Sometimes I get stories. Sometimes I get corrections (thanks Jay). Sometimes I get hot takes (my favorite).
But the most common question in my inbox, all year round, is: I'm speedgolf curious. Where can I find speedgolf near me?
For years, the answer has been a depressing scavenger hunt: 'Try Google. Check Facebook. Maybe Instagram. Search some golf course websites. Ask around. Email me back in three weeks when you've given up.'
If we want this sport to grow, people need to actually be able to find it.
So I built something.
It's called Speedgolf Directory, and it has just one job -- to help people find speedgolf near them.
I've done my best to seed the directory with tournaments and meetups from all over, but I know it's not complete. That's where you come in.
This isn't a one-man show. There's a "Suggest an Edit" button on every single tournament and meetup page.
If you organize speedgolf events (tournaments or meetups), you can make your listing shine. You know there are a lot of speedgolf-curious individuals sitting on the fence. A few minutes of love could turn one a fence-sitter into a speedgolfer.
You see something wrong? Fix it. You know about an event I missed? Add it. This thing only works if speedgolfers help speedgolfers find good info.
Think Wikipedia, but for speedgolf events.
Is it perfect? No. Will it ever be complete? Probably not. But it's better than what we had yesterday, and if enough people chip in, it'll be the best resource in the sport.
Go check it out: speedgolfdirectory.com
(By the way, if you want to pay for a 'featured' listing, you can do that. Email me if you're interested.)
And if you've ever asked me "Where can I play speedgolf near me?" — well, now you know where to look.
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This Week in Speedgolf Media
🎥 James Wilson enters the Japanese Speedgolf Championship with no training — beautifully-produced video of a first-time speedgolfer getting humbled by the 700 Club.
🎬 Pink Streak Speedgolf drops the complete US Open 2025 playlist — thanks to Nick Evans for archiving the footage. If you missed Temecula Creek, here's your chance to relive it.
📺 InvestigateTV tells America that speedgolf takes "about an hour" — featuring some of my favorite Springfield speedgolfers.
🇫🇷 Speedgolf France on Journal du Golf — the French Speedgolf director Valerie makes the case traditionalists need to hear: "Yes, in speedgolf we respect golf etiquette, repair pitches, rake bunkers... it's golf! With the bonus pleasure of cardio."
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Thanks for reading
Hit 'Reply' and tell me what you think. I read every reply.
Adam
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Adam Lorton
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