Cancer is something that touches almost every life at some point and in an effort to raise awareness and much-needed funding, Ronan Daly took on the 100-Hole Challenge at Powerscourt.
U.S. Open Qualifying is dubbed golf’s longest day, but in between the 36-hole Monday marathon that determined the final lineup and the USGA’s showpiece event at Oakmont, Wicklow native Ronan Daly had his own version of golf’s longest day, and it dwarfed that of any of the U.S. Open qualifiers.
That’s because Daly took on a 100-hole challenge at Powerscourt’s East Course, in aid of the Irish Cancer Society, coinciding with the Captains’ Charity Day at the Enniskerry club.
“I lived in the UK for eight years, and Macmillan Cancer Support run events, usually on the summer solstice, where people play either 72 holes or 100 holes in aid of the charity and I always thought it was a novel idea and something that I’d like to do,” the 35-year-old who grew up in Enniskerry, explained.
“Then last year I had a family member diagnosed with cancer, I lost another person very close to me and a close friend’s parent also died from cancer, and you can feel a little powerless in those situations, so I thought about what I could do and the 100-hole challenge idea came back to me so I decided to look into doing it for the Irish Cancer Society.
“I proposed it to Gavin [Hunt], the General Manager at Powesrcourt, and I thought I’d probably do it on some random Friday in June, playing through groups and being a general nuisance to other members, but not really make a big deal about it. Then both captains came to me – they’ve both had cancer touch their lives too, as it has most – and they said that they were going to make the Irish Cancer Society the main beneficiary of the Captains’ Charity Day and asked if I’d be interested in doing it on that day, and that really changed the whole profile of what I was doing and it really snowballed.”
As those familiar with the layout will be aware, Powerscourt is no simple walk. Set in the mountainous terrain of the northern border between the Garden County and the Capital, it may be picturesque, but it’s hilly, and it’s long.
And Daly was going to attempt to play five-and-a-half rounds, plus one hole, walking every step.
Having initially planned to get underway shortly after 4am, heavy cloud cover meant it was still pitch black and it was 4:45 by the time he hit his opening tee shot. His intent was to get three rounds in before the other competitors in the Captains’ Charity event began their shotgun start at 9:30. And he did, covering the first 54 holes, virtually non-stop, in under six hours.
Having initially toyed with the idea of having various players join him for a section of a round or an entire 18 holes, that idea was shelved when he knew he’d be on a tighter time schedule and then asking to play through groups, so it was just himself and a buggy driver who ferried his clubs, with friends and family members joining to walk alongside at various stages.
“That’s probably the main reason why I’m struggling to walk today,” he said of the early-morning race against the clock a few days later. I ended up getting through those early rounds much quicker than I’d initially planned.
“I took a break for just over an hour after that round, then played another and had another break for about an hour after that. I’d anticipated playing much slower when I was coming up behind groups in the shotgun start, but they were all waving me straight through so again, I ended up playing those rounds quicker than I expected.
“I played another 27 holes after that and because you’ve one more hole to play after that, Damian [Murtagh], the Captain, had asked me to wait until the 2:30 shotgun start groups had all finished and play the ninth as my final hole and they’d all be waiting on the balcony that overlooks the green to welcome me in.
“That was really cool, and I had several family members come and walk the final hole with me, but I had to wait another 30 minutes or so for them to all get in before going back out to play the final hole. So, overall, I started at 4:45 and finished up about 7:10, so that was about 14-and-a-half hours, start to finish.”
So, what did the 5-handicapper shoot for 100 holes?
“Well, I set myself a target of 450, but I made the mistake of having a couple of pints during that half-hour break before the final hole and went out and had an awful ‘seven’ on the 100th hole. I didn’t think I’d reach the target, but that seven took me to 451. For anybody that was watching, that’s why I was so angry with myself walking off that final green.”
Unsurprisingly, after 70,000 steps and 48 kilometres – he must have a long stride – the celebrations didn’t last long into the night.
“Damian had asked me if I would say a few words after the dinner, so I didn’t have any drinks before that as I was more mentally exhausted than anything, but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to thank everyone there for all their support,” he explained.
“So, when I sat down again afterwards, I think my appetite for anything other than bed had all but vanished. That’s when it really hit me how exhausted I was.”
Exhausted though he may have been, the success of Ryan’s efforts and the Captains’ Charity event can be seen in the money raised for the Irish Cancer Society which is at over €80,000 – with €40,000 alone coming through Ronan’s JustGiving page – and still rising.
And if you wish to add your donations, you can do so at the link below.
So, what advice does Daly have for anybody wishing to undertake a 100-hole challenge of their own?
“From a recovery point of view, pace yourself,” he advises. “I was a little worried about having to play through groups, but everybody knew what I was doing, and they were more than willing to support me, so you don’t necessarily need to rush too much.
“When you’re taking breaks, take a shower, change your clothes and especially change your shoes to avoid getting blisters. And above all, try to keep the ball in the fairway. That’s easier said than done, but it’ll cut down on steps and the time taken. My first round was about 20 minutes longer than any of the rest because I kept hitting provisionals and looking through the rough.”
To pledge your support for Ronan’s efforts, you can do so here.
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