British ChampionshipFirst title
Shot 59 to win, two months after taking up the sport. Debuted at world No.13.
1stSpeedgolf World No.2 · European No.1
Golf at
full speed.
James Hardy is a PGA Professional who plays eighteen holes in under half an hour — and wins. British, US, French and BeNeLux Champion in 2026, now heading to the World Championships with Great Britain.
Strokes
61
Time
25:55
Speedgolf score
86:55
British Championship, Sunningdale Heath, 2026. Won by almost three minutes.
World No.2ISGA world ranking, September 2026 — 373 points, up from No.13 on debut
European No.12026 Order of Merit, 1,059 points
6 titlesNational championships since September 2025
1.0M viewsPer month on Instagram
About James
25 years a PGA Professional. Now he runs.
James learned his golf in the United States, playing for Brevard Community College in Florida and winning the Florida State and South East titles before qualifying as a PGA Professional. He has now been a PGA Professional for 25 years.
Based in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, and a member of Aldwickbury Park Golf Club since the age of sixteen, he took up speedgolf in 2025. Two months later he was British Champion. A year on, he is ranked second in the world, first in Europe, and sits on the British Speedgolf committee.
His aim is to grow the sport: running clinics and exhibitions, showing golf clubs how the format works, and bringing a younger, fitter generation into the game.
The carry system
James designed his own club-carrying system, a hook attachment for the sling plus a purpose-built belt, so players can secure their clubs and run hands-free. Other professionals now use it.
The coaching method
His own speedgolf coaching system, built from competing at the top of the sport and now used by fellow players to train for championships.
Talks and clinics
Talks at golf clubs, podcast appearances and on-course clinics introducing newcomers to the format and preparing players before championships.
The sport
Speedgolf is the new golf.
What Twenty20 did for cricket and padel did for tennis, speedgolf is doing for golf.
Strokes and time are added together and the lowest total wins. Same skills, a fraction of the clock, and far more to watch. Eighteen holes in under an hour at threshold heart rate — it answers the reason most people walk away from golf, five hours they haven't got, and turns a round into a serious workout.
It's a sport gathering pace worldwide, with Olympic recognition in its sights.
How a round works
- The clock starts on the first teeIt stops only when the ball drops on the eighteenth.
- Run between every shotPlayers carry a handful of clubs — no caddie, no buggy.
- Add strokes to minutes61 shots in 25 minutes 55 seconds scores 86:55.
- Lowest total winsSpeed means nothing without control, and control means nothing without speed.
The record
Four in a row.
Five titles in 2026. All championships sanctioned by the ISGA.
British PairsMid Herts
With PGA Pro Will Robson: 73 strokes in 37:38 for 110:38, six minutes clear of a field of more than 50.
1stIrish OpenCastlebar, Co. Mayo
Named a pre-tournament favourite by Irish Golfer.
2ndScandinavian OpenSweden
Top-five finish among the leading European men.
4thFrench OpenGolf de Roissy
Championship record standard. The first of four wins in a row.
1stUS OpenTemecula Creek, California
The 10th US Speedgolf Open. Front nine in roughly 20 minutes.
1stBeNeLux OpenBelgium
Third consecutive title.
1stBritish ChampionshipSunningdale Heath
Title retained: 61 strokes in 25:55, won by almost three minutes. Four in a row.
1st
In print
"Need for Speed"
The Northern Golfer magazine's feature on the 2026 British Speedgolf Pairs Championship at Mid Herts, where James and Will Robson covered 6.75km, shot 73 in 37 minutes 38 seconds, and took the national title.
World rankings
Second in the world.
In the ISGA's September 2026 men's rankings, James holds second place on 373 points, ahead of Japan's Jin Ota, the reigning World Champion.
That's a climb from No.13 on debut after his first British title in 2025. His pairs partner, PGA Pro Will Robson, sits joint eighth, making them two of the three British players in the top 25.
| Rank | Player | Nation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robin Smith | NZL | 423 |
| 2 | James Hardy | GBR | 373 |
| 3 | Jin Ota | JPN | 332 |
| 4 | Carl Palmberg | SWE | 304 |
| 5 | Luke Willett | NZL | 283 |
| 6 | Bernie Smith | NZL | 225 |
| 7 | Rob Hogan | IRE | 211 |
| T8 | Brad Hayward | NZL | 200 |
| T8 | Will Robson | GBR | 200 |
| 10 | Jamie Reid | NZL | 175 |
European Order of Merit
Europe's No.1 for 2026.
Final standings: James Hardy 1,059 points, Will Robson 891, Ville Heinonen 543. James's points came from winning the French Open, the BeNeLux Open and the British Championship.
Next up
Toro Speedgolf World Championships
New Zealand, November 2026. James is part of a 12-player Great Britain squad for the individual World Championship and the Team World Cup, where he pairs up again with Will Robson.
He arrives ranked second in the world and first in Europe.
Nov
2026 · New Zealand
Watch
The 10th US Speedgolf Open.
James wins at Temecula Creek, California, July 2026.
Audience
A million views a month.
Race footage, kit breakdowns, warm-ups and coaching — published several times a week to a fast-growing audience on Instagram.
1,000,000Instagram views in the last 30 days
15,000Followers, 8,900 gained in 30 days
76Pieces of content in that window
174,500Views on the best-performing reel
- Race footage
- Kit breakdowns
- Warm-up and recovery
- Coaching segments
- Training
In the press
Every win, on record.
Covered by The PGA, Golf Monthly, Golf News, Golfshake, Golf Business News, Irish Golfer, Golf Vlaanderen, The Northern Golfer, Valley News, Speedgolf Baby, Speedgolf USA, British Speedgolf and the ISGA.
British Championship, title retained · September 2026
The PGAHardy completes four-tournament winning streak with British Speedgolf titleGolf MonthlyThis Week in Golf: a fourth consecutive speedgolf MajorGolf NewsHardy retains British Speedgolf Championship at Sunningdale HeathGolfshakeGolfer shoots remarkable round of 61 in under 26 minutesBritish SpeedgolfChampionship report and September newsletter
Speedgolf BabyThis Week in Speedgolf: Hardy wins 4 in a row!
BeNeLux Open · August 2026
US Open, Temecula · July 2026
GolfshakeThis golfer plays 9 holes in just 20 minutesValley News, CaliforniaTemecula Creek Golf Club hosts SpeedGolf U.S. OpenSpeedgolf BabyAmerica's Open, Europe's podiumSpeedgolf USA2026 United States Speedgolf OpenYouTubeJames Hardy, 10th US Speedgolf Open Champion 2026LinkedIn · Pam Painter, British SpeedgolfPost on the US Open win
French Open · July 2026
Irish Open, rankings and profile · 2026
British Pairs · May 2026
Official ranking
World Championship team · 2026
First British title · September 2025
Partnerships 2026/27
Partner with the fastest-rising name in golf.
Your brand on the course, on camera and in front of a growing international audience.
On the course
Branding on race kit, cap and carry rig at every international championship, plus training, clinics and media.
On camera
Two to three posts a week: race footage, kit breakdowns, warm-up and recovery, and coaching segments.
Clinics and appearances
Speedgolf clinics, exhibitions and talks for golf clubs, corporate days and events, led by a PGA Professional of 25 years.
Measured
Structured wear-test reports, PGA-led clinics, and a tracked creator code with monthly reporting.
Categories open: apparel, footwear, ball and equipment, watch and wearables, nutrition, and title partner.
Email about a partnershipGolf Excellence
Learn from Europe's No.1.
One-to-one coaching with James in Hertfordshire — private lessons, the Tech Gym and playing lessons, built on the methods that won five titles in 2026.
Contact
Let's talk.
Partnerships, media, clinics, club appearances and podcast invitations.