After 182 holes, 53 miles on foot, 35 lost balls and 8,000 calories burned, 25-year-old Isaac Rowlands has broken the Guinness World Record for the World’s Longest Golf Marathon which he played in the Arctic Circle’s midnight sun – raising more than £5,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support in the process.
Battling four hours of heavy rain at the start and playing non-stop for 32 hours, the Assistant PGA Professional from The Grove in Hertfordshire completed his extraordinary feat to beat the previous record of just under 31 hours at Lofoten Links in Norway, the world’s most northerly links course, where the previous record was also set in 2022.
The challenge was inspired by Isaac’s own brush with cancer as a teenager, and the physical and emotional effort poured into the campaign is set to give him international recognition with a place in the record books.
The 25-year-old Cambridge native and former captain of the Cambridgeshire County Golf team joined The Grove back in 2022, before taking his PGA studies and joining the pro team in October 2023.
After completing the successful record attempt, Isaac said: “It was both exhausting and exhilarating. Playing a course as incredible as Lofoten Links was a true privilege, and being able to contribute to such an important cause made the experience even more rewarding.
“I had a Lymphoma scare when I was 19, for which I had many tests and two operations until I was given the all-clear. Throughout the whole process, Macmillan provided unwavering support. I would want others in the same situation to continue to get this level of support when going through such a difficult time.”
“I have seen for myself the amazing work Macmillan does for people, and I want to raise awareness of their care and dedication. Thank you to my friends and colleagues at The Grove and Lofoten Links for helping me make this happen, it’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Support from back home helped him through months and months of training and preparation. Joel Westwell, Director of Golf at The Grove, said: “We were very proud at The Grove to support Isaac, while many of us were envious of him playing in such an incredible golf course. Although millions of us love playing golf, this was a seriously physical challenge, and we have supported him in every way we could to ensure a successful world record attempt. I would urge everyone to give generously for such an amazing cause.”
Donations are still welcome on Isaac’s dedicated Just Giving page.