As Season 2 of the “Talking GolfGetaways” podcast kicks off, it seemed fitting to begin our worldwide journey around the golf globe with the ultimate road warrior — Adam “The Longest Hole” Rolston — who joins hosts Mitch Laurance and Darin Bunch for an in-depth, emotional recap of his World Record-setting trip (along with friend and “caddie” Ron Rutland, their four-pawed companion UB and photographer/videographer Andrew King) playing golf across the entirety of Mongolia.
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Adam joined Mitch and Darin on an earlier TGG podcast in August, at the halfway point of their quest, and now details the second half of “The Longest Hole” in brilliant and articulate form. The final totals? 80 days, 1249.6 miles, 20,093 shots (all played according to the Rules of Golf) with 135 golf balls. A World Record, indeed.
Adam begins this episode by talking about his general feelings on accomplishing this most amazing goal. You’ll hear how, a month after completing “The Longest Hole,” Adam is still reflecting on the trip, and how the enormity of the achievement is starting to come into perspective. He discusses the memories brought on by the staggering hours of video footage he and his team collected, and how they’ve begun the process of recreating the trip through video, a new journey of sorts that will lead to a documentary about “The Longest Hole.”
Darin then asks Adam what single shot that stands out among the 20,000-plus that he hit, and you’ll learn about a shot Adam calls “The Greatest Shot of All Time in the History of Golf.” You’ll be drawn into his mind-blowing description of hitting his 7-iron down a severe drop from the ridge of a mountain range onto a bridge 600 feet below.
Mitch asks Adam about his thoughts on playing post-journey golf, and how his experience will affect future “tough” rounds. Adam explains why nothing will be same after Mongolia, and why he considers himself a worse golfer than before, but better than anyone with an 8-iron in his hands.
The trio then dive into the final putt of the journey, on the 18th green at Mt. Bogd Golf Club in Ulaanbataar, which can be seen on the brilliant Instagram account of the trip (@TheLongestHole). Adam details the days leading up to the final putt, his emotions during those final minutes and the feelings he experienced as the putt dropped — which he describes as “a defining moment in my life.”
In certainly the most emotional, and longest, part of the podcast, Adam then describes the heart-wrenching experience of parting company with UB, the dog that followed Adam and Ron across the entire length of Mongolia. It is as incredible a scene as you might imagine, and Adam’s sharing of the effect on both he and Ron that UB ultimately had will touch you deeply.
Mitch then asks Adam about the bonding experience between he and Ron, and Adam beautifully describes the experience of sharing “The Longest Hole” journey, the intricacy of their relationship, deepened over the course of the trip, built around golf, but shaped by each individual personality.
It’s yet another exceptional episode from a friend, true gentleman and imaginative adventurer who has embarked upon — and survived — quite possibly the greatest of GolfGetaways.
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“Talking GolfGetaways with Mitch Laurance & Darin Bunch” can be found on GolfNewsNet.com and across the Golf News Net platform. New episodes post daily (for the most part, except when we’re traveling or golfing or generally having other kinds of fun). “Talking GolfGetaways” is also available on audioBoom, iTunes and Stitcher.
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