Eric Byrnes Just Set a Record for Playing 420 Holes in 24 Hours

Golf seems to have two major issues that they have been attempting to address this season, the new rule changes and pace of play. And what one man just did shows that golf can definitely be played at a faster pace.

Eric Byrnes, a former major league baseball player, set out this week to break the record for most holes of golf played in 24 hours. In case you were wondering, the number that Byrnes had to beat was 402 holes.

Eric Byrnes of the Seattle Mariners bats and runs to first base from…

Eric Byrnes of the Seattle Mariners bats and runs to first base from the batter’s box during the game against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, April… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

To accomplish this goal Byrnes headed to the Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links in California and teed up at 7:00 a.m. sharp to begin his marathon.

Byrnes then began his sprint to finish holes as fast as possible, with some describing his style of play mimicking cricket more than actual golf. Regardless of his technique, Byrnes obliterated the world record by finishing his 402nd hole a little after 5 a.m. the next day. And just to pad his lead, Byrnes added an extra 18 holes before his 24 hours were up to bring his new world record to 420 holes.

Former Major League Baseball outfielder and MLB Network analyst Eric…

Former Major League Baseball outfielder and MLB Network analyst Eric Byrnes visits the MLB Fan Cave Tuesday, May 14 at Broadway and 4th Street in New York City. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

While the feat is amazing enough itself, the reason that Byrnes decided to tackle this record is just as inspirational.

Byrnes went on this trek to bring greater awareness to the “Let Them Play Foundation,” a group that Byrnes works closely with. The foundation provides opportunities for children to be more active outside and many of the group’s beneficiaries followed Byrnes on his record-breaking quest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Eric Byrnes (@ebyrnes22) on Apr 20, 2019 at 5:43pm PDT

Now for those who want to use this as an example for the PGA TOUR to do something about the pace of play, you should pump the brakes a bit. For one, most of Byrnes rounds were played at night so he didn’t have other players slowing him down. Also, since the goal was speed, not score, I’m sure Byrnes put up some big numbers on the scorecard. All that being said, it is important to point out that some final rounds take over 5 hours and Byrnes averaged an hour and a half per 18 holes.

So while this might not be the best example to show the need for pace of play changes it is still an amazing accomplishment for Byrnes. And hopefully, this will bring more attention to the Let Them Play Foundation so they can continue their great work.