Brian Fitzpatrick was stiff and sore on Sunday afternoon after playing 115 holes of golf the previous day.
But it was all worth it, and he looks forward to doing it all again.
Fitzpatrick and his friend Kris Carley participated in the Longest Day of Golf fundraiser for Kidsport on Saturday at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course. They started at 4:30 a.m. and played right through until it was dark 17 hours later, despite some occasional adverse weather conditions during the day.
“Fighting that wind all day was especially draining,” said Fitzpatrick.
The 115 holes was equivalent to a little more than six 18-hole rounds.
“I didn’t know how well we would be doing, but we got out there really early, and the first 36 holes we were done in four hours. So I knew if we kept up any kind of pace at all, we would definitely get to our 100-hole goal,” said Fitzpatrick.
“It was a little slower in the afternoon because there were people out on the course, but everybody was really good about letting us (play) through, and we played a few holes with a few different people. We tried to keep up a good pace all day.”
Intermittent showers during the day caused some brief interruptions, but it didn’t cause a prolonged delay. When it started to rain heavier, they were fortunate in that they were usually close to the clubhouse, so they took a brief rain break and allowed the rain to pass.
A heavy rain occurred late in the afternoon, so they sought shelter under some trees.
Having a good friend in Carley out there with him certainly helped with the experience.
They talked all day and listened to music, and Fitzpatrick doesn’t know if he could have done it by himself.
People on the course were very cordial, talking to them about how the day was going.
Once the Longest Day of Golf was finished, the twosome was very sore. Even after supper, Fitzpatrick said he could barely lift a golf club.
When he woke up on Sunday morning, it was difficult to get out of bed.
“The stiffness was everywhere: my arms, my shoulders, my back, my hips, my knees. My feet are sore. It was everything.”
He didn’t expect he would be that sore, and he expects it will be a few days before he’s out on the golf course again.
But it was worth it, and he looks forward to doing it again next year.
Fitzpatrick doesn’t have an exact figure for how much money he raised, as he is trying to tabulate what he received from those who donated on a per hole basis.
He expects it will be around $4,200, which is more than double his initial goal of $1,500.
“I was really pleasantly surprised how much more than the goal we were able to get,” said Fitzpatrick.
His GoFundMe page at https://ca.gofundme.com/715xllk will remain online through June 26.
