If you had 24 hours to hit a hole-in-one, make it for $5 million, miss it and go to jail for a year—unlimited balls, your choice of club and hole—would you do it?
It was this casual happy hour discussion that ultimately resulted in the creation of one of golf’s most unique charity events (self-proclaimed, but we think it holds up).
Upon debating pros and cons, it was clear our then team of five would never come to a consensus on the same answer. But there was one thing we did agree on... the odds had to be tested.
There were many challenges to this, of course. First off, there wasn’t a single one of us who believed we had the mental and physical fortitude to swing a golf club for 24 hours straight (without $5 million motivation, that is). The goal here was to determine probability, not break a Guinness World Record. It would have to be a group exercise, with the five of us switching off swing-a-thon style. Problem one solved.
The second and significantly more tricky dilemma was logistical—specifically, location. What course of sound mind would let five golfers launch golf balls all over a par 3 for 24 hours? Aside from disrupting tee times, there was a very real possibility this could cause nearly irreparable destruction to a green.
Waggle owner, Travis, was the first to toss out Logger’s Trail. In an incredibly unique design move, Logger’s driving range included an island green built to replicate the iconic 17th hole par 3 at TPC Sawgrass. To the right of the replica was another green, both complete with actual holes where other courses might put a yardage marker or target.
Plus, Travis knew the general manager Tim. And moreover, he knew that Tim was fun.
Tim’s down-for-whatever attitude was as advertised. He was all for giving it a go, and was confident in his grounds crew’s ability to repair both practice greens. And being it was already October, it was unlikely we would have much interference from other golfers on the range.
But this was another issue entirely. It was early October in Minnesota, of all places. Daylight was dwindling and the forecast was as volatile as Happy Gilmore playing putt-putt. It’s not uncommon at this time of year to start the day in a t-shirt and end it in snow boots (which, spoiler alert, is exactly what happened… more on that in a bit).
Armed with a date, a location and zero foresight to the snowstorm that awaited us, we got the idea to connect our challenge to one of our favorite local causes— pledging $1 for every ball hit to Special Olympics Minnesota. The organization loved the idea and even offered to send out a few of their own athletes to get in on the action. Which got us thinking again… were there other people out there who would want to join us too? After all, more golfers meant more arms to swing and more dollars raised for the cause.
Building out a public-facing event in two weeks isn’t something I would recommend, especially if you have incredibly little event experience to your name. But, if you are going to pull it off, it’s critical to have the amazing support of a community like ours. After a few pushes to our local network, we secured a handful of generous sponsors willing to donate time and product—offering everything from morning bloody marys to hot-and-ready pizzas cooked and served right there on the spot.
By the time 7 a.m. on challenge day rolled around, we had a handful of golfers signed up to join us and a segment scheduled with the local news. The weather was cool but favorable enough for a light sweatshirt, and by 2 p.m., after only seven hours, we had sunk our first hole-in-one. Miraculously enough, in the presence of Fox 9 news.
Technically, we had achieved our goal—but, now, armed with the confidence that it could be done, a new challenge emerged… How many more could we hit?
With the help of our guest golfers, we swung on. Hours passed without another ace, and the high of achieving the first deflated with the daylight and temperature. It was getting dark and it was getting cold. Our tent busted in the wind, snow began falling and the “feels like” dipped to 33 degrees. Crossing the finish line at 7 a.m. the next morning began to feel impossible. But we had decided (or rather, I had decided for everyone) that, come hell or blizzard, no one on the Waggle team would abandon ship. We were in this together. Forced bonding—all for one and one for all.
Glimmers of hope came, again, through the support of our amazing community. Relief arrived in the form of a fully enclosed 5-person ice fishing tent, additional floodlights, propane heaters, hand warmers and snow suits delivered by significant others who promptly returned to four walls and central heat.
While these things provided much-needed reprieve, moments of extreme decision questioning (and borderline existential crisis) remained. At one point, I thought our designer was near death after passing out directly in front of a propane heater (inside an enclosed tent, no less). At another, I thought our owner had abandoned us—only to find he had sled dog burrowed himself a resting spot right there in the snow.
Despite all of this, we kept swinging. In the 2 a.m. hour, our second and third hole-in-ones were made in quick succession by a determined (or insane) group who had persevered the overnight hours with us. The news stations returned shortly after, stunned to find we were still at it, now amidst a blizzard, no less. If nothing else, we were providing a great case study on the resolve of Minnesota golfers—whether this made us look tough or stupid remains up for debate.
That third hole-in-one turned out to be our last. We hunkered down in the final few hours, delirious with lack of sleep and frozen extremities. But, when all was said and done, seeing the buzz we’d created and the money we’d raised, we knew we had to do it again. Although next time, we’d plan it in the summer—and with the help of far more experienced event professionals.
Today, as the third edition of the challenge nears on August 8th, the event has double the daylight, triple the temperature, quadruple the organization and innumerably more sponsors and attendees. We’ve also got glow golf, amazing volunteers and—new this year—a special edition glow-in-the-dark hat that sold out in hours. Most importantly, this continued growth allows us to garner even more support for Special Olympics Minnesota.
While nothing will ever be quite as simultaneously magical and traumatic as the first year, the 24-Hour Challenge exists today in a charity golf event category all its own. There’s no 18-hole commitment, no post-event program, no frustration when your group misses a two-foot putt to keep you in the lead. The challenge is a little bit different and a lot of bit fun. Plus, you get unlimited chances to try to make a hole-in-one (yes I am cringing at that rhyme as I write it).
All of this to say, if you’ve never joined us, you really ought to consider—especially if you live in Minnesota. Registration for this year’s event is mostly filled up, but we’ve still got some overnight spots available (which is where the real fun happens, if you ask me).
Full event details and pre-registration for bays can be found at wagglechallenge.com. If you can’t make it but still want to support the cause, this is also where you can make a donation to Special Olympics Minnesota.