A group of young golfers are about to go the extra mile for charity… well, 874 miles in fact.
Next Saturday (February 3), the golf team at the University of St Andrews will attempt to drive the length of the UK – 874 miles – in just 12 hours.
To break that down into golf talk, it’s A LOT of yards. To be precise, the total yardage is 1,538,240. It can’t be possible, can it? Well, the team believes so – and this is how they’re going to do it.
With the help of the team’s partners at St Andrews Indoor Golf Centre, which has three bays loaded with a Trackman and Skytrack system, there will be two members in each bay for an hour, rotating after every drive.
The team have worked out they’ll need to hit 6,153 drives of a length of 250 yards or more to reach the target within 12 hours, which is no mean feat, meaning they’ll have to hit three drives per minute.
After an hour, another two team members come in and the rotation continues. It’s certainly a big ask, but team member Charlie Slater told bunkered.co.uk that the charitable aspect of the challenge – where they are hoping to raise £5,000 – will keep them going.
“As a student body we felt it would be a great opportunity to give up some of our time in organising a challenging and stimulating event for two worthwhile causes,” he explained.
“One in eight men will get Prostate Cancer and many of our members have friends and relatives that have been affected by this terrible illness. Being able to raise money to help research cures, improve diagnosis and boost their support network is something that we all feel passionate about.
“Our second charity, Scottish Disabled Golf and Curling, look to help those with disabilities break into golf and provide support, lessons and opportunities to assist.
“We are all exceptionally keen golfers and it's a brilliant chance to be able to raise money to provide more support for people of all ages and abilities to get into the sport and not be restricted by their disabilities.
“Our vice-captain and some other members have personal connections to disabled golf and so can see what incredible work these charities do.”
To keep track of the team’s progress on the day, follow @Saints_Golf on Twitter. To donate to the team’s efforts, click here.