BEN EOIN, N.S. — If golf is a sport typically played at a relaxed pace, it will be anything but when Wes Stanford and Thomas Xidos tee off together at The Lakes Resort in Ben Eoin, N.S., in a little more than a month.
"On June 21, Thomas and I are going to be playing from dawn till dusk," said Stanford, head professional at The Lakes Resort.
"It's very difficult, from everything that I've seen, but once again we're going to push forward and try to get through as many holes as possible,” said Xidos, current club champion.
Even with fifteen-plus hours of daylight, there won't be a moment to spare. The current Guinness World Record for most holes in a day by a twosome with carts is 290, which was set in the United Kingdom in 2016.
"Our course is a little longer than where the record was set, so if we can maintain a pace of four or five minutes per hole we'll give it a run,” said Stanford.
The day is also a fundraiser for a good cause with all proceeds going to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation and their goal to build a new cancer centre.
Xidos started a job at the hospital foundation just a few months ago.
"He's got a lot of people who are behind him and who are supporting him,” said Caitlyn MacDonald, the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation’s manager of philanthropy. “We are very proud to have him on the team, and this just goes to show that he's a natural fundraiser."
When the day of the record attempt comes, the two will be playing what amounts to 'speed golf ’.
"We won't be lining up putts,” said Stanford. "Kind of get out of the cart, hit, back in the cart and then get the ball in the hole as quickly as possible."
"Oh, we're going to be exhausted. Like, I'm pretty sure we're going to have to have ice baths afterwards,” said Xidos.
The pair adds that weather may also play a factor when they attempt to golf their way into the record book, and tee-off for a good cause, 291 times over.
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