Players battled it out in one of the world’s most remote locations for surely the coolest golf game.
It is unknown who exactly built the first clock face course but the game is believed to have originated in the mid 19th century, supposedly by the English upper classes who wanted to practice their golf putting in a more intimate way. Whatever the origins – the game became quite a success in Victorian Britain.
The Antarctic version of the game, played at Union Glacier in Antarctica, revolved around 4 tees marked starting points representing a clock face.
The object was to take the least amount of shots from the 4 starting points to sink a putt with strokes combined to complete their round. In this context, like in Speedgolf, the flag-stick was left in during play. In the extreme conditions of the Antarctic, with temperatures of minus 25°C, players had just one round to establish their superiority.
Aside from the icy conditions, they had to contend with the somewhat Heath Robinson course but this did not detract from the fun element of the championship and the competitive nature of the event. Each player used the same putter and highly visible golf ball for their round. In the end, it was Pal Skyrud from Norway who took the title.
