‘I want the ground to shake’: World’s fastest golfer has exciting new dream

Luke Willett was barely done dripping in the Dubai heat before eyeing his next record-breaking dare.

The 39-year-old played nine holes at the Fire Course on Jumeirah Golf Estates in 20 minutes and 12 seconds, setting a new Guinness World Record in 34-degree sunshine.

He completed this epic round before the DP World Tour Championship after weeks of training with several layers on, acclimatising his sleep patterns and lowering his core temperature.

Touted as the world’s fastest golfer, Willett has shifted his focus to 2024 by aiming to break a record currently held by PGA and DP World Tour player Thomas Detry.

Willett wants to play a 500-yard par 5 in less than 89 seconds and break the record for fastest hole by an individual, but he wants to do it his way.

“I’m very excited about this,” he told NCG. “The music that bursts your eardrums in a stadium is mental (referring to an NFL fixture in the USA).

“It bursts out, bang bang bang. Then they have pyrotechnics, then they have all sorts of noise and flashing lights and all that sort of stuff.

“My dream, and I’m hoping to pull it off, is to take on the world’s fastest hole. It’s a good record, it’s a really strong record.

“I want to do it on a flat hole. I want to do it with crowds all around the hole, pyrotechnics, music. I want the whole lot. I want the ground to shake when it happens. So in terms of excitement, that’s my dream, that’s what I’m working on right now.

“I’ve got that dream and I’m going to make that happen. I’m going to bring that one home. It’s not by luck this stuff happens, it’s going to happen because I’m going to put in everything I can.

“I’m going to put the kitchen sink in and more. So that is what’s going to happen.

“It will be a Guinness World Record. I’m aiming to do it in 80 seconds. Imagine playing a par 5 that’s 500 yards, most people take 80 seconds to hit one shot. In that time, I’m going to play the entire hole.”

Luke was kindly invited by DP World to take on the challenge

The Luke Willett golf CV is quite something…

A PGA professional at Sunningdale Heath, Willett’s passion for golf comes from his love of the outdoors.

“I love the outdoors and I’ve always been a real outdoorsy type and when I’m away from running and golf and everything else, I’m outdoors with my kids climbing trees and stuff,” he added.

“Whilst I can, I want to be there living in the great outdoors and we have this great gift which is life. You’ve got to live it.”

Combining the sport he teaches and the endurance-based hobby he thrives at, Willett has quite the list of accolades to look back on:

• Completed the ‘Iron Golfer’ challenge – a three-mile swim in Wast Water by Scafell Pike, cycled Hardknott Pass and played 18 holes at Windermere Golf Club in one day
• Completed ‘Golfing Coast to Coast’ – cycling 130 miles from Silloth-on-Solway Golf Club in Cumbria to Goswick Golf Club by the North Sea
• Played all 14 Open Championship venues in 10 days while cycling between each one
• Completed rounds at Woking, West Hill and Worplesdon in under three hours
• Played 18 holes at Sunningdale Heath in 21 minutes (aiming to do it in 18 minutes in 2024)
• Played 18 holes at Woking Golf Club barefoot in 42 minutes and 84 shots

Each challenge has presented immense difficulty, but especially with his most recent exploits in the UAE, Willett believes he is a better golfer for it.

His other goal is to win the World Championship in speed golf next November in Japan, where his scoring will be as important as his speed.

“I don’t procrastinate anymore,” the man from Buckinghamshire said. “I don’t have that time when you stand over the ball and you’re aware of the match you’re in or whatever is on the hole in front of you.

“I purely see what it is that I want to do. That’s the beauty of the constraint of time. I see it, I hit it, I move on, and I repeat. Even if I hit a bad one, but everyone hits bad ones, and you learn quickly because you are so quickly on to your next shot.

“You can quickly right the wrong, so it’s an extremely positive and uplifting way of playing the game.

“I’ve done a lot of great stuff and arguably, it seems to be I’m creating a habit of stepping into the unknown. It’s a great place to live, it helps you see that nothing is impossible,” he added.

“Everything is possible, but you know, you’ve got to start by chucking yourself at it. In the early days, I would literally just say I’m going to do the three peaks, climb it with my golf clubs and play a golf course at the base of each mountain.

“I wouldn’t put too much thought into it, I’d do a bit of running before and that’s it. Now, my training is off the scale. I literally train like an Olympian.”

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