100 Hole Golf Challenge: Wakefield Golf Club smashes fundraising target for Wakefield dementia service Memory Action Group

PGA professional Toni-Louise Naylor, who works full time at Wakefield Golf Club, in Sandal, and scratch golfer Ewan Bromley completed the 100 Hole Golf Challenge on June 7, starting at 3.42am and finishing at 5.25pm.

Fundraising on their Just Giving page, the pair originally set out to raise £2,000 for the Memory Action Group, the club’s chosen charity this year, but have smashed this target by more than double, so far raising over £4,000.

Speaking about the early start, Toni-Louise said: “That was interesting. The first three holes were pretty much in the dark. It was difficult because we could see the ball but the driver [the club used to hit the ball from the tee] we could barely see that.”

Each year the club chooses a charity to support, and lots of club members have had experience with this year’s chosen charity.

The past two years have seen the club raise money through 72-hole challenges, but Toni-Louise said this year they wanted to “do something a bit more outrageous”.

The PGA professional, originally from Ossett but who is now based in Crofton, said the most difficult aspect of the challenge was dealing with fatigue, repetition, and maintaining concentration.

Supporting the pair on the day, however, were friends, family and members of the club, including the club’s captain, which Toni-Louise said helped them continue. The golfer added that, despite the challenge, it was an “enjoyable experience” and that she has not been deterred from attempting a similar feat next year.

Overall, Toni-Louise and Ewan covered a staggering 50km in over 13 hours. Due to the final hole being situated away from the club house, they even added an extra hole in at the end of the challenge whilst making their way back to the club house, taking their total to 101.

Memory Action Group is a peer support group based in Wakefield for people living with dementia and their carers.