Walk To Win

Here is your chance to play a round of golf at Royal Troon with one of the greatest athletes of all-time.

Great Britain’s Jonathan Edwards set the triple jump world record (18.29m) at the World Championships in Gothenburg in 1995 and it remains one of the longest-standing milestones in athletics.

Such is his love for golf, Edwards is a R&A global development ambassador – and he has thrown his weight behind the Walk To Win challenge which will be taking place at The 152nd Open.

If you’re attending The Open, simply download The Open app for free, head to ‘Walk To Win’, opt in and get moving.

“Walk To Win is bigger and better than it was at Royal Liverpool last year,” said Edwards, “and there are lots of prizes to be won, depending on how many steps you do.

“The top prize is a fourball at Royal Troon. The only downside is that you have to include me in your fourball!

“I’m sure quite a few spectators will fancy entering for the chance to win some great prizes, but then they’ll think ‘I didn’t know I was going to do 15,000 steps or 20,000 steps in a day’. It could even be more than that if you’re here for the whole day following groups around.

“There aren’t many sports where you go and watch and you can do something that’s actually good for your health, but you can in golf.”

Over 50,000 people took part in Walk To Win at last year’s Open, with the top prize being tickets to this year’s Championship.

But now we’re giving you the opportunity to team up with friends and family for a round of golf in a world-famous setting with one of Britain’ greatest sportsmen.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is walk at least 8,862 steps during one Championship or Practice day which is, roughly, the length of the Royal Troon layout.

For context, this is equivalent to playing the Postage Stamp 60 times, walking from Troon’s 16th tee to Ayr Racecourse, the distance of the Grand National, or 69 times the length of Edwards’ triple jump world record.

Furthermore, research suggests that golf spectators walk between 5-6 miles on average and burn more than 1,000 calories every day they’re on the course.

“Like many people I’ve got a fitness watch that tells me my steps, my distances, my calories and heart rate,” added Edwards. “It’s really quite surprising how much of a workout golf is.

“I reckon we could get 100,000 entrants this year, especially when you think about how many people come to The Open across the four days.

“But the health benefits of Walk To Win are almost incidental because you’re coming to watch one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

“So everyone should download The Open app and start measuring their steps.”

And as we prepare to enjoy The 152nd Open, it’s worth remembering that playing golf – or simply walking – for just two-and-a-half hours per week improves your well-being, productivity, and adds years to life.