‘I broke the world record for most golf courses played in one year. Here’s how I did it.’

In October 2023, Patrick Koenig played his 450th golf course of the year to break the previous world record by one. 

Having quit his job in sales to become a photographer in 2018, Koenig bought a mobile home and turned it into an ‘RGV’ – that’s Recreational Golf Vehicle, obviously – before embarking on a journey that would see him play 450 golf courses across 48 states and raise more than $20,000 for children’s charity The First Tee.

For bunkered’s 207 issue, we caught up with Patrick during his manic journey , where he eventually played on 580 golf courses – a record he hopes will never be beaten…

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Well, let’s start with the obvious question. Why did you want to do this?

It irked me that I didn’t have the world record. Golf Gamebook, who is now my sponsor, came to me and said, ‘Ever think about doing that again?’ I said, ‘Yeah!’ So I told them my business plan. Jonathan and Cathie Weaver had the record of 449 different 18-hole courses played in 365 days for 13 years. It is mine now. 

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What does a typical day look like during your travels?

Well, I’ll walk you through yesterday. I woke up in a Walmart parking lot, drove 10 minutes to the golf course, flew the drone, played 18 holes, and got a breakfast sandwich. Then I went to another course and played 18 more holes. People donated, we raised $150 for The First Tee, got some great sunset photos and then drove to the next course! We tried to park in a Costco, got told to move and then did some laundry in a sketchy neighbourhood and went to sleep. That’s pretty much how it goes! Then we get up and do it again.  

Have you had any breaks? 

Only for the Tiger Woods Invitational [at Pebble Beach from October 7-12]. I got to hang with the Big Cat a little bit and photograph him. I’ll have played 359 days [by the end of] this year, with six days off for Tiger.

What do your family think?

You’ve got to give a shoutout to my girlfriend, Rachel. The greatest golf girlfriend in the entire world. Most dudes are like, ‘Can I get away for a weekend?’ and they’re stressing on it. I’m doing a whole year and she brings me cakes with the number of courses I’ve played.

Has it made you love golf more or hate it?

I love it more. You appreciate people that play it, how good it can really be. This tour brings out the best in people. The generosity above all else because everyone is so excited to be a part of it. How can you not love golf and people that play it when you see people support you and make donations to kids? It’s such an awesome thing.

Has it been stressful?

I got pissed once and punched a golf cart. I was stressed about the schedule, which was getting messed up. I hurt my knuckle and it hurt to swing the rest of the round. That was dumb. You learn about yourself and own your mistakes. 

How have you been able to afford it?

The first time I did it, I just burned through my entire savings. That year was financially not good, but it paved the way for this. The challenge was to build a following. Nobody’s going to want to jump in with somebody who can do the job but nobody pays attention to it. Golf Gamebook wouldn’t have come in had they not seen me do it the first time. The RV cost about $160,000, and that thing broke down six ways from Sunday in the beginning. People loved watching me struggle with that – that’s the interest, when s*** goes wrong. 

And the golf?

I did this for about $100,000 – and I’ve probably received $60-70,000 in free tee times. That’s unreal. I’ve been blown away by courses who have reached out and set us up.

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And has your game got better or worse?

My short game has got better. I’m not necessarily that much better score-wise. I’ve been hovering around a 2 and 0 handicap the whole time. Concentration is what I lack. I’m obviously a little distracted with other parts of the challenge and not able to fully commit. Even just playing so much golf sometimes you just forget what you’re doing and swing and realise you should be paying attention. That’s when the scores struggle. You need a high level of concentration to break par and I don’t always have that.  

What one thing are people always asking about?

A question I get a lot is, ‘Do you ever get bored of golf?’ The answer’s always no because of the people. They bring the energy if I don’t have it and I feed off that. And you see a new golf course. It’s not hard for me to get excited about playing golf. I feel lucky. Some days you want to sleep more because you’ve had four hours and just drove all night, but you always get up. Sunrise is where the photos are at! 

Are you worried about anyone coming after your record?

Most people would not be able to do it at this pace, they’d fold. I’d love to see somebody try to break it. It’s not an easy record to have the resources and time to attempt to break, but somebody out there probably will. I’d love to see them go for it. 

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Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.