I’m going to play 100 holes in a day – and I need your help
This is my Everest. It isn’t a marathon, and it’s not scaling a mountain either, but – trust me – it is going to hurt.
On August 7, I’m going to play 100 holes of golf at my club, Sandburn Hall, in York, to raise money for Bloodwise.
I’ve never played more than 36 in a day in my life – and I couldn’t put one foot in front of the other the next day. Now, I’m going to try and nearly treble that.
With hunting for lost balls and tracing between tees, I’ll be walking upwards of 30 miles. I’ll be on my feet for 15 hours.
My legs are going to ache. My toes are going to blister.
I’m going to be racing the sun as I try to get round our 6,723-yard course five-and-a-half times before it sets.
I’m probably going to hit around 500 shots.
Some people – those who haven’t asked if I’m crazy for not going round in a buggy – have told me I’m ‘brave’ for taking on the challenge.
But let me tell you what brave is. Brave is finding out you’ve got an aggressive form of leukaemia, meeting the battle head on and refusing to wallow in your misfortune.
Brave is undergoing round after round of chemotherapy. Each more tortuous than the last. One of which very nearly kills you.
Brave is my mum.
So I’m asking for your help. It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s £1 or £100.
Your donations will serve as motivation – when I wonder in the coming weeks what on earth I’m letting myself in for.
When I’m trying to resist as my shoulders creak, my hands hurt and every fibre of my being tells me to quit.
When I’m baked in the sunlight, or drowning in the drizzle, and the sanctuary of the clubhouse bar seems so inviting.
That’s when I’ll draw on your faith as I push myself to limits I’ve never tried to reach before.
More than 22 people every day are diagnosed in the UK with leukaemia.
But Bloodwise have 13 clinical trials looking into better treatments and are currently funding 109 research projects.
Let’s help them beat blood cancer together.
I’m hoping you’ll join me in the coming weeks as I document this challenge and my progress.
But I’m also hoping you might consider sponsoring me and helping me climb my personal mountain.
You can donate at my Just Giving page and keep in touch via Twitter, @SteveCarrollNCG, or using the hashtag #100holesinaday
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 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 currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
