Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the world’s longest golf hole

Four Golden golfers played the world’s most epic single hole, an amazing 20 miles from Parson to Golden, on September 29, 1984.

Roger Ross, Lil Dewar, Louie “Muzzi” Greco and Michael Ross set a world record when they played the hole down the middle of the highway between Parsons and Golden as a fundraiser for the fledgling Golden Golf Club.

“Four members played, 571 strokes were taken and there were 50-plus lost balls,” said Golden Golf Club head professional Graeme Kreiner. “It was pretty amazing.”

Each player—representing men’s, ladies’, junior and senior club members—made the ten-hour trek beginning in Parson, teeing off at 7:30 a.m. from the 16-inch piece of carpet they each carried.

“There was still frost in the grass and we played it as a one-ball foursome,” said Ross. “We took turns hitting the same ball, following the highway. The fence lines were the fairway sides and anything outside was in the rough."

They played over creeks and around sloughs, with an RCMP escort and a base station in a motorhome.The head professional from the Revelstoke golf course came to officiate and between 12 and 40 spectators watched as the day progressed.

A world record

“The weather was beautiful,” said Ross. “I think we only hit two cars. And about two kilometres from the finish line the Golden Light Horse Club came out and gave us an accompaniment to the finish line.”

The club had set up a a green made of artificial carpeting at the Golden Rodeo Grounds paddock.

“We played into that, chipped over the fence and putted out,” said Ross. “That night we had a dance at the Golden Civic Centre and when the RCMP came by to check things out they looked inside and just shook their heads. It was a lot of fun.”

The hole was without question a world record and the club sought recognition with the Guinness Book of World’s Records. The players recorded all of the necessarily information and proof, but in the end didn’t make the book.

“I don’t recall exactly why,” said Ross. “We’d done everything according to their specifications, but they didn’t accept it.”

But everyone in Golden knows the accomplishment that occurred that day.

“We still call it a world record,” said Kreiner.

Golden Golf Club has a commemorative display at the course and will celebrate the anniversary next spring.