Golfer breaks world record for most 18-hole courses played in one year
For most people who golf, playing 18 holes is plenty of golf for one day. Golf photographer Patrick Koenig is not most people.
At the start of this year, he set out to break the world record for most 18-hole golf courses played in one year, a record that previously stood at 449 courses.
On Oct. 17, Koenig (unofficially) broke the record when he played his 450th course at Omni Interlocken in Broomfield, Co.
As of Wednesday, the record is still unofficial as Guinness World Records still needs to review all evidence. According to their website, the process of reviewing the application for a world record could take up to 12 weeks.
The photographer is not done yet with about a month and a half left in 2023. Koenig hopes to hit 500 golf courses by the time the year is over, making his new world record even more unbreakable.
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Previous world record for 18-hole golf course
Koenig's run represents the first time someone has broken the record in over a decade.
From April 2008 through March 2009, Jonathan and Cathie Weaver set the previous record by playing 449 18-hole courses over the course of 365 days. According to the official Guinness World Records website, the couple averaged 8.6 golf courses per week.
For Koenig to break the record in just 287 days, he averaged about 11 courses per week and 1.6 courses per day. To hit 500, the photographer will need to have averaged 9.6 courses per week and about 1.4 courses per day.
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The RGV Tour 2.0
Koenig's record attempt is part of what he has dubbed The RGV Tour 2.0 — that's Recreational Golf Vehicle. The Seattle native started The RGV Tour (1.0) after quitting his day job to travel across the country with the goal of playing golf in every state in 2018.
As part of the tour, Koenig aimed to raise money for nonprofit First Tee, an organization that aims to "make golf affordable and accessible to all kids" while also helping children "build character strengths and important life skills through the game," according to its website. The first RGV Tour raised $20,000 for the nonprofit five years ago.
For RGV Tour 2.0, the goal changed to breaking the record for 18-hole courses played in one year. Once again, Koenig is raising money for First Tee during his travels. To date, he has raised over $31,000 according to his partner Golf GameBook's website.
Golf GameBook is an app that allows users to track their golf scores and those of others. According to Koenig's profile, his average score in a round of 18 holes this year is 77.3 with an all-time best score of 67.
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