A GOLF competition, organised by Bev Hudson, will be held this August to celebrate 50 years since her father, Mike Moore, completed a golf marathon at the Okehampton golf course.

The competition will take place on August 6 at the Okehampton Golf Club and will consist of 18 rounds. Mr Moore will be present and the winner will be presented with a prize in Mrs Hudson’s father’s name.

On June 25, 1972, Mrs Hudson’s father Mike Moore, who lives in Sampford Courtenay, and his golfing friends decided to break the world record and played a continuous game of golf in a marathon challenge, despite poor weather.

He started at 4:15 in the morning, finally finishing at 9pm, having a walked over 50 miles in a game of 16 rounds and 12 holes.

‘We walked about 56 miles. Some of the rounds I did were within an hour but as the day went on it got a bit slower,’ said Mr Moore.

‘We wanted to get into the Guinness Book of Records but when we presented it to them they said someone had already done it.’

Though he was unable to break the world record, Okehampton’s golf club is especially proud of Mr Moore’s achievement which is recorded on the club’s honours board in the clubhouse.

Mr Moore no longer plays but he is still a passionate golf enthusiast following both local and international golfing competitions.

He said he reads the golf results in the Okehampton Times each week and follows international golfing competitions such as the Ryder Cup.

‘I do watch the golf,’ said Mr Moore. ‘But sometimes I get bored because I’ve seen it all before.’

Okehampton’s golf course was founded in 1913 by five time open champion JH Taylor. He first opened a nine hole course which was later extended to 18 holes in 1923. Okehampton benefactor Sydney Simmons opened the course.