Many of us hate the idea of the alarm going off at some ridiculous hour in the morning.
Even in late spring and early summer, when the sun is not far from casting its early rays on a new day, the thought of getting out of bed at an ungodly hour is not an event that puts most of us in a good mood.
Like the sun early in the morning, your mood can start to brighten with the realisation that the reason you’re up so early is to go and play golf.
While the idea of playing golf can put a pep in your step, you then start to think about the fact that this is no ordinary golf day.
Today, you have committed to playing 72 holes of golf. Your first tee shot will be struck at 5 a.m. sharp, and your last putt could drop a gruelling 17 hours later.
Why are you subjecting yourself to this? Because you signed up to take part in The Big Golf Race, the marathon golf day supporting Prostate Cancer UK.
Nine By Nine Golf first got involved in The Big Golf Race last year, and we’ll share our experiences with you. We’ll also take a look at:
- What Is The Big Golf Race?
- We Made It! Nine By Nine Golf’s Experience Of The Big Golf Race
- How You Can Support Is As We Take On The 2025 Big Golf Race Challenge
- How Serious A Problem Is Prostate Cancer?
What Is The Big Golf Race?
The Big Golf Race was established in 2020 and has since grown to become the UK’s largest golf fundraising event. The event’s quickfire success means it’s also the biggest fundraising and awareness event for prostate cancer.
More than 14,000 golfers have helped raise an incredible £4.4 million in previous editions of The Big Golf Race. The 2025 edition has already raised £731,191 at the time of writing, with over 2,500 golfers from across the UK participating.
If 72 holes sound like too much, don’t worry - you can choose what you want to play.
You can opt for a 36-hole challenge known as a half-marathon. If you feel more energetic and want a bigger challenge, you can complete a marathon, which is 72 holes, and if you really want to throw caution to the wind, the ultra-marathon is opting to play 100 holes.
You can create a team page through The Big Golf Race’s website, where you can have friends or family join your team. You can create a funding target if you wish, and you can also create a story for your team explaining why you are participating in The Big Golf Race.
You can commit to your challenge at any time. Most golf courses are accommodating to players who have signed up for The Big Golf Race, but it’s always worth checking with your own club first if you are a member or checking the list of participating courses available from The Big Golf Race.
If you are playing at your home course, promotional material and details on how to donate are available for display with permission from the golf club in the clubhouse, locker room, or pro shop. This is an excellent way to raise more awareness among members and boost your team’s sponsorship.
Golf clubs can help you choose a day when it’s possible to host your challenge. There is no set date for The Big Golf Race, but most players will opt for late spring and early summer when daylight hours are at their longest, especially useful for attempting the 72-hole challenge.
We Made It! Nine By Nine Golf’s Experience Of The Big Golf Race
Nine By Nine Golf’s fitting studio has been a hectic place over the past 18 months, which means that none of the team gets much time to play golf.
However, when talk began about creating a Nine By Nine Golf team and participating in last year’s The Big Golf Race, the opportunity seemed too good to pass up.
We opted for the hardcore 72-hole marathon; surely we could handle that?
We approached Bognor Golf Club to ask if they could accommodate us and our challenge, and quickly agreed with them that June 16th would be our 72-hole date with destiny.
The Nine By Nine Golf team consisted of Mark, our lead fitter, Jordan, our head builder, and Fynn, who is our digital marketing executive. Our challenge began at 5:00 a.m. when the first shot was struck, with the final putt dropping just after 9:30 p.m., marking the end of our 72-hole challenge.
To say the day was long and gruelling was an understatement. Still, we had good weather throughout, and other golfers playing that day were wishing us well and asking about The Big Golf Race along the way.
We had a few side games to keep things entertaining, and at some point, Jordan decided to play a few holes using only a chipper. We can get Jordan’s input on the use of a chipper and what specifications were created for him to form a separate blog at a later date.
What you shoot doesn’t matter for The Big Golf Race; you can play seriously if you want or set up side games and separate challenges to keep things interesting if you wish, giving The Big Golf Race an added level of flexibility.
Achieving the feat of playing 72 holes in one day is something we're all proud of, but we’re even prouder of the fact that we hit our sponsorship target of £1,000, and we thank everybody who took the time to donate.
How You Can Support Is As We Take On The 2025 Big Golf Race Challenge
We’re looking forward to taking part in this year’s The Big Golf Race. Our challenge is scheduled for June 28th, and we’ll be spreading our 72-hole marathon across two courses. We'll be returning to Bognor Golf Club, but we'll also be playing some of the challenge at Goodwood Golf Club.
Mark, Jordan, and Fynn will be joined by Matt, our operations manager, for this year’s challenge. We have set ourselves a target of raising another £1,000.
If you would like to help us reach our target, you can donate to our team by clicking here. You can subscribe and follow our social media channels to stay up-to-date on our progress.
If you feel inspired and want to take part, create a team, and set a donation target, you can get more information on The Big Golf Race here.
How Serious A Problem Is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. In the UK, 50,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year, and one in eight men will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in their lifetime.
12,000 men each year sadly lose their battle with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer can be cured or controlled, allowing men to lead a normal life.
Men over the age of 50 are at higher risk of contracting prostate cancer, and the risk increases with age. Understanding the potential symptoms and self-checking is crucial in detecting the disease at the earliest opportunity, which vastly increases the chances of any treatment being successful.
If you need any information on what to look out for, click here.
The Big Golf Race forms a perfect blend of playing golf with friends and family while raising money to help more men win the battle with prostate cancer.
Even if you are not a golfer, making a small donation can make a massive difference in somebody’s life.