Golf record swings £40,000 our way
By Colin Grant
THE SUN was barely visible on the horizon when Bill Lumsden approached the first tee at St Andrews Bay Hotel’s Torrance Course last Sunday.
 It was 3.30 am and Bill, from Glasgow, had the honour of hitting the first ball of a very special day in the history of golf.
Nineteen hours later, Sir Steve Redgrave walked off the 18th green having completed his round and a new world record was set.
Sir Steve was the 491st player to complete a round on the Torrance that day.
The achievement, the highest number of players completing a round of golf on a single course in a day, was immediately confirmed by Stewart Newport and Chris Marais from the
Guinness Book Of Records, who presented Sir Steve with the world record certificate.
Afterwards, Sir Steve, whose charitable trust backed the record attempt along with The Sunday Post, announced our campaign to raise funds for a new children’s hospice at Loch Lomond will benefit by at least
£40,000. The money, which is still coming in, was raised from entrance fees, sponsorship, merchandising and donations.
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Paul Coffey with his official “world record” certificate.
Sir Steve and his playing partner, Irish rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll watch young Louis Gaughan tee up a shot.
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Full of praise
One of the most important donations came from Gary Kay, owner of lakeballs.com. The company, who retrieve balls from golf course lakes around the UK, presented every golfer with six balls as they teed off.
Among those who took advantage of Gary’s generosity was Louis Gaughan from Livingston. The nine-year-old was the youngest golfer to take part in the record round.
Louis, a 23-handicapper from Deer Park Golf Club, finished the 18 holes in a highly-creditable 102 shots. He reckons taking part was good practice for another important forthcoming golfing event — the final of the Scottish under-10 championship.
Those who joined in — and they came from as far away as the USA and China — were full of praise for the smooth running of what was a very busy day.
Credit for that, and for most things connected to the world record, goes to one very special man — Paul Coffey.
The 37-year-old freelance computer expert from Glasgow decided to set up the challenge after reading about the children of Rachel House in The Sunday Post. He’d never been involved in any kind of event management before and, as well as planning every aspect down to the last detail, he also roped in 20 of his pals from around the UK to help out.
The fact he did so while still working full-time and maintaining his family responsibilities makes the feat even more remarkable. He said, “I know everyone concerned, including Sir Steve, are already planning to come back next year and break the record we set. And although it was a long, hard day I can’t wait for that!”
 West Calder Bowling Club are attempting to break a world record by playing a game of outdoor bowls for more than 48 hours. If you wish to sponsor them phone the club on 01506 871680. |
You can e-mail us at:
hospice@sundaypost.com
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