Sir Steve’s new world record came courtesy
of CHAS
 Stewart Newport and Chris Marais from the
Guinness Book of Records immediately confirmed it. They presented Sir Steve with the world record certificate, and on Friday it was his turn to hand over the goods — a cheque for
£73,500.
Paul Coffey, the mastermind behind the record attempt, is proud of this tee-rrific amount.
The 37-year-old freelance IT expert from Glasgow decided to set up the challenge last November after reading about the children of Rachel House in The Sunday Post. With three healthy children of his own, this was a cause that touched his heart.
He swung into action and invented a website that attracted worldwide attention —
www.worldrecordgolf.com
Paul meticulously planned the day.
June was chosen as a full day of light was, hopefully, guaranteed.
In February he approached the Sir Steve Redgrave Charitable Trust.
“I needed a well-known name to help promote the attempt. Publicity was the key,” he said.
Sir Steve has immersed himself in charity work since setting up the trust in 2001.
He said, “For me, being in Rachel House is up there with winning Olympic gold — it inspired me.”
Paul said, “I initially wanted to raise £30,000. Anything over this amount was a bonus.
“Everyone was right behind the challenge from the start.”
Money was raised from an entrance fee of £50 a head, sponsorship, merchandising and some spectacular donations, with one man giving £1800.
The day started, officially, at 3.30 am but Paul had been up since six the previous morning, organising groups and tee times. His children came along, with his youngest daughter Beth, then aged two, quite unfazed by the event.
Olympian
Paul said, “She’d heard me referring to ‘Big Steve’. Everyone else was saying, ‘Sir Steve, good to meet you’, and the usual talk. Beth went right up and was saying, ‘Are you Big Steve?’.”
Sir Steve, regarded as the greatest Olympian of all time, was already in the
Guinness Book of Records for winning consecutive gold medals over five Olympics starting in Los Angeles in 1984 up to Sydney 2000.
He joked, “I was wondering where my next world record was going to come from.”
On a busy day 292 golfers would play the Torrance course, so with almost double this number playing on June 8 there had to be certain stipulations. This was a task that required speed, not necessarily skill.
Sir Steve said, “Everyone was told they had to get round in under three hours.
“Strangely enough, most people found the time constraints improved their game. They simply had to get the ball in the hole and move on.”
Sir Steve started his game at 6.30 pm and took just over three hours. Paul, in the second last group, completed his round in two hours, 20 minutes.
Next year will see a three-day golfing event for CHAS.
Paul said, “I know everyone concerned, including Sir Steve, is planning to come back next year and break the record we set. It was a long, hard day but I can’t wait for it!” |
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Andrea Cail of Rachel House accepts the 
