Speed golf (also known as extreme golf, fast golf, fitness golf and hit and run golf) is a variant of golf which scores both on strokes played and the time taken to complete the round. Rules One stroke is scored equally to one minute, so that shooting 90 on a golf course in 59 minutes and 30 seconds would result in an overall speed golf score of 149:30. Rules and etiquette are generally the same for speed golf and regular golf with minor exceptions. In the interest of time, a golfer is allowed to putt with the flagstick left in the hole. Note: As of January 1, 2019, a golfer is allowed to putt with the flagstick left in the hole in regular golf, also. Unless otherwise told by a tournament committee, speed golfers are expected to rake bunkers, fix ball marks and conform to normal golf course dress code, although most speed golfers will wear running shoes instead of golf shoes. In the case of a lost ball or one that is hit out of bounds, players are permitted to play it like a lateral hazard because it was thought to be too severe of a penalty to have to also be penalized the additional time to run back to where the original shot was played. Aside from the normal 14-club maximum, there is no rule about how many clubs a player is allowed to bring. However, players typically carry 4–7 clubs. History The sport was believed to have been started in 1979 in California when former American record holder in the mile (3:47.69 in 1982) Steve Scott ran around a golf course in 29 minutes and 33 seconds shooting a 95 with only a 3-iron. After hearing about Scott, former ironman triathlete and teaching pro Jay Larson became the person who many considered the top speed golfer of the 1990s. Larson once shot a 75 in 39 minutes and 9 seconds on a 6,500 course with a slope rating of 125 (using the old rules of speed golf where the player could have a caddy in a cart riding out in front of them carrying their clubs and calling out distances as they approached the ball). Towards the end of the 1990s, in an effort to help promote the sport, Oregonians and speed golfers Tim Scott (a former teaching pro turned school teacher), Christopher Smith, and Jim Kosciolek