British golfer breaks world record with insane feat

As golf world records go, this one will certainly take a lot of beating.

Isaac Rowlands, an assistant PGA Professional at The Grove, in Hertfordshire, has spent the longest time playing golf.

The 25-year-old teed it up for 32 hours straight at Lofoten Links, in Norway, playing 182 holes as the sun doesn’t set over the area at this time of year.

The previous record, also set at the stunning venue in the Arctic Circle, was 31 hours, although Rowlands is waiting to receive official Guiness World Records confirmation.

As he covered 53 miles and walked almost 120,000 steps, he also raised a huge amount of money and awareness for MacMillan Cancer Support.

At the age of 19, Rowlands suffered a lymphoma scare himself and knew it was a cause people could get behind.

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“I was lucky enough to get it operated on and was given all clear within a year,” he told bunkered.co.uk.

“I know there are a lot of people in much worse situations than that unfortunately, but it did still open my eyes to the work that Macmillan can do and the support that they can offer.

“This is something that unfortunately affects most of us in some way, so I knew the challenge would be something that people could get behind and was close to a lot of people’s hearts.”

Rowlands flew out to Norway on Monday, May 26, ahead of the challenge getting underway the following day.

One year in the making, it involved jetting off to Oslo before catching a connecting flight to Harstad-Narvik, where he’d hit the road for three hours to Lofoten.

As well as starting months in advance, his preparation for the world record attempt was similarly gruelling.

“I did a 24-hour challenge in November at the Grove, where I’d play golf through the daylight and then just walk around the golf course through the night,” he explained.

“And then I did that again in April. I did 28 hours to see what kind of effect it would have on my body and on the mind as well.

“That gave me a bit more confidence but also a bit of a kick up the backside because it was so tough. I knew I had to boost my fitness preparations.”

The real thing, meanwhile, was an even greater test of physical and mental fortitude. Rowlands, who has played golf since the age of 11, was forced to dig deep at halfway.

Playing under the midnight sun was some consolation, though.

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“The venue is just incredible,” he said. “I think it was the best place that any of us had ever been to, just an absolute spectacle, really.

“That made it somewhat more comfortable, but hours 19 to 24 were mentally brutal.

“My body was hurting anyway, but the mental task of constantly playing, as well as becoming more and more sleep deprived, was tough.”

Another challenge was how much Rowlands, in the company of four close friends, could eat.

Fuelled by fruit and nut mixes, the Englishman tucked into sandwiches and protein bars, while ensuring he stayed hydrated.

And there were drinks flowing afterwards, too.

“Katie from Lofoten greeted me on my last hole with a can of Guinness, and that did not last very long,” Rowlands laughed.

“Then it was into some celebratory champagne later that evening as well.”

Rowlands wrapped up the marathon at around 5.35pm on Wednesday, May 28, and was delighted to see over £6,000 had been donated.

You can click here to donate to the fundraiser.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.