MONROE, Miss. — Temperatures in Monroe never quite reached 100 degrees Thursday, but Mathew Rempe was well over the century mark.
The Monroe man picked one of the hottest days of the year to attempt a golf marathon.
Rempe played 126 holes — seven complete 18-hole rounds — at Monroe Golf & Country Club to celebrate the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.
“It was quite a journey,” Rempe said.
Rempe began at 7 a.m. and completed his seventh round about 8:40 p.m.
He modeled his adventure after events at other clubs.
“I heard about a few places that have summer solstice events,” he said. “They bring in lights and stuff and play 6 (a.m.) to 11 or 12 (at night).”
Those kinds of events got Rempe’s mind spinning.
“Originally, I wanted to do it has a charity event and get people to donate dollars per hole,” he said. “That didn’t come together.”
So, Rempe decided to try it on his own.
He didn’t count on unusually warm weather. Temperatures were in the 90s most of the day Thursday.
“My goodness it was hot,” he said with a chuckle.
Making it worse was the knowledge that his wife (Dawn Little), son (Landon, 9) and daughter (Harper, 6) were spending the day at a water park.
They sent him photos of them splashing in the water during the day.
“I got several texts saying, ‘You’re crazy with how hot it is,’” he said.
Rempe had his own water breaks.
He brought several changes of clothes, took advantage of showers at the club and always had a big canteen of water close at hand.
“I jumped in the pool between rounds sometimes,” he said.
The start of the marathon went well.
Temperatures were not quite as scorching and few players were on the course in the morning.
“I played single, so I moved pretty fast,” he said. “I played my first nine holes in 41 minutes. I think it took me an hour and 23 minutes to play my first 18.”
Rempe completed two rounds before taking a break for his first shower of the day. After another 18 holes, he took a dip in the club swimming pool.
Weather nearly stopped him later in the day, but heat wasn’t the issue.
“We had a rain delay during my sixth round,” he said. “The rain slowed the course. They told me at the club, ‘Hey Matt, we’re thinking about shutting it down.’ Luckily, the sun came out and I was able to go back out.”
Perhaps the most amazing part of the day was the consistency of Rempe.
He started with a 73, which turned out to be his best round of the day. He followed with 76, 75, 76, 77, 74 and 76.
“Honestly, my scores were really, really good,” said Rempe, who says he’s a 3 handicap.
He was worried about his scores ballooning as the day progressed.
“A friend texted me and said, ‘Don’t blow up with an 88 in your last round,’” he said.
Heat and fatigue never got the best of him.
“Oddly, I think the heat was my biggest help,” said comparing it to a sauna or hot tub. “I was not sore through the rounds.”
And he was getting encouragement throughout the day.
“The best part was the people,” he said. “A lot of them knew what I was doing. I had to go between some people. I played through one group and chipped in for a birdie and another I hit a shot two or three feet from the hole.”
Rempe didn’t cut any corners.
“I hit a lot of quality shots, but didn’t take a lot of time on the greens to read my putts,” he said. “I put everything in the hole. I didn’t pick up anything. There were no gimme putts.”
He altered his normal routine slightly.
“I not one who usually wears air pods, but (this time) I listened to music and tried to tune everything out,” he said. “I just wanted to think about my next shot.”
There was still enough light to start another round when he completed his 126th hole.
“I had a chance to do a little bit extra, but the two boys who were working the cart room looked exhausted,” Rempe said. “They asked if I was going back out and I said, ‘No, that’s enough.’”
The 36-year-old who graduated from St. Mary Catholic Central in 2006, but never joined the school’s golf team. He played football, basketball and baseball in high school.
“I started playing with my dad when I was younger and my mom signed me up for the La-Z-Boy (Junior Open) one year, but I never played seriously until I was 24 or 25,” he said. “Now, I am kind of addicted. I want to do it all the time.
“It brought back the passion of competition.”
Rempe’s job as a senior systems analyst for Universal Logistics allows him to work from home and the freedom to mold his schedule to slip out for rounds of golf.
He hopes this is not his last golf marathon.
“My goal is to do it again next year and open the doors to do it for charity,” he said. “I would like to use the money to have a free kids golf camp at the club.”
