Former Black Caps batter Lou Vincent and Northern Districts all-rounder Joey Yovich have helped unofficially set a bizarre Guinness World Record for the furthest distance catching a golf ball hit off a tee with their bare hands.
Taking place at the Pines Golf Club in Whangārei Heads, more than 100 people turned out on Monday afternoon under the glorious Northland sun to watch the duo, with David Mullan, break the 214m record set by two American brothers three years ago.
The trio needed only three attempts to surpass the feat, first landing a 236.3m effort, which they then bettered to 261m. They attempted to go further, but strengthening winds made it too difficult to push the record out again.
Mullan’s role was to hit the ball off the tee, while Vincent acted as spotter and Yovich had the responsibility of taking a clean catch for the record to count.
“It’s incredible how a small sporting idea can generate interest,” Vincent told the Herald. “You’ve got all these people who rock up and watch a couple of muppets do something fun.
“It’s looking at sport from a different angle. Rather than cricket being boring, it shows that elements of it can be quite exciting.
“For me to be here is like, let’s get off the couch, let’s get off your phone, do something a little bit random and get out there and have fun with an alternative sport, and this has ticked all those boxes.”
Yovich said it was special to pull off the record with close friends and people devoted to the Northland community.
“We’ve always been a little bit innovative,” Yovich told the Herald. “So it’s nice to have mateship to give back that way, and I think that’s what makes this quite unique and quite special.
“It’s just nice to put little old Northland on the map. This place has been huge around community and giving back, so it’s a nice way for us to put this place in lights, and it is a little country club, which relates to us.”
The idea was dreamed up by Mullan, who wanted a challenge that combined cricket and golf. At first, the trio tried using cricket bats to see how far they could hit a golf ball off a tee-ball stand with various bats and sticks, but after hearing an interview with a man who had broken a string of unusual records, they decided to attempt one of their own.
Mullan had been promoting the record attempt on his Instagram page and said the support was overwhelming.
“I got a lot of messages from people I haven’t connected with in a long time, and I’ve had lots of people reach out to show their support,” Mullan told the Herald.
“It’s nice to feel that support, but also doing it with these fellas. We’ve had a laugh the whole way along - some good banter, trials and tribulations and everything in between - but it’s been awesome.”
Mullan already has his eye on a couple more records: The fastest hole of golf played, which must be at least 300m, and the longest golf shot hit and caught by the same person.
The idea was created as a unique initiative to put Northland in the spotlight and help raise funds for the ReSport Charitable Trust, a charity that collects new and gently used sports gear to share with people in need in the community.
Yovich co-founded the trust just over two years ago alongside JP Dignon, with Mullan and Vincent serving as ambassadors.
“We’ve had such a big impact on the local community,” Dignon said. “It’s amazing that a small idea can have such a big impact on our community.
“We’ve collected well over 10,000 units, we’ve redistributed over 8000, and saved the local economy over a million dollars.”
As the cost of flying out an official from Guinness was too high, the record attempt is provisional. They must now submit all evidence - including video of the attempts, witness statements, surveyor’s reports and even photos of the golf balls used - to have it verified before receiving their official certificates confirming the new world record.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.