How about a quick game of golf?

Defending champions Amy Linton and Harry Bateman headline a field of about 100 competitors this weekend.

The biggest names in New Zealand speedgolf will converge on Taupō Golf Club on April 18–19 for the 2026 TORO New Zealand Speedgolf Open.

Defending champions Amy Linton and Harry Bateman headline a field of about 100 competitors.

Bateman claimed his maiden national title last year with a final-round comeback - firing a 73 in just 38 minutes and 27 seconds.

Robin Smith arrives in Taupō with the men’s world record score of 104.09 (i.e a score of 64 in just 40min, 9 seconds).

On the women's side, Linton's defence of her title comes with the added weight of history.

The Wairarapa athlete became the first competitor to defeat individual World Champion Liz McKinnon in the speedgolf format, edging her compatriot and Teams World Champion partner by just 1.39 points across two rounds with a combined speedscore of 253.17 at last year's Open.

"It feels pretty good [being defending champion]. I just try not to think about it too much, to be honest... it's just another tournament, another day out there. It's nice to have that on the card, but it becomes a bit irrelevant coming into a new tournament,” said Linton.

Linton will tee it up at Taupo Centennial having not only won her national speedgolf title at the venue last year, but this year's New Zealand Women's Masters title with Wellington, making the lakeside town something of a happy hunting ground.

"I love Taupo. I love the people there, and I just think the course is phenomenal. It's a really good run, very challenging with a lot of elevation. The course was presented incredibly well at Masters and I'm sure it will be the same when we get there,” Linton said.

Competition will take place on the Centennial Course at Taupō Golf Club, a parkland layout with tricky greens and strategically placed bunkers that has established itself as a premier speedgolf venue on the national circuit. 

Speedgolf combines stroke play and elapsed running time into a single score. Players carry a reduced set of clubs, typically five or six, and run the course from first tee to final putt, with one stroke counting equivalent to one minute.