Home | Progress Reports | Photos | Press Coverage | Sponsors | The Course | Scorecard | Mongolia/Links | Contact
The Man Who Crossed the Steppes of Mongolia Golfing
18 holes
2,322,000 yards
par 11,880!
[A photo of] a man swinging his golf club, with nomadic yurts on the background. If fact the man is Andre Tolme, an American who achieved the amazing deed of crossing the Mongolian steppes golfing.
Mr. Tolme divided Mongolia into 18 holes, with a total length of 2,123 kilometers (2,322,000 yards) - the par being 11,880. There is no question that this is the largest golf course in the world. Mr. Tolme walked the infinite grasslands from end to end in 90 days, going 290 over par with his 2,170 shots.
Lodging was in a tent by the roadside. Mr. Tolme comments on some hardships while on the road: "It was tough to get to sleep while wolves kept howling in the distance". However, he seems very happy with the human acquaintances he made.
"In the middle of playing, I was invited to people's homes and enjoyed, among others, such Mongolian delicacies as mutton and ram soup."
On this round of golf, the caddy was Mr. Katanbaatoru but his job consisted mostly of driving a four-wheel drive vehicle and acting as a guide. As each hole was designed to end at a new town, there was no need for precision putting on the green.
A 3-iron was used all the way, while 510 balls were needed to complete the round. 509 is without question the world record of lost balls on one round of golf. The question arises why did Mr. Tolme take up this challenge?
"I wanted to introduce Mongolia to ever more people, and also as a pioneer, send a message about the pleasures of extreme golf."
Mr. Tolme continued: "This round was a bit long, so I'm a little tired", but he intends to keep on adventure-golfing. Mr. Tolme is a world class golfer indeed!
- translation by Juho Rissanen
Home | Progress Reports | Photos | Press Coverage | Sponsors | The Course | Scorecard | Mongolia/Links | Contact