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This Week in Speedgolf » Dispatch

America's Open, Europe's Podium

Adam Lorton

Adam Lorton

Traverse City, MI · Issue №52 · Jul 31, 2026

Howdy speedgolf family! You’re reading This Week in Speedgolf.

The United States hosted the Open. Europe handled the podium. Call us what we are: generous hosts!

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

America’s Open, Europe’s podium

James Hardy holds the U.S. Speedgolf Open trophy between Will Robson and Carl Palmberg.

Photo credit: Farrah Paris

James Hardy won the 2026 U.S. Speedgolf Open in 233:33, leading a European sweep of the men’s podium at Temecula Creek Inn.

Hardy shot 78 in 40:59 on Saturday, then 73 in 41:34 on Sunday. Will Robson finished second at 239:58, with Carl Palmberg third at 244:23. Defending champion and world No. 1 Robin Smith placed fourth at 245:08. Nic Goodin, the top American, was fifth at 250:52.

👀 READ: Speedgolf USA’s stylish new press release

Hardy’s victory completes a convincing summer. He and Robson won the British Pairs Championship, Hardy won the French Open, and now he has added the U.S. Open.

Reader Bob Vietas wrote before the tournament to tell me that I had Hardy too low in my preview. His argument was simple: Hardy was getting faster every time he played.

Bob was right. As promised: all predictions wrong or your money back.

I spoke with Hardy for about 20 minutes this week. He told me that he leaves every event asking what could have been better. He called the U.S. Open top-class and could not give me a single improvement note. He must not have talked to the FlingGolfers! (Coming up.)

The U.S. Open's inflatable start-and-finish arch at Temecula Creek Inn.

Temecula Creek sits in a lush, heavily irrigated valley surrounded by Southern California’s natural color palette: tan, dustier tan, and maybe don’t touch that metal door handle.

The course played soft, and its receptive greens suited an older part of Hardy’s golf education. More than 20 years ago, he played college golf in Tennessee and Florida. Those softer American courses reward what he calls “target golf”: choose a number, fly the ball there, and expect it to stop. That’s very different from the firm links-style golf he saw at the Scandinavian Open a few weeks ago.

Hardy recalls hitting 14 greens in regulation on Sunday. He hardly missed inside five feet, although he also hardly made anything outside five feet.

His five-club setup matched the conditions:

James Hardy runs beside a green at Temecula Creek Inn during the U.S. Speedgolf Open.

Hardy told me that in the 2025 European Open — his first speedgolf event — he used a Silo and putted with the ‘armpit pinch’ method. He found the motion uncomfortable, and the equipment got in the way of his vision. He now attaches his clubs to a belt, so he can putt freely.

Every elite speedgolfer eventually becomes an equipment designer.

Hardy does minimal focused run training. His cardio comes mainly from soccer and regular speedgolf. Annoyingly simple.

His Worlds preparation is more deliberate. He’s playing the BeNeLux Speedgolf Open and British Speedgolf Championships to close out the summer. After that, Hardy plans to be in Thailand a week before Worlds, adjust to the time zone, and play golf with friends before continuing to New Zealand.

Will Robson wears his U.S. Speedgolf Open silver medal.

Will Robson left Temecula with a theory about where elite speedgolf is headed.

He told me he is extremely happy with his game this year. He now feels that he “gets speedgolf,” and that understanding has helped him play better golf. The results agree: Robson has played nine competition rounds in 2026 and his worst golf score was an 80 at the (par 74) Scandinavian Open.

Robson expects the golf standard to keep rising until level-par rounds become normal at the top.

He also believes players are close to exhausting the time gains available through equipment and tactics.

Will, my friend, I cannot agree with you on this one! If there’s one constant in the endurance world — especially over the past four years — it’s that every time we think we’ve plumbed the depths of human performance, we find out we are nowhere near the limit.

You’ll hear Rob Hogan and Scott Dawley talk about the quest for the mythical 99 speedgolf score (65 in 34:59 would do it). In ways, Robin Smith’s world record 104:09 feels close. On the other hand, I can respect that it’s hard to imagine cutting 4:10 from an already-perfect round.

But every time someone raises the bar, that shows another dozen players what’s possible. I think we’ll see a 99 by 2029. Remember: all predictions wrong or your money back.

U.S. Speedgolf Open results

U.S. Speedgolf Open | Temecula Creek Inn, Temecula, California | July 25-26 | full results

DivisionPlacePlayerGolfTimeSGS
Open1James Hardy (GB)78/7340:59/41:34233:33
Open2Will Robson (GB)——239:58
Open3Carl Palmberg (SE)——244:23
Open4Robin Smith (NZ)——245:08
Open5Nic Goodin (US)——250:52
Amateur1John Haimes (US)——279:50
Masters 40+1Chris Parry (BM)——257:35
Seniors 50+1Bob Vietas (US)——296:10
Legends 60+1Steve Vancil (US)——258:05
Women1Lauren Cupp (US)82/8363:20/60:57289:17
Team1Nic Goodin / Garrett Holt (US)3024:3254:32
Junior 11–141Abram Rankin (US)——68:30
Junior 8–101Joah Flietstra (US)——65:41
FlingGolf1Morgan Montano (US)——263:43

Independence Day in Temecula: Goodin and Holt win pairs, topple the British

Two speedgolfers run past a row of golf carts during the U.S. Open pairs event.

The feel-good story of the weekend happened in the pairs event, when the duo from Springfield, Missouri — Nic Goodin and Garrett Holt — shot 30 (-6) in 24:32, beating British Pairs champions and November World Cup favorites Hardy and Robson by 46 seconds.

Before the round, Nic and Garrett joked that they might have to shoot five-under to beat the Brits, knowing they’d give back a few minutes on the clock. As it turned out, they needed to shoot six-under to win.

A scorecard shows the Goodin and Holt team's six-under-par 30 at the U.S. Open pairs event.

Garrett told me the round was a blur — mostly a blur of Nic Goodin hitting amazing golf shots. Garrett gives Nic 85% of the credit for their score.

No shot was more impressive than the approach on the par 5 8th hole. Teams played from the white tees (one tee forward from the main event). After Garrett’s 5-wood off the tee, Nic had 150 yards and took 9-iron. They say the pitch mark was 8 inches from the hole and the ball came to rest 4 inches away. A tap-in eagle and nearly an albatross.

According to Garrett, they knew they were playing well, but they didn’t fully appreciate what a special round it was until it was over. And even then, they didn’t care what anyone else shot. They were just happy with what they had done.

I’m filing this away for the Team World Cup power rankings.

Lauren Cupp wins her sixth US Open title, first as a mom of four

Lauren Cupp holds the U.S. women's speedgolf trophy.

Lauren Cupp supplied a different kind of history by winning her sixth U.S. women’s title at 289:17.

Number six was also a first: her first national speedgolf title as a mom of four.

Returning to elite sport after having a baby is hard. Rebuilding fitness and confidence while raising four kids - and finding the time and support to train and travel - is a family project. I’m so inspired by the way Lauren has navigated that journey with grace and humility.

And then, after winning, she immediately turned the attention toward everyone else.

“Thankful for my family that traveled across the country to be here and for the incredible village back home that makes chasing this possible,” she wrote on Instagram.

This title came only one week after she won the New York State Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. So in the span of eight days, Cupp won a state golf championship, collected her sixth U.S. speedgolf title, and punched her ticket to the World Championships in New Zealand.

Lauren is returning to championship form, officially on Team USA, and one of America’s best hopes for the podium in New Zealand.

From token influencer to Team USA invite

A speedgolfer runs through the U.S. Open finish area while another person films.

The most encouraging performance at the U.S. Open may have belonged to a ninth-place finisher who did not know speedgolf existed two months ago.

In May, Cordie Walker, a golf content creator, announced his intent to compete in a national open. Within seconds (I imagine) Scott Dawley was persuading him to play in the US Speedgolf Open. The pressure tactics worked.

About a month before the Open, he headed to Kentucky for an intensive speedgolf bootcamp led by Scott and Jason Hawkins. Then he arrived at the national championship and shot 75 and 77 — better than any of his practice rounds.

Walker ran 59:11 on Saturday and 56:38 on Sunday to finish at 267:49. His first competitive speedgolf hole has already reached more than 200,000 views.

Cordie Walker plays his first competitive speedgolf hole

In his post-event GolfWell podcast, Walker appreciated the range of divisions at the Open. Players could choose a level, put a date on the calendar, train toward real competition, and share a weekend with the elite field.

Then Dawley offered Walker a Team USA Worlds place on air. Walker sounded interested, though I can imagine he’d need to check with his partner and (maybe) his boss. This is the recruiting journey every small sport wants. And the event structure helped make it possible.

Walker was only one of the weekend’s alternate routes into speedgolf.

FlingGolf baby, let’s go!

A FlingGolf competitor swings a FlingStick at Temecula Creek Inn.

In a display of big-tent energy, the US Open also hosted its first 36-hole FlingGolf championship. Morgan Montano won at 263:43, leading an eight-player field in a jointly sanctioned Speedgolf USA and World FlingGolf competition. Eight entrants move Speed FlingGolf beyond the “one person doing something unusual” phase, and organizers are exploring a larger partnership for 2027.

The only negative thing I’ve heard about the entire US Open was FlingGolf related (don’t look at me like that!).

I heard that the speedgolf divisions received gold, silver, and bronze medals, while FlingGolf awarded only one first place medal. “Cool…” reported the FlingGolfers in attendance.

Despite being a recovering FlingGolf skeptic, I feel obligated to take their side here: if we’re inviting a new group into the national championship, let’s buy the complete medal set.

A meme asks, 'It's one medal. What could it cost? Fifty dollars?'

That’s an easy fix. The bigger point is that Temecula did not require everyone to enter speedgolf through the same door.

Some came to win a national championship. Some came as teams. Some arrived through golf media or FlingGolf. Kids raced nine holes while world-class athletes raced 36.

The elite field made the weekend important. The other divisions made it feel possible.

Team USA gives out Golden Tickets to New Zealand

Lauren Cupp, Paul Kivela, Nic Goodin, and Kyle Peyton pose with U.S. Open medals and event staff.

The U.S. Open settled four places on Team USA for the 2026 World Championships and Team World Cup.

Lauren Cupp, Paul Kivela, Nic Goodin, and Kyle Peyton (left-to-right in the picture) earned golden tickets in Temecula. Goodin and Peyton were the top two American men. Cupp was the top American woman. Kivela was the top eligible American age-group athlete, finishing second in Legends behind Steve Vancil. Vancil had already earned his ticket at the Arizona Open.

One more automatic Team USA place is expected at the Missouri Open; Captain Scott Dawley will select the remaining players.

Goodin left California as the top American in the Open, a Worlds qualifier, and half of a team that nearly made an albatross.

Not a bad weekend.

Fundraising graphic showing Adam's field-correspondent kit for the Speedgolf World Championships in New Zealand.

I’m planning to cover the Speedgolf World Championships in New Zealand in person — and publish daily while I’m there. If this newsletter helps you follow our strange, wonderful little sport, support the trip on Ko-Fi.

And if you know somebody who might enjoy a newsletter about armpit-pinch putting, international travel, and near-albatrosses on a par 5 while running, forward this issue to them.

It’s free! And there’s a decent chance they’ll forgive you.

One more event until Team Japan is locked

A speedgolfer hits a tee shot at a Japanese speedgolf event.

Japan’s selection board also changed at the Hokkaido Speedgolf Open.

Masahiko Maeba won the men’s division with 81 in 57:37 for 138:37, earning 500 points and moving to second in the selection standings.

Yasuki Ogawa won Senior with 82 in 58:21 for 140:21. Yoshiko Yamamoto won the women’s division at 182:44.

The men’s leaders are now:

Rob Hogan appears on the public table at 900 points but is not a Japanese selection candidate.

Among the seniors:

Before Hokkaido, Matsui and Matsuoka were separated by 3.71 points around the fourth and final automatic position. Matsuoka’s third-place finish moved him above that fight. Omura now holds the final qualifying place, 79.69 points ahead of Matsui.

Meguna Haga leads the women’s table at 239.09.

The final selection points will be awarded at the nine-hole Chigasaki Speedgolf Open on August 29.

The U.S. team has started handing out tickets. Japan’s boarding order is still moving.

A senior sets the pace in Belgium

Eight athletes raced nine holes at ECPG Zwijnaarde, near Ghent, on the same weekend as the U.S. Open and Hokkaido.

Laurens Verplaetse won the men’s division with 36 in 15:36 for 51:36.

But Frédéric Toussaint, racing in Senior Men, posted the field’s lowest total: 36 in 14:30 for 50:30.

Same golf score. Sixty-six seconds faster.

Filip Beerens finished second among the seniors at 56:52, followed by Axel Seifert at 66:04. Six of the eight athletes raced in Senior Men.

I love events like this. Eight people. Nine holes. A good result to chase. And, if Filip’s events are anything like Filip, probably a long conversation over a beverage afterward.

Temecula gave us an international championship festival. Hokkaido changed a national-team race. Zwijnaarde gave eight athletes a sharp nine holes near home.

A healthy sport needs all three.

This week in speedgolf media

🎥 Cordie Walker’s first competitive speedgolf hole has passed 200,000 views and offers the cleanest introduction to his U.S. Open experiment.

🎙️ Walker and Scott Dawley debrief the U.S. Open, including Walker’s Garmin data, the event’s entry points, and an on-air Team USA invitation.

🇺🇸 Jon Flietstra opens the U.S. Open with the national anthem because organizing a championship, producing videos, and racing around Temecula still left a guitar-shaped opening in his schedule.

🧱 Elijah Miller demonstrates the “crete” shot from a concrete cart path. Please do not send me the invoice for your damaged wedge.

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- Adam

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