NKY group played mini-golf for 24 hours to break world record, raise money for flood victims

A group of four friends from Erlanger, Kentucky, broke the world record for most rounds of miniature golf played in 24 hours.

Cole Hetzel, Chris Hetzel, Tony Centers, and Bob Schoettinger were being cheered on by community members late Sunday night as they attempted to break the record.

All four men participate in the weekly mini-golf tournaments at Putt-Putt Fun Center.

One day, the facility owner, Kevin Shea, jokingly asked father and son duo Cole and Chris why they don't try to break a record for mini-golf. Shea said the two men have broken records in other games, including Wiffle ball and Four Square.

"They came back to me and said, 'yeah, there is a record. It's 1,440 holes,' and I said, let's do that," Shea said.

They began preparing for the fall event and contacted Guinness World Records to start the application process.

"The main thing I was worried about was if I could stay awake for 24 hours," Schoettinger said.

The four men did five practice runs and added new routines to their workouts to get ready for the big day.

On Sunday, they arrived at Putt-Putt Fun Center at 6 a.m. to begin preparing the course.

Shea said they had to set up cameras and use an official clock and counter. To comply with Guinness rules, they also had to go in order and had someone keep score of every single putt and hole.

At 8 a.m., the group of four began playing, prepared to keep going for 24 hours.

Their world-record-breaking attempt turned into a community event as spectators filled the Putt-Putt Fun Center parking lot. There was live music, food trucks, and loud cheers.

"When word got out that we were getting ready to break the record, people were lined up along the fence and started cheering the guys on," Shea said.

At around 10:45 a.m., the group broke the old record of 80 rounds played in 24 hours.

They decided to keep going until 8 a.m. to see how many more rounds they could complete.

Schoettinger said they took some five-minute breaks and a longer one later into the night but didn't nap out of concern they wouldn't get back up.

By the time bell rang at 8 a.m., they had completed 116 rounds of mini-golf.

"When that bell rang Monday morning, they just hugged each other. They worked hard to play for 24 hours. Seeing their faces light up knowing they made it was great," Shea said. "It just turned into a nice event for our community."

The group also partnered with Matthew 25 Ministries to use the event to raise money for those impacted by the floods in Eastern Kentucky and the tornadoes in Goshen.

Schoettinger said being able to use the event as a way to help those devested by the recent natural disasters has been the most meaningful aspect of the entire experience.

The group is submitting video and paper-based evidence of their accomplishment to Guinness, and once it has been reviewed and approved, the record will be official.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NKY group played mini-golf for 24 hours to break world record