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Here's what's happening in speedgolf this week.

💶 European Speedgolf Open Preview

The inaugural European Speedgolf Open 2025 hits Espoo Ringside Golf next Thursday/Friday, uniting the continent of Europe against their once-beloved compatriot Rob Hogan, who is skipping this event to host an Indoor Speedgolf Spectacle at the TGL arena in Florida.

Espoo Ringside (par 73) isn't a hill beast workout like the 700 Club or GlenOaks CC, but the layout is tricky. Lots of bunkers, and those annoying skinny greens -- the ones where a safe drive leaves you perpendicular to the green. Speedgolf Finland helpfully published a hilariously informative YouTube playlist, where every hole is accompanied by an AI-generated rap describing it.

The format is standard 36 hole strokes + minutes (which, to be clear, I do NOT hate. I just think we need to branch out sometimes.). Thursday tee times are AM, Friday tee times are PM -- and that little extra recovery will benefit everyone not named Luke Willett or Ville Heinonen.

One quirk I appreciate: the Men and Senior Men will all play the same course setup, which means guys 50+ don't have to declare a division and can compete for both the overall title and age group title.

Who's the Fittest Finn? One thing I'll be watching is the Finnish men's field. These guys are all great speedgolfers, but nobody is head-and-shoulders above the rest. Lauri Alakuijala might be the best all-around speedgolfer, and I hear he's peaking at the right time. Ville is the fastest, and made the finals in Ireland. Pertti Palosuo is probably the best pure golfer. Tournament organizer Henrik Honkalehto says he's taken his foot off the gas this year, but you never know. And as I write this, I realize I'm guilty of age discrimination, because...

You can't forget about the Seniors. Reigning Senior World Champion Marko Kuningas will be playing along with 2018 overall World Champion Mikko Rantanen. Marko can go fast. Mikko can go low. Those two Finns will tee it up against Swedes Joakim Wikland who just turned 50, and Mikael Palmberg, who would dearly love to take the Senior title because he has a little bit of ego tied up in his son's performance (more on that later). There's one more senior speedgolfer who might be a contender, but I'm putting him in a new section I'm calling...

Elite athletes cross the chasm. Let's be honest. We all have a love/hate relationship with new people taking up speedgolf. Of course, we all want to grow the game. But I know I'm not the only one who gets a little nervous when they see someone with superior genetics attempting this sport. Jari Isometsä is a former Olympic medalist in XC skiing. The European Open will be his first speedgolf event, and -- depending what happens early next week -- could shatter the Palmbergs' dynastic dreams. His son Eetu Isometsä is also slated to compete, but will withdraw if he qualifies for the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge on the DP World Tour’s Road-to-Mallorca slate. Like I said, superior genetics.

Crossing the chromosomal chasm for a moment, let's talk about the...

European Women's title contenders. 2022 Women's World Champion Milla Hallanoro takes on the French Phenom Emily Mollard for the Women's title. Will Milla's home country advantage be enough? Or will Emily, who beat Milla by 12 at the World Championships, prevail again?

And on the subject of title contenders...

Who will take the Men's title? At first glance, Luke Willett has to be the favorite. He's #3 in the newly-published World Rankings (more on that below). But I'd be negligent if I didn't at least float a few other names out there. Carl Palmberg won the Swedish Speedgolf Championships, shooting a 71 (-1) in 41 minutes, setting a national record in the process. Will Major beat Luke at Sunningdale Heath (Luke's home course) at the British Champs last year. And Olivier Guisset from Belgium is coming on strong in his first year of speedgolf competition. The Finns I mentioned above could all reach the podium, and everyone should be afraid of Eetu if he plays.

Keep an eye on Speedgolf Finland's Instagram for more.

🌐 ISGA Refreshes Speedgolf World Rankings After Only 6 Years

For the first time since Donald Trump was president the first time, the ISGA has published a new set of Speedgolf World Rankings!

First, it's great to see this published. Much credit to World #1 Robin Smith, who compiled the results and did the math to produce these rankings. He does this stuff for free, just for the joy of the work. He has no ulterior motive!

A few quick observations:

Let's talk Ladies. I was happy to see the ISGA elevate women in our sport at Worlds. Adding a Senior Women's division was a step in the right direction. Elite women getting 1/2 the prize money of the elite men... not the best. But still, speedgolf is inclusive. So, like many of you, I asked "where are the women's rankings???"

According to ISGA President Scott Dawley, “this is a first step toward a more robust, repeatable world rankings system. In the future, we anticipate publishing world ranks for Men, Women, Senior Men, Senior Women, and Junior Speedgolfers”.

While I'd be happier if I saw elite women getting their due, let's not make perfect the enemy of good.

Who got snubbed? It's easy to nitpick from the sidelines, and that's exactly what I intend to do!

• I would bet on #7 Brad Hayward (5th at Worlds, 3rd at NZ Open) against three of the six golfers ahead of him.
• If I were #18 Tatsuya Shinmoto (8th at Worlds, Japanese Speedgolfer of the Year 2024), I would be filing a defamation lawsuit against anyone who ranks me outside the top 10.
• And to the unranked Luke Bone (7th at Worlds, Pairs World Champion), I say "play more speedgolf". But also, maybe the next world rankings should factor in pairs play.

💬 From the comments section

Last week's 🌶️ Speedgolf Hot Takes was our spiciest newsletter yet, and the comments did not disappoint.

💬 If you say "Olympics" 3 times in a row, IOC litigators will appear on your doorstep with a cease and desist

We all want speedgolf on the biggest stage someday—but until that day, we need to be smart about how we talk about it.

Here’s the story. Filip "SpeedStache" Beerens raised a red flag after seeing “Olympic” pop up in WhatsApp chats and this newsletter: “The term is trademarked, highly protected, and misusing it opens us up to serious legal risk… Let’s dream big, but keep it grounded and clean.”

After a quick back-and-forth with my good friend ChatGPT, I learned a few things:

Editorial ≠ Endorsement. Commentary about what speedgolf would look like if it were in the Olympics is generally fine. That’s descriptive, hypothetical speech—not branding or commerce.

Branding is the tripwire. Where people get burned is using “Olympic” as a name (event, series, product, hashtag, URL, merch) or pairing it with the iconic, super trademark-protected rings. That reads like an official tie-in and invites enforcement—no matter how small the project.

What we’ll steer clear of

• Calling any current format “Olympic ___,” even as a joke or placeholder.
• Event names, series titles, or merch that include “Olympic/Olympics,” or ring-style graphics.
• Hashtags like #OlympicSpeedgolf or sponsorship copy that implies affiliation.

What’s still fair game

• Op-eds and think pieces about what speedgolf could look like if it’s ever on the Olympic program.
• Phrases that keep it hypothetical and unaffiliated, e.g., “if speedgolf were added to the Olympics,” “an Olympics-style bracket,” or “on an Olympic-scale broadcast.”

Our house style going forward

• We’ll use “if speedgolf were in the Olympics” (or “if speedgolf is ever on the Olympic program”) instead of “Olympic speedgolf.”
• We’ll avoid headlines or section titles that read like branding (e.g., not “Olympic Speedgolf: …”).

Bottom line: our ambition stays intact. Being precise with language doesn’t dim the vision. It protects the runway so we can keep building the sport without legal distractions. we can keep dreaming—and writing—boldly about the future, while keeping our language tight and our ambitions unimpeachable.

💬 Don't forget about golf!

From Steve Vancil: I would be very disappointed if speedgolf heads in the direction of how fast you can play, and score is not really a factor. I believe speed golf is more impressive that people play good golf quickly (You shot 67 in 43 minutes?...that is amazing. You ran the course in 32 minutes playing golf? What did you shoot? Don't know or 120? huh - -who cares.) And the rest of my golf course membership feels the same way. Otherwise -- it is just running. I posed this question on our membership blast and I have been overwhelmed with the response -- playing good golf fast with few clubs is so cool. They have no interest in watching people just run the golf course fast.

• My take: Completely agree. Any system that only recognizes speed will devolve into field hockey on a golf course, and nobody wants to watch (or play) that!

💬 Prize money is overrated

Thanks to Jim Davis for agreeing with me about the highest and best use of tournament prize money: Any of us that can afford to play speedgolf probably won't have our lives changed by our potential winnings. I'd value a sweet belt buckle (or a statue of a cougar) over any money I'll ever win in sport.

💬 Three clubs isn't enough

From [Anonymous]: Anyone carrying less than 4 clubs is sacrificing strokes out there. Everyone needs a long hitting club (driver, 3-wood, hybrid, long iron, whatever), everyone needs something they can get loft with to make it over a bunker or tree or to a short-sided pin, everyone needs something between the lofted club and the long club (6, 7, 8, or 9 iron), and if you think you aren't losing strokes by not carrying a putter you are just wrong. IMO 4 clubs is the minimum, anything less and you are simply being ok with a higher golf score.

This week in speedgolf merch

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Upcoming Events

• August 11, Rob Hogan somehow has the TGL Stadium in Florida and is putting on an indoor speedgolf showcase!
• August 14 – 15, Espoo’s Ringside GC hosts the inaugural European Speedgolf Open — 60-player, 36-hole continental showdown.
• August 31, Brussels’ Belgian Speedgolf Championship debuts 18 holes at city-park Drohme GC — national bragging rights on the line. info​
• Also on August 31, Stockholm’s Speedgolf-SM Foursome at Kyssinge GK pairs teammates for relay-style 18-hole blitz. entry​
• September 7, Sunningdale Heath’s pocket-sized heathland hosts the British Speedgolf Championship — tight fairways reward fearless tempo. info​
• September 8, the Speedgolf Hokkaido Open at Golf5 Country Bibai launches Japan’s northern circuit with a sunrise shotgun. tickets​
• September 12, riverside Aura Speedgolf in Turku offers scenic wooden bridges and a raucous clubhouse finish. info​
• September 14, the Oregon Speedgolf Open at Arrowhead GC lets players choose 9 or 18 rapid-fire holes among fir trees. register​
• September 24, Helsinki’s Master Speedgolf returns to rolling Master Golf — hilly 8 km loop and slick greens. info​
• September 27, Antwerp’s Ternesse Speedgolf on Tour finale races tree-lined parkland for season points. details​
• September 28, lakeside Lidköping Speedgolf Open closes Sweden’s season with Kinnekulle bluff vistas and Vänern shoreline. info​

That's all, folks!

Please consider sending this newsletter to a speedgolf-curious friend, relative, or colleague.

Until next time, keep it in the short grass.

Adam

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Adam Lorton

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