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Local golfer beats the heat during a 126-hole marathon on a 90-degree day

VaselineJune 26, 2024

0 4 minutes read

Local golfer beats the heat during a 126-hole marathon on a 90-degree day

MONROE — Temperatures in Monroe never reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, but Mathew Rempe well exceeded the 100-degree mark.

The Monroe man chose one of the hottest days of the year to try a golf marathon.

Rempe played 126 holes (including seven complete rounds of 18 holes) at Monroe Golf & Country Club to celebrate the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

“It’s been quite a journey,” Rempe said.

Rempe started at 7am and completed his seventh lap around 8:40pm

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He modeled his adventure on events at other clubs.

“I’ve heard of summer solstice events happening in a few places,” he said. “They bring lights and stuff and play from 6 in the morning until 11 or 12 at night.”

Events like that stirred Rempe’s thoughts.

“Originally I wanted to do a charity event and get people to donate dollars per hole,” he said. “It didn’t work together.”

That’s why Rempe decided to try it himself.

He had not counted on unusually warm weather. Temperatures were in the 90s for most of the day on Thursday.

“My goodness, it was hot,” he said, chuckling.

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What made it worse was knowing that his wife (Dawn Little), son (Landon, 9) and daughter (Harper, 6) were spending the day at a water park.

They sent him photos of them splashing in the water during the day.

“I got several text messages saying, ‘You’re crazy about how hot it is,’” he said.

Rempe had his own water breaks.

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He brought several items of clothing with him, used the showers at the club and always had a large water bottle on hand.

“I would sometimes jump in the pool between rounds,” he said.

The start of the marathon went smoothly.

The temperatures were not as scorching and there were few players on the court in the morning.

“I was playing singles, so I was moving pretty fast,” he said. “I played my first nine holes in 41 minutes. I think it took me an hour and 23 minutes to play my first 18.”

Rempe completed two rounds before taking a break for his first shower of the day. After another 18 holes he took a dip in the club pool.

The weather almost stopped him later in the day, but heat wasn’t the problem.

“We had a rain delay on my sixth lap,” he said. “The rain slowed down the course. They told me at the club, ‘Hey Matt, we’re thinking about closing the club.’ Fortunately the sun was shining and I was able to go outside again.”

Perhaps the most amazing part of the day was Rempe’s consistency.

He started with a 73, which turned out to be his best round of the day. He followed with 76, 75, 76, 77, 74 and 76.

“To be honest, my scores were really good,” said Rempe, who has a 3 handicap.

He worried that his scores would increase as the day progressed.

“A friend texted me and said, ‘Don’t blow an 88 on your last round,’” he said.

Heat and fatigue never got the better of him.

“Strangely enough, I think the heat was my biggest help,” he said, likening it to a sauna or hot tub. “I had no pain during the rounds.”

And he got encouragement all day long.

“The best part was the people,” he said. “A lot of them knew what I did. I had to get through a few people. I played through one group and scored a birdie and in another group I hit a shot about three feet from the hole.”

Rempe hasn’t cut any corners.

“I hit a lot of quality shots, but didn’t take much time on the greens to read my putts,” he said. “I put everything in the hole. I didn’t pick up anything. There were no gimme putts.”

He changed his normal routine slightly.

“I’m not someone who normally wears Airpods, but (this time) I listened to music and tried to tune everything out,” he said. “I just wanted to think about my next shot.”

There was still enough light to start another round when he completed his 126th hole.

“I had a chance to do some extra work, but the two guys working in the cart room looked exhausted,” Rempe said. “They asked if I was going out again and I said, ‘No, that’s enough.'”

The 36-year-old who graduated from St. Mary Catholic Central in 2006 but never made the school’s golf team. He played football, basketball and baseball in high school.

“I started playing with my dad when I was younger and my mom signed me up for the La-Z-Boy (Junior Open) one year, but I never played seriously until I was 24 or 25,” he said. “Now I’m a bit addicted. I want to do it all the time.

“It brought back the passion for competition.”

Rempe’s job as a senior systems analyst at Universal Logistics gives him the opportunity to work from home and the freedom to arrange his schedule so he can play a round of golf.

He hopes this isn’t his last golf marathon.

“My goal is to do it again next year and open the doors to do it for a good cause,” he said. “I would like to use the money to organize a free golf camp for children at the club.”

VaselineJune 26, 2024

0 4 minutes read

Vaseline

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