MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — Lauren Cupp is always on the run.
She’s the men’s and women’s golf coach at Hamilton College in New York, her alma mater. She and her husband, Wes, own Rome Country Club. The couple has three children, ages 10, 7 and 3.
When she’s not running around the country coaching her teams, handling her duties as a mother and more, she’s running on the golf course.
No, literally.
Cupp is a speedgolfer. And not just any speedgolfer. She’s a world record holder and the best female speedgolfer in the world.
Cupp’s women’s golf team is at Sandestin Resort’s Links Course this week for the Golfweek October Classic, which comprises one of the strongest fields in Division III history. Not only did she start the women’s team at Hamilton, building them into a top-25 power, she has become a global star in speed golf, even if the sports isn’t as popular in the United States as places like Japan, where she’ll head in a couple weeks to compete in the Speedgolf World Championships.
Golfweek October Classic: Scores
“I’ve been able to connect with people from all over the planet, which is pretty cool, through this little dorky sport,” Cupp said.
Cupp is an accomplished golfer herself, but when her daughter was born 10 years ago and her time became more restricted, she wanted golf to remain a part of her life.
Enter speedgolf.
Speedgolf is scored with two results: the number of strokes taken plus time elapsed from the first tee shot to the final putt dropping. If Cupp shoots 75 in 55 minutes and 30 seconds, her score would be 130.30.
She started when her daughter was in a stroller, pushing her around while starting with 9 holes at a time. She and Wes watched an ESPN clip of the sport, and while there were frustrating moments at first, they were hooked immediately.
“I could do like nine holes and like 48, 49 minutes with the stroller just jogging,” Cupp said. “Then I found out it was a sport you could play competitively.”
And in speedgolf, you don’t need a lot of time to finish a round.
Cupp lives at Rome Country Club, and she can look out and see when the final groups of the day are nearing the 16th and 17th holes. That means it’s time to sprint off the first tee and get a quick 18 in.
“That’s the best thing about speedgolf is that you can practice it quickly in the morning before the kids are even awake,” Cupp said.
Ranked as the No. 1 female speedgolfer in the world, she holds the world record with a 1-under 72 in 50 minutes and 48 seconds at Teugega Country Club, another course in Rome. She shot the round in the 2021 New York State Open.
Earlier this summer, Cupp won the U.S. Speedgolf Open, which she and Wes hosted at Rome Country Club. Instead of an 18-hole sprint, it was a 54-hole marathon. The event was comprised of the first 18 holes on one evening, and the next day was an 18-hole round in the morning and then again in the evening.
Cupp has used a Sunday bag for close to 10 years, and she normally carries five clubs: a driver, 6-iron, 9-iron, wedge and putter. That’s more than a majority of high-ranking players. However, she’s considering changing to a silo golf club carrier, which is a small device that clubs clip into, before the World Speedgolf Championships next month in Tokyo.
“I do think I’m faster with it,” Cupp said. “I know I’m faster with that than the bag. The issue for me is the putting. So right now I’m like tucking it under my armpit and putting with two hands. I just cannot get into the one handed putting, which is what a lot of people do. I struggle enough with two hands.”
Her fame has risen in the United States, though the sport isn’t as big yet. Cupp has been featured on national news outlets and been an incredible advocate for the sport, but she remains grounded. Hamilton is where her heart is.
She played volleyball and competed in track and field while a student at Hamilton. The school didn’t have a women’s golf program, so she started a club team. In 2012, Hamilton made women’s golf an official sport, and Cupp became the head coach, where she has remained since. Cupp took over the men’s job in 2017.
A couple weeks ago, a pair of Cupp’s men’s players were near the end of practice, and it was getting dark and cold. They decided to play speedgolf the final two holes, something that made Cupp smile when the two were sprinting down the fairway with their full bags.
They both finished practice with a pair of pars.
“They both joked it was a lot better than the last time they played 17 and 18,” Cupp said.
There have been other times Cupp’s players have played speedgolf, as well. The fast-paced environment of the sport, combined with the fundamentals of golf, can challenge players and force them to hit different types of shots and be creative. More often than not in speedgolf, a player is between clubs, forcing them to be creative and be an athlete, an invaluable lesson when faced with a difficult circumstance on the course.
“There is something to be said about that, about just being an athlete, getting the ball in the hole in the fewest amount of shots, not getting caught up with all these swing thoughts and TrackMan parameters and things,” Cupp said. “And there’s certainly value to those things. But there is something to be said about just remembering that you’re just an athlete playing a sport, and we’re just trying to get the job done.”
Cupp’s life is nonstop, like a round of speedgolf. But no matter how busy her schedule gets, when there’s free time and an open course in front of her, Cupp will blaze new records and continue growing the sport that has taken over her life.
“I have become a much better golfer playing speed golf,” Cupp said. “I’ve had a lot of really cool opportunities.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: This college golf coach is the best speedgolfer in the world. No, really!
