A sense of history in the making hovered over Horton Smith Golf Course in Springfield, MO on Labor Day weekend 2021. At 4.25 miles and 6,122 yds this flat and fast track was chosen for a purpose. As fate would have it, Speedgolfers were met with ideal weather and course conditions for someone in the field to go low! Who would it be?

SGUSA duties kept me busy until just a few minutes before my first round tee time on Sunday, September 5th at 7:54am. I putted a few short ones on the practice green and headed to the starting line.

Hawkins was already headed to 16 tee box when I passed by him on the 4th fairway. Even par through 3 holes, I was warming up and starting to find my groove. I hit the next 3 greens in regulation and headed to the 7th hole still at even for the day. A short range birdie putt on hole 7 and an up and down for birdie on the par-5 9th hole put me at 2 under par in 20 minutes at the turn.

 I knew something special was happening when I hit the 10th green in regulation - usually too far out of reach for my 8-iron. Back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 put me at 4 under par with four par-4's left to play.

As I ran up to the tee on 18 I was unsure of my round time, but felt 4-under may be good enough to break the world record. When the birdie putt fell in on the last hole for a bogey free 65, I knew I had achieved something special regardless of the record. My round time of 42:15 minutes was my career personal best, and confirmed I had made Speedgolf history!

Technology is a powerful tool that can bring a global sporting community together. For Speedgolfers, having the ability to post Speedgolf activity anytime, anywhere is a huge leap in the right direction.

Secondarily, a handicap system built for Speedgolf further levels the playing field and enables Speedgolfers of different abilities to compete on a net basis.

This early release is certainly a minimum viable product, and we look forward to utilizing customer feedback to improve the product and create tremendous value for our customers and for Speedgolf USA.  

After a close runner-up finish in 2019, I was determined to put in the extra effort in 2020 and earn my place on the national championship trophy.

I learned that becoming a champion is not easy. It requires sacrifice in every area of life. To get faster I had to change my sleep habits so I could make time for more training. I had to change my running form to reduce injury and increase efficiency of movement. I had to lose 15 pounds by recommitting to a healthy diet without all the sugar and carbs.

To improve my golf game I had to refocus on my short game and putting, play more Speedgolf, and implement a strength training regimen. Most importantly, I had to change my beliefs and thoughts about myself. As my confidence peaked, it was time to trust in all the work and bring my best to the party.

Now that I've proven to myself that the process works, I have my sights set on a higher goal – becoming a world champion in 2021. Here I come Japan!  

In business, problems are a positive development because they're really just opportunities to create solutions and win over customers. Since 2016, Speedgolf USA has worked hard to develop a multi-media platform to answer the fundamental question, "What is Speedgolf?"

As awareness grew, a new problem emerged. Everyone who learned about Speedgolf had a follow up question: "Where can I play?" Answering this question created an opportunity to bring a new market of customers to golf course operators, helping them increase rounds and revenue without disrupting regular play.

Joining the network is free for courses, and carries zero risk, since Speedgolf play happens before traditional golf begins. Bringing Speedgolfers and course operators together will invariably create a new set of problems, and Speedgolf USA is fully prepared to translate those into opportunities in 2021.

As the number of national Speedgolf associations worldwide grew to double digits in 2015, I was determined to launch Speedgolf USA in 2016 and join the party!

Speedgolf USA has brought much needed structure to the competitive side of the sport, provided affiliated course operators the knowledge and tools needed to implement Speedgolf programs at their facilities, and committed to the development of a multi-platform tech ecosystem designed specifically for the sport of Speedgolf.

In 2018, we introduced a nationwide tournament series, released unprecedented tournament coverage of the 2017 US Speedgolf Championships, and most notably coordinated and hosted the 2018 US Championships and Speedgolf World Championships & ISGA Team World Cup.

In 2019, our attention turned to grassroots growth with the release of the Speedgolf Course Network & Starter Kit. Our kit contains everything golf courses need to book more rounds, make more money, and grow the game with Speedgolf.

In the next 5 to 10 years the game of Speedgolf is going to undergo some major transformations. In fact, it's already happening!

With over 100 episodes in the queue, we take pride in keeping our listeners up to speed on the latest game changing news and developments through long-form interviews with the pioneers, thought leaders, and change agents in world of Speedgolf.
 

All this in an effort to shed light on the ways in which golf is changing to keep pace with the demands of the modern world.

The 4th annual World Championship changed venues for the first time in 2015. Leaving Bandon Dunes was a bitter pill to swallow, but the Fazio designed venue in Chicago (The Glen Club) proved to be as picturesque and perhaps more challenging than Bandon.

My goal was a win this year, so I got a coach on board and set up a 100 day training plan. In the midst of launching LinksRun, I spent 26 days of every month hammering away at my physical endurance, and honing my golf game. That translated to 100+ miles of running and 40+ hours of putting, short game, and full swing practice per month. There were lots of highs, like winning my first 10k trail race, and plenty of lows, like overtraining and physical exhaustion. Nevertheless, I entered the 36-hole championship more prepared and full of confidence than ever before.

The weather on day 1 was reminiscent of last year's championship, with cool temps and wind gusts up to 40 mph. Employing a new piece of equipment, The Silo, I finished the first round with a 78 in 51 minutes, putting me in a familiar position: 5th place, and 4 strokes behind the leader. Day 2 conditions were mild in comparison, and I knew this was my chance to mount a comeback. After a birdie on the 1st hole, and another on the 4th, I knew the day was going to be special. I finished the round with a world championship record-tying score of even par 72, in 48 minutes, and jumped 3 spots into 2nd place. My final round consisted of 6 birdies, and 1 eagle (a hole out from the fairway on a par 4), along with 2 bogeys and 3 double bogeys.  

On July 18th LinksRun officially launched with the first of a six event trail series. Battleground Golf Course in Deer Park was host to the inaugural event, where 150 participants braved triple digits temperatures to run, jog, and walk the pristine fairways under a beautiful South Texas sunset. In spite of the heat, everyone involved had a blast, enjoyed the unique running experience, and many had their first experience hitting golf balls on the range.  

Altered Course is a fast-paced series that features two-person teams competing on extraordinary hole layouts exceeding 700 yards -- while racing against time. Together with the reigning Ladies Speedgolf World Champion, Gretchen Johnson, I was hired to participate as part of an Expert Team.

This was an incredible production I'm fortunate to have been a part of, and is sure to make sports television history. Altered Course 

On April 18th, 2015 I had the privilege of participating in a unique sporting event...the first of its kind. 8 participants committed to playing the Napa Valley Golf Course at Kennedy Park nonstop for 12 hours (short breaks allowed). By the time it was over I had run over 50k while Speedgolfing 117 holes on foot.

Karl Meltzer, aka The Speedgoat, attempted to set a new world record for most holes played in 12 hours. Karl was successful, completing 229 holes of golf and shattering the old record of 221 holes, before cracking open a celebratory beer!

This event raised over $30k in much needed funds for research and fighting rare form of eye cancer, Ocular Melanoma. Swing For Sight. 

In 2015 I decided it was time to take advantage of technology and go back to school. Through online classes on Coursera, I have been able to add formal education to my years of entrepreneurial experience. I believe this is necessary, and has proven to be of great value, as I endeavor to bring positive and lasting change to the world of golf.

The Houston Half Marathon came on the heels of my first 25k trail race at Bandera the week prior. My goal was to finish 13.1 miles under 90 minutes, and despite some knee trouble, I was able to cross the line with a few seconds to spare!

With that goal accomplished, I officially retired from road racing. From here on out, it's all LinksRun!  

The 3rd playing of the Speedgolf World Championships was an unforgettable one to say the least. As the Executive Director of Speedgolf International, and the acting championship coordinator, I introduced a team competition format, announced the first women's division championship, and invited a 9 year old to participate as a symbol of the future of this great sport.

The first day of competition brought hurricane force winds in excess of 60 mph. Regardless of the fact that we could not count that as part of the World Championship, all 28 pros completed their rounds, with only one score below 90. Epic times!

The revised one day championship was exciting to the finish, with 10 players having a legitimate chance to take the trophy. Here are two of them in a highlight video I filmed and produced. I finished in 9th place, shooting 6 over par with just 3 clubs (and no putter), in 48 minutes.

After planning and participating in Alaska's first ever Speedgolf event in Anchorage, I made the 3 hour drive down to Seward, Alaska.

Exit Glacier spills magnificently down off of the Harding Icefield, and it was a spot numerous locals had mentioned as having a great hiking trail up to the ice field. 

While I didn't have enough daylight to make it all the way, standing beside this enormous glacier, below grandiose mountains and miles-long waterfalls, with a breathtaking view of the river valley below, I was changed. I came off the mountain with a better understanding of my real place in the world. Truly humbling and awe-inspiring. I highly recommend it!

This was a memorable experience, because through it I learned the enormous power of preparation. I had learned a lot (mostly about what NOT to do) in my first race ever a few months before, the 2014 Austin Half Marathon. In the months leading up to the Green I spent a lot of time breaking down the race route, timing myself, pushing hard in the gym and on the track. 

Despite my intense efforts, I never broke 41 minutes in my training runs, so on race day I decided to relax, have fun, and film the whole experience on Google Glass. You can watch that video here and see the final result. Enjoy!

With top-10 finishes in my first couple of Speedgolf events earlier in the year, I was invited to participate in the 2nd annual world championship. After some overzealous overtraining that ended with a severe calf injury, I hired a track coach to teach me proper running technique. No doubt this had a huge impact on my result. 

In less than one year I had discovered Speedgolf, played in 2 professional events, started 3 city leagues, and become a top-5 world ranked Speedgolfer. Not only that, I was somehow featured front and center in Golf Magazine on the cover photo of a piece that was written about the world championship. Amazing what can happen in one year!