Golf is a sport of tremendous possibility. Almost anything can happen out on a golf course or at a golf facility. The following may or may not have happened in the past – 1: A man in Hertfordshire once completed a round of golf wearing a suit of armour, 2: A tournament in Switzerland was delayed when a ruling was required after a player’s ball became lodged in the end of a nine-foot alpine horn, 3: Tony Lema once fell off a cliff at the Bing Crosby pro-am… I
f you’re interested, those tales are – true, possibly true and true. But hopefully you get the picture that some incredible things can happen in golf. As another clear indication of that fact, there are no fewer than 1,163 golf or golf-related records recognised by Guinness World Records. Although some of them are a touch frivolous, the majority demonstrate exceptional achievements and performances. Here are five of our favourites from the extensive list…
Most Appearances On The PGA Tour – 803 By Mark Brooks
You might expect this record to belong to one of the all-time greats, a Sam Snead or Jack Nicklaus perhaps. But no, it’s actually 1996 PGA champion Mark Brooks. He played his first PGA Tour event in May 1983 and his last one some 35 years later in January 2018. That’s an average of 23 tournaments a year for 35 years. Brooks won seven times on the PGA Tour.
The top-10 list of players with the most appearances on the PGA Tour contains more surprises. Arnold Palmer is in there at number 8 but there are also lesser-known players like Billy Mayfair at number 6 and Dave Eichelberger at number 4.
Fastest Round Of Golf In A Fourball – 48 mins 56 secs
The scourge of slow play is one of the most talked about issues in golf and the length of a round is often cited as one of the more off-putting elements of our sport for potential new starters. But it needn’t take 5 hours…
"A fourball consisting of Matthew Dalton, Steven Holloway, Landyn Edwards and Michael Ryan (all New Zealand) completed 18 holes in 48 min 56 sec at Rotorua Golf Club, Rotorua, New Zealand, on 12 November 2017. The record was attempted as a fundraiser."
Oldest Player To Make The Cut on the PGA Tour – Jay Haas (68)
Golf is a game that can be enjoyed through the generations and players can continue to excel as they grow older. There have been some great performances by seniors in top-level events over the years and Jay Haas can lay claim to one of them:
“The oldest player to make the cut on the PGA Tour is Jay Haas (USA, b. 2 December 1953), aged 68 years 141 days at the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans in Louisiana, USA, on 22 April 2022. Haas made the cut paired with his son Bill.”
Haas also holds the record for the most cuts made on the PGA Tour – 592 between 1976 and 2022. That’s a 46-year spell between first and last!
Longest Throw of A Golf Club – 77.19m
We all know how frustrating golf can be and golfers do occasionally lose their temper. It’s never something we would encourage but there have been instances of the odd club throw over the years. Of course, you’ve never done it, but you probably know someone who has. You can let your angry “friend” know that it’s not terribly impressive when they hurl their wedge because:
“The longest throw of a golf club is 77.19 m (253 ft 3 in), and was achieved by Tyler Toney (USA) on the set of Dude Perfect in Frisco, Texas, USA, on 12 June 2023. The attempt took place on the PGA Frisco golf course.” The record book doesn’t say what club he used.
Most Consecutive Holes Of Professional Golf Without A Bogey – 114 by Ko Jin-Young
This is an exceptional record, to avoid a bogey for the equivalent of over six rounds is mind-blowing for the average golfer but that’s what the South Korean managed back in 2019. The record entry reads:
“The most consecutive holes of professional golf without a bogey is 114, achieved by Ko Jin-Young (South Korea) on 3–29 August 2019.
Ko Jin-Young’s historic streak began at the third hole of her third round of the AIG Women’s British Open and came to an end at the ninth hole of her first round at the Cambia Portland Classic, where she missed a three-foot putt for par. She went 41 under par over this period, which included 34 holes of major golf. Along the way Ko Jin-Young topped Tiger Woods’ record of 110 holes, which he had set in 2000.”
