Speedgolf with the Pro Jeremie FELENC. We met up on this sunny October afternoon on the terrace of the Business Center at Royal Mougins Golf Resort with Jérémie FELENC, Pro at Golf d’Opio Valbonne, so he could talk to us and, above all, share his passion for Speedgolf.
This discipline is attracting new followers who are trying to combine speed of play and scoring.
Questions/Answers with Jeremie FELENC
Speedgolf, a derivative of traditional golf?
Golf Méditerranée: 1 hour (or less), 4 clubs, 18 holes (or more), like some team sports such as 3-a-side basketball and 7-a-side rugby, has golf found its derivative with Speedgolf?
Jérémie FELENC: You mentioned 3-a-side basketball, 7-a-side rugby, it’s true that with the Paris Olympics, I loved 3-a-side basketball, I loved 7-a-side rugby, and I said to myself, Speed Golf could be in there, because it’s dynamic, it’s golf, so it’s a great discipline.
In Speed Golf we find the endorphin that everyone who runs knows, but in golf, it’s quite rare to be able to combine the two, endorphin and golf are quite nice.
GM: Does the discipline require special exercises?
JF: The specific exercises are linked to the fact that we play with fewer clubs, 3 or 4 clubs instead of the traditional 14 clubs. As a result, we have to calibrate our amplitudes, vary our rhythms and anticipate our choice of trajectories. Very good exercises for normal golf by the way. Learning to putt with a wood or the edge of a club allows you to gain feeling around and on the greens.
Difficulties encountered
GM: What are the difficulties encountered during Speedgolf?
JF: The difficulties consist in knowing and playing the right distance when you don’t necessarily have the right club. Hence the importance of adaptation and trajectory creation. Marks on the ground indicate the 50/100 and 150 m from the Green, some play with their GPS watches to give them the distances. Another difficulty, and not the least: managing your cardio! Don’t start too fast, keep some in reserve for the sometimes difficult passages in the middle of the course where you are a bit physically hard.
GM: How does overtaking a slower competitor work?
JF: Overtaking is ultimately quite simple to manage. The person being overtaken must let the player who is catching up pass without hindering them. Above all, you have to manage safety. However, this happens rarely. The starts are made according to each player’s playing time. The fastest start first. Generally, we have a start every 5 or 6 minutes. Plenty of time to give the player starting in front a head start, knowing that a hole takes about 2 to 3 minutes of play.
GM: Since you are all playing alone, who marks the card to avoid any possible dispute?
JF: The players in competition start alone, it is normal to ask the question about scoring. In competition, they are marked by scorers who follow them in a cart. It is often volunteer golfers who discover the discipline and get caught up in the game! Moreover, the atmosphere during a game between player and scorer is often quickly euphoric and full of encouragement.
The rules of Speedgolf
GM: Are the rules more flexible or more rigorous than traditional golf?
JF: The rules are the same as in normal golf. Moreover, normal golf in the speedgolf community is called “slow golf” (JF smiles). However, there are 2 exceptions and not the least:
1/ Out of bounds and considered as a water hazard, so drop where you cross the hazard.
2/ For a lost ball, you drop where you think you have lost your ball.
Otherwise, players must also raise their pitch, replace divots and rake bunkers.
GM: The place of Speedgolf in France and internationally?
JF: Speedgolf has been around for about twenty years, especially in the United States and New Zealand. In France, speedgolf appeared around 2018. The Speedgolf France association organizes the French championships every year, as well as speed golf initiations in golf courses where fans are interested. By the way, the French Speedgolf Championship is the speedgolf tournament with the largest attendance of players in the world (apart from the world championships).
GM: How is the player ranking organized?
JF: No ranking for now! But with the world championships in November 2024 in Japan, we’ll see…
Your best memories and your advice
GM: Your best memories?
JF: I often tell this anecdote of my victory at the 2019 French championships at the Chamonix golf course where I played a round in +4 in 55 min. I quickly realized that I would have probably made the same score with my whole bag, my 14 clubs, my binoculars and the 4 hours that a standard game takes! (JF smiles). In short, new speedgolfers quickly realize that their score will not be very far from their everyday score! It allows you to put the importance of the routine into perspective / no need to spend 5 minutes on it …. An effective routine can be quick!
GM: Your advice for beginners?
JF: My advice for beginners is to opt for a jog at the end of the day in your golf club with 2 clubs in hand. Those who like running will discover a golf course full of freedom and lightness. It can also be done with 2 or 3 players. Then to discover the atmosphere, you have to come to the next French championships at the Roissy golf course! All levels are accepted!
GM: Rob HOGAN, the Speedgolf caveman, who we see in his social media videos, angry in the middle of the peat bogs! A word on this “phenomenon”?
JF: Rob Hogan is an extravagant person! On social media he is an excited guy who has his own style for getting educational messages across! But otherwise, in tournaments he is calm, composed, very gentlemanly, nothing to do with it! Well… it’s true that during tournaments he sleeps in his tent in the middle of the golf course forest… that’s his caveman side.
Your projects?
GM: Your short, medium and long term projects?
JF: The speedgolf projects are linked to the speedgolf association that I am part of:
1/ Have speedgolf representatives in all regions of France to organize, subsequently, regional championships and that the French speedgolf championships represent the final of these qualifications.
2/And why not? With the other world speedgolf associations, give a boost to one day see speedgolf at the Olympic Games! In any case, it would be exciting to see. As dynamic as 3×3 basketball or rugby 7s. You never know!
I would like to thank Golf Opio Valbonne and the Résonance Golf Collection Group who encouraged me to participate in its Speedgolf world championships in Japan.
Golf Méditerranée thanks the Management of Royal Mougins Golf Resort who allowed us to conduct the interview on the terrace of its Business Center and the Speedgolf demonstration part on its course
See you soon for the rest of the adventure
