Two islanders make golf history for charity

Published 7:00 pm Saturday, July 29, 2006

Jay Wiggs and David Reeves play 180 holes, raise $5,000.

While Jay Wiggs recently added his name to a list of golfers who have hit a hole-in-one at Meadowmeer – the third in his career – he can also say he made some history in his own way last week.

“I didn’t really relate the two together that way, but it’s been a good golf summer,” he said.

Wiggs, a member of the golf course’s board of trustees, and partner David Reeves, a three-time course champion, broke the record for most holes played in one day when they traversed the 9-hole course 10 times at the Meadowmeer Golf & Country Club last Tuesday to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

They started at 4:50 a.m. and did not stop until their last hole at 6:40 p.m. – over 12 hours of non-stop golf.

According to Wiggs, the average time it takes to play nine holes at Meadowmeer is three and a half to four hours.

They averaged an hour and 23 minutes per 18 holes, spending a little over five minutes at each.

They made 44 birdies and three eagles. Their low score was 68 and their high was 75 on the par-71 course.

According to Reeves, the duo only took bathroom breaks.

Wiggs said they came up with the idea when they were sitting around discussing how much golf they’ve played in one go-round.

“Back in the day, I played five or six rounds at one time and he said he’s played three or four in one day,” Wiggs said. “So one thing led to another and we said, ‘Let’s see how much we can play in one day.’”

Reeves suggested they play for a fundraiser, which led them to settle on the breast cancer foundation.

They also found a day where the course would be the least populated and from there, they went for it.

“Since I was a board member, I gave the inside scoop to the others, so we had no obstacles at all,” Wiggs said. “The reception we got from the Ladies of Meadowmeer Golf and Country Club (who play on Tuesdays) was pretty neat.

“Dave and my collective hats are off to the ladies. They were behind us and very supportive.

“Even the public was understanding.”

While one may think it would be difficult to do nine holes over and over again for 12 hours, Wiggs said that once they got into a rhythm, fatigue wasn’t much of a factor.

“It was kinda like golf polo,” he said. “The pace that we were setting was pretty doggone quick. We were basically running.

“Five rounds into it we were going, ‘This is a piece of cake.’ But we were starting to feel it a little bit (near the end).

“But we still felt like we could play a few more rounds at the end.”

The two only suffered from slight stiffness the next day and Wiggs, who is 50, and Reeves, a few years older, even went out and played another 18 at the course.

While their daily play and talent – Wiggs is a 4 handicap and Reeves is a 5 – made their performance what it was, Wiggs thinks the format can be modified to include other golfers of varying talent when they probably do it again next year.

“This was very tough,” he said. “The people who are hitting it everywhere won’t play 10 rounds, but we hope to encourage others to do this and continue this on a regular basis.”

Wiggs said they expect to raise over $5,000 when they get all the donations sent in through the mail.

“There are a lot of people who are hunting me down to contribute and those who just heard about it are still sending us letters,” he said.