OK, maybe four hours is too long for a round of golf. How about 40 minutes?
“Speed golf,” also called “XTreme Golf,” combines the sport you know and love with another sport you know but may not love: running.
In speed golf, players sprint between holes, carrying a minimal number of clubs and equipment–for obvious reasons. No kibbutzing or plumb-bobbing. Just hit it and make tracks. Your time is added to your score, so the fleet of foot can make up for a three-putt by simply outrunning the competition.
Whew! Makes you short of breath just thinking about it.
Normal USGA rules apply, with a few minor exceptions. But the pace forces players to alter their slow-poke habits. No one spends a lot of time mulling over the next shot, for example. And practice swings? Forget ’em.
Speed golf has yet to catch on in Chicagoland, but it’s only a matter of time, isn’t it?
More information is available at www.extremegolf.com or contact Bob Babbitt of the XTreme Golf Association at bbabbitt@competitor.com.
