Springfield golfer Don Boone in action at his home course on the final day of the 2004 Bay of Plenty pennants championships. Photo / Stephen Parker
If you’re a golfer and can “shoot your age” or lower, it’s a bit of a chest puff moment.
But imagine this. The late Don Boone from Rotorua shot his age or lower 1569 times.
That’s not only a lot ... it’s potentially a world record.
The current Guinness Book of Records record holder is Mike Barber from the United States, who in 2023 recorded shooting his age or below 1140 times.
Shooting your age means a golfer completes an 18-hole round with a score equal to or lower than their age.
While Boone’s family is in contact with the Guinness Book of Records to see if Boone can be acknowledged in some way posthumously, being recognised was not something Boone was a fan of.
So much so, when the 93-year-old died on May 8 this year from an illness, he didn’t want a funeral. No fuss was his style.
Instead, his family is holding a memorial golf tournament in his honour on December 13 at his beloved golfing home - the Springfield Golf Club.
His daughter, Suzanne Relph, told the Rotorua Daily Post her father played golf at Springfield since 1954 and continued to play two full rounds of golf a week right up until the start of this year - as a 93-year-old.
He was a club champion multiple times and played at Bay of Plenty level while also spending much of his own time training young golfers, Relph said.
In March 2017, Boone holed his tee shot on a par 3 to become the only person to get a hole-in-one on every Springfield par 3.
It was a momentous day for Boone, as he also set another personal record, breaking his age, which was 85 at the time, by 12 shots - rounding off his day shooting a score of 73.
Boone was born in Mangakino in 1931 and raised in Tokoroa.
After leaving school, he went to teachers’ college. His first teaching job was at Rotorua Primary School before he eventually became the deputy principal at Glenholme School, where he spent the last 45 years of his career.
He married Katherine Boone, also a long-time Rotorua Intermediate School teacher, who was not only his wife but his golfing partner for 45 years.
Together they had three children - Relph, Keith Boone and Juliet Boone - and five grandchildren. Katherine died in 2011, aged 76.
Relph said her father excelled off the golf course, too. He was awarded a life membership of the Waiotapu Forest School Camp for decades of dedication.
“I remember fondly as a kid going out there all the time and helping to build tracks and do all sorts. He’d have mum doing things too, like making more than 50 mattress covers.”
She said her father received a Rotorua Community Award in 2000 for his outstanding service to the district and his community.
“He was such a humble man. He told me when he was sick, he didn’t want a funeral. ‘I don’t want the fuss’, he said but he said he wanted a memorial golf tournament so anyone who knew him could join in.”
She said anyone who knew her father and wanted to play in the tournament should register their interest at the Springfield Golf Club.
According to the website caddiehq.com, shooting your age in golf stands as one of the sport’s most revered and personal milestones.
It is described as a “true badge of honour that signifies both immense skill and remarkable longevity”.
The website said most golfers saw their scores drift upward as they aged, while shooting your age demanded your score drifted downward until it met your age.
The most commonly cited figure, according to caddiehq.com, suggests that less than 1% of all golfers will ever accomplish this feat.
Todd Canning from the Springfield Golf Club said Boone’s golfing records since electronic recording began showed he played 3507 rounds at Springfield with 1569 rounds equal or below his age.
The first time on record he shot his age was May 11, 2001 at the age of 69.
However, it is believed he broke it earlier with a 67 at the age of 68, Canning said.
Boone’s longest streak was shooting 26 consecutive rounds of his age or better between October and December 2016. His best margin was by 12 strokes at the age of 85 when he shot 73.
Between 2000 to 2025, records show nearly 45% of his rounds were at his age or below.
“His performance represents one of the most remarkable age-shooting records ever documented at club level,” Canning said.
He maintained competitive scoring from his late 60s through to his 90s and averaged hundreds of age-matching rounds each decade, which Canning said displayed “streaks of excellence” rivalling or exceeding many officially recognised record-holders.
“If verified through scorecard certification, Don Boone’s total would challenge or surpass the current Guinness World Record for most rounds shooting one’s age or better.”
He said the Boone family had contacted the Guinness Book of Records and was waiting for a reply.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.