32 hours of golf! This world record attempt will take some beating

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Isaac Rowlands, an assistant pro at The Grove, will be chasing the midnight sun next year as part of a tough world record attempt

Isaac Rowlands is about to bring a new definition to the term ‘Longest Day’.

The assistant professional at The Grove is seeking a place in the Guinness Book of World Records and he’s chosen quite the endurance feat to achieve it.

He’s going for the world’s longest golf marathon, which will see him trek to Norway next year and take advantage of the midnight sun at Lofoten Links, in the mountains of the Arctic Circle and the world’s northernmost links course.

There, Rowlands will attempt to play for a bone-aching 32 consecutive hours as he raises money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

And you thought playing 100 holes was tough.

world record

Isaac’s world record feat: ‘I couldn’t wish for a more inspiring venue to do it’

Rowlands had a lymphoma scare at 19 and had two operations before receiving the all-clear. Now the 25-year-old, a former captain of the Cambridgeshire County Golf team, is hoping his challenge can raise awareness of the charity.

“Macmillan were so helpful, and all of the staff were really lovely,” he said. “A close friend has also just recently undergone a cancer operation and said the same thing, so I would want others in the same situation to continue to get this level of support.

“It will be quite the challenge to play for that long, but I couldn’t wish for a more inspiring venue to do it, and I’d like to thank the people at Lofoten Links for their support in making this happen.”

Rowlands joined The Grove as an intern in 2022, while taking the PGA course, before becoming part of the pro team last year. He has previously worked at The Machrie.

Joel Westwell, director of golf at The Grove, added: “We’re very proud at The Grove to be supporting Isaac, while many of us are envious of him playing in such an incredible venue!

“Although we love playing golf this is a seriously physical challenge, and we will be supporting him through training programmes to ensure he’s in the best shape possible. I would urge everyone to give generously for such an amazing cause.”

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About the author

Steve Carroll
Steve Carroll

A journalist for more than 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long.

A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A’s prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.

Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men’s Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.

A part of NCG’s Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He’d like to tell you he floats around 10. The reality is more like 13.

Steve plays at Sandburn Hall, in York, and is a country member at Close House in Newcastle. He has served on various club committees during his time in the game, and is the current Rules Secretary at Sandburn.

Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NCTJ exams at Darlington College of Technology. He began his career working on weekly papers in Newcastle, before joining the York Press in 2001. After five years as a news reporter, he joined the sports desk – specialising in horse racing and snooker – and was Digital Sports Editor when he joined National Club Golfer in 2016.

What’s in Steve’s bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Odyssey 2Ball Microhinge putter.

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