New Zealand golfer plays 237 holes in 12 hours, sets Guinness record

How many holes of golf could you play in a day? On a good day, 36, right? That’s if the schedule is clear. If you finish double that amount at Bandon Dunes in a single day, they pay you $100. That’s how hard it is to complete a regulation PGA Tour event’s worth of golf in a day.

Have you tried playing as many as you can in a day? I have. Four years ago, I took part in the 100 Hole Hike, playing 100 holes of golf in a day. I began at right around 6 a.m. and wrapped up, blistered and hobbling barefoot, at 8:15 p.m. That was after playing the same par 3 33 times in a row, back and forth from the tee to the green.

So, imagine my surprise when a golfer from New Zealand finished 237 holes in a 12-hour stretch to set a new Guinness world record.

Brad Luiten accomplished the feat, according to TV NZ, with the marathoner beating the previously held record by 16 holes. Luiten, inspired by the death of a friend from bowel cancer, used only a 6-iron to play all of his holes. (I used a 4-iron for one round of the 100 Hole Hike; it was liberating.)

Altogether, Luiten scurried about 62 miles over the course of the day of golf. And haters say golf isn’t a sport.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.