This Week in Speedgolf | Mailbag #1 - This Week in Speedgolf

Howdy speedgolf family!

You're reading This Week in Speedgolf. It's extra special because you never know exactly when it's coming.

Here’s what’s happening in speedgolf this week.

Mailbag time!

I answer reader questions directly all the time, but some of them deserve a bigger stage. This is that stage.

These are real messages from real speedgolfers.

Q: When is Speedgolf USA going to announce the 2026 event schedule? - Chip in New Hampshire

I think they're waiting until I book a trip that conflicts with the US Open.

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Q: You said there are 200 NCAA D1 golfers who could run a 5-minute mile. Your speculation is way off. I’ll bet you there are between zero and two division one NCAA golfers who can break five minute mile. A D1 Golfer is less likely to excel than an average population on campus and there’s probably only a handful of kids on any campus who can break five minutes in a mile. I once had an epic showdown with my college roommate. he insisted he could run a five minute mile. I said no way. We’re talking 4:59 not 5:59, so we made a bet on the spot. a bunch of kids followed us to the running track. The bet was I would give him $10 for every second he was under five minutes and he would pay me a dollar for every second he was over five. He was a fit athletic kid. He did 6 mile recovery runs with us no problem so he cruises through 400 in 1:15 giving a big smile and a thumbs up to everyone I was like “oh crap I might be paying out!”

800 split 2:38. Then, as we’re all watching at 1000 m on the far side of the track all the sudden he collapses. We sprint over there fearing the worst and he’s just laying there saying “you were right you were right!” There might be 20 total D1 players who can run a six minute mile. - Brad in California

You know what, Brad? I hate to admit this, but you might be right. A five minute mile (3:06 / km) is very fast.

I was just reading about last year's NCAA basketball champions - Houston - who take cardio super seriously. Their team average was a 5:19 mile 😲 and their fastest player runs a 5:07.

I think we'd all agree the average college golfer runs a slower mile than the average college basketball player. I'll agree with you that the overlap between golfers and 5-minute milers is close to zero.

But what about 6-minute miles? (3:44 / km)

I played Division III golf (not the same talent level, but bear with me). Fully 50% of the golfers on my team played high school or college basketball. Most of them could beat me in an all-out mile because they were more genetically gifted athletes. From this (admittedly) small sample, I conclude: people who make it to high-level golf often have all-around athletic backgrounds and a LOT of basketball players take up golf.

Let's do some quick math.

About 300 NCAA D1 golf teams x 8 golfers = ~2,400 athletes
A 6 minute mile is fast, but not elite
As a lower bound, say 3% can do it = 72 athletes
As an upper bound, say 15% can do it = 360 athletes

You can drag me into pedantic math contests and -- as you can see -- I'll happily entertain them! But the broader point is: Team USA has a GIANT pool of untapped potential speedgolfers and I want to see ONE D1 golfer cross over in 2026.

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Q: I think I'm keen to try and find or create local speedgolfers with the aim of starting some community, but I've only ever run solo. I don't really know *how* to onboard new players beyond encouraging them to give it a go in their own time and hoping they are bold enough to jump in. I'm curious if people have managed to do this successfully and what strategies worked well for them?Also, the speedgolf world is still quite small, so it's hard to find "the closest speedgolfer to me". I'm in the southwest UK. It's clear there are some speedgolfers in the UK given the attendance of the British Open and Pairs, but how many? I have no idea! - Mike in Bristol, UK

Fantastic question, Mike.

I learned from the late, great Charlie Munger that you can invert your way to success. So, to begin with, here is how to make the worst speedgolf club possible.

Keep it secret. First rule of speedgolf clubs. You do NOT talk about your speedgolf club. Don't tell your spouse. Don't tell your friends. And for the love of Rob Hogan, do NOT talk about it on social media.

Rotate times and places. It should be easier to find the Loch Ness Monster than to predict when/where your club will be playing speedgolf. Don't play at the same golf course twice. Be sure to alternate mornings and evenings to stay unpredictable. Play during football matches or school dropoff times to make it even more certain nobody will attend.

Reinforce to newcomers that they WILL be judged. Make derisive comments about new players' equipment choices. Loudly predict that they will get caught on hole 3 by the senior citizens teeing off at sunrise. Insist that every player post their score publicly. No practice rounds!

Congratulations, you now play solo speedgolf like so many of us do!

Now, if you want to have a well-attended club, just do the opposite. Tell everyone about your club. Make sure the location, time, and price are easy to find. And be welcoming to everyone.

I started a speedgolf club in my town -- not a big town, by the way. Here's how I did it.

I decided "nobody will play speedgolf unless we have a predictable time and place"
I formed a club "TC Speedgolf" with myself as the only member
To add credibility, I put up a simple website (this part is optional -- a one-page PDF flyer would be more than enough)
I emailed all the golf courses around me using the script in the Speedgolf Starter Pack (page 3)
One course was obviously the best fit and we agreed to a standing tee time Friday mornings
Once I had my time, place, and price, I started promoting my new 'club' to anyone who would listen. I contacted local news, made social media posts, handed out flyers at kids' soccer games...
Somehow, two other guys came to the first Friday meetup. We played a 3-ball scramble together. I encouraged them to text a couple of friends
Before long, we had a 'club' with 5 regulars and maybe 20 peripheral members
This year, with some AI assistance, I'll be making a league website to manage a season-long points race!

Best of luck, Mike.

By the way, if any "local leaders" are reading and want to chime in (I know there are many who have more active clubs than mine!), please share your playbook.

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Q: I heard that if you lose your ball you can drop *anywhere* on the line of flight. Just curious about how often this rule is used to its maximum effect? In the case where a ball has gone long of the green (i got a flier, line was good, and I'm over the back, short sided and in the cabbage). Do players often just cut their losses (in terms of both strokes and time) and take a drop on the line of flight leaving medium length putt for par rather than trying to get up and down from a bad spot? This feels "off" to me - just because of how much it deviates from the rules of normal golf. Keen to know if you use this "trick" often, or you play like I have been doing, taking a drop as close as possible to the lost/unplayable ball. - Anonymous from Reddit

Thanks for the question, Anonymous.

Here's how you use 'line of flight'. If your ball lands in the water short of the green, you can drop anywhere on the line of flight. If you prefer a 70 yard wedge over a 40 yard wedge, there's nothing stopping you from dropping farther away (though that was illegal a few years ago).

But if you airmail the green, you can't just drop it on the green.

Here in the US, at least, we use USGA Local Rule E-5, which comes with a handy visual reference.

Your legal drop area is the trapezoid 'C', plus two club-lengths to the left or right. You may not drop closer to the hole than you believe your ball to be.

Now this is intuitive if your lost ball is short of the green, but what if the ball is behind the green? Allow me to illustrate.

This is no different from the previous scenario. You may move laterally from the lost ball's estimated location, no closer to the hole. That means you're realistically dropping to the side of the trouble. If the green is MASSIVE, I could see an edge case where you're dropping on the green. But in 99.7% of cases, that's not happening.

Thanks for the questions, everybody. Keep them coming!

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Upcoming Events

Jan 29, 2026: Sunrise Speedgolf at Morack Public Golf (Melbourne, AUS) — pre-work burners for busy humans; easy on-ramps for first-timers. tickets
Feb 1, 2026: Speedgolf Minami Tsukuba Open (9H) — twilight dash in Ibaraki; clean routing and fast flow reward fearless pacing. event page
Feb (date TBA), 2026: Wairarapa Speedgolf Open (Masterton/Carterton, NZ) — friendly two-course festival with “have-a-go” slots. updates
Feb 26, 2026: Tee30 Morning Speedgolf at Albert Park GC (Melbourne, AUS) — flat, fast circuit; chase negative splits before work. tickets
Mar 21–22, 2026: North Island Speedgolf Open at Waipū Golf Club (NZ) — linksy dunes + sea breeze = pure race-pace strategy. event page
Mar 26, 2026: Tee30 Morning Speedgolf at Oakleigh Golf Course (Melbourne, AUS) — dawn tune-up; 9 or 18 with crisp turnarounds. tickets
Apr 6, 2026: Wellington Speedgolf Open at The Morgans, Pāuatahanui (NZ) — rolling hills, quick greens, roaring views; all levels welcome. event info
Apr 10, 2026: Speedgolf Ibaraki Open (18H) at One Way Golf Club (Ibaraki, JPN) — legendary “through-round” venue built for momentum. event page
Apr 18–19, 2026: TORO New Zealand Speedgolf Open at Taupō GC — Centennial (NZ) — national title weekend on runnable parkland; PBs on tap. tournament page
Nov 3–6, 2026: Speedgolf World Championships at Whitford Park GC (Auckland, NZ) — the sport’s biggest stage returns to Aotearoa. announcement