Three Open Championship courses. 54 holes. One day. The greatest golf day on earth?

Experience the Hagen 54 and follow in the footsteps of golf legends as you play three of England’s best courses in one unforgettable day.

Walter Hagen was one of the greatest golfers of all time. His tally of 11 majors remains surpassed only by Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Often described as the “father of professional golf,” Hagen transformed the professional golfer’s standing from that of a second-class citizen – barred from many clubhouses – to that of a celebrated sporting icon. Tiger is widely credited with transforming golfers into global megastars with the bank balances to match, but Hagen laid the groundwork decades earlier. Hagen brought publicity, prestige, and prize money into golf. He was the first golfer to amass a million dollars in career earnings. He played in five Ryder Cups and captained the United States team on six occasions. In 1974, he was posthumously and rightfully inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

An impressive résumé, by anyone’s standards.

But you can add another accolade to Hagen’s long list. He provided the inspiration for what may be the best golf day an amateur golfer can experience. And it all dates back to his first appearance in The Open Championship in 1920.

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Hagen’s famous practice round

Hagen had qualified for the 1920 Open Championship at Royal Cinque Ports – more familiarly known by its geographical name of ‘Deal’ – by going through qualifying rounds at Burhill and St George’s Hill. Already a two-time US Open champion, the New Yorker was excited to show British golf what he could do. There was only one problem: Hagen had no experience of links golf.

Determined not to let that deficiency compromise his pursuit of the Claret Jug, Hagen arrived early to familiarise himself with the conditions. Together with his friend and fellow major champion, Jim Barnes, he embarked on what would become perhaps the most legendary practice round in history – an odyssey across three of England’s finest courses.

In Hagen’s own words:

“Anyone who knows the coastal links in Kent, south-east of London, will remember there are three links, adjoining each other. Deal, the first; Sandwich directly east, known as the Royal St. George’s; then a little south of Sandwich and east lies Prince’s links.

“While we were in London for the 1920 British Open, Jim Barnes and I started one morning to play the three links as if they were one. After playing eleven holes on the Deal course, we hopped a fence over to Sandwich and played ten holes there, crossed to Prince’s links and completed all the holes there, coming back to the original starting place. We finished the remainder of the holes on the Sandwich and Deal layouts, ending up on the eighteenth at Deal.

“Scores? I’ve forgotten. We weren’t trying to break any records. We were just lucky to go that far. We did it for fun.”

Years later, the members of those three clubs formalised Hagen’s 54-hole adventure into an annual event – playing 18 holes on each course, in a single day – paying homage to Hagen’s remarkable feat.

It remains an experience like no other: the opportunity to traverse three Open Championship venues in one day, retracing the footsteps of one of golf’s original trailblazers.

But the ‘Hagen Hoof’, as it is known, has always remained the preserve of club members alone.

Thankfully, a new event – aptly named the Hagen 54 – now invites any golfer with sufficient stamina to attempt this extraordinary challenge.

What is the Hagen 54?

Following a welcome reception and barbecue the previous evening, participants set out for a sunrise shotgun start at 5:40am (a nod to the 54), fortified by a grab-and-go breakfast. Over the course of the day, they tackle 54 holes across Royal Cinque Ports, Royal St George’s, and Prince’s, in precisely the same sequence Hagen did in 1920.

Food and drink stations punctuate the course, offering respite and encouragement. And as the sun sets on this marathon of golf, players gather once more for an evening meal, to share stories from a day that is as much a test of spirit as of skill.

Playing the Hagen 54

What’s it really like to play three Open Championship courses in a single day? Here, the four members of our Hagen 54 group share their personal accounts.

If I’m completely honest, while I was excited about the Hagen 54, part of me was wishing the golf was split across three days. Of course, any day you get to play one of these three courses is going to be one of the better ones of the year – but wouldn’t all three in a day diminish rather than enhance the experience?

To me, it seemed like having a three-course meal at three fantastic restaurants back-to-back. Sure, by the end you still know it’s delicious, but you’d appreciate it far more at literally any other moment.

“If we’re staying the night before the golf, and the night of it, we could just play one round each day and savour them a lot more,” I’d said at the welcome dinner, in between mouthfuls of paella.

But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Normally, after 18 holes of golf, I’m ready for a drink and a quick nap. But as we finished the first 18 of the Hagen 54, I was barely getting started. The first 30 holes were easily the most I’ve enjoyed a round (well, almost two rounds) in years.

It was partly the quality of the golf courses. Partly the company. Partly the majesty of strolling across empty, dew-soaked fairways to play our opening tee shots lit by a glorious Kent coast sunrise. It was partly the camaraderie – everyone appreciating how fortunate we were to be there, but also knowing how tough it was likely to get towards the end.

But it was more than that. As an occasionally competent, always determined-to-improve golfer, something about the Hagen 54 was beautifully freeing. My sole objective was to get through 54 holes and enjoy the day.

Yes, I knew that scoring 100 points across the three rounds was an unofficial badge of honour, but I’d purposely set out to focus more on smiles than stableford points.

Before the event, I’d watched a video of the 2023 Hagen Hoof. The weather was horrendous all day. But what stood out to me most was the positivity from those taking part. After all, if you’re going to do something anyway, why not make the best of it?

It proved to be useful homework, as, after 30 holes of perfect conditions for our Hagen 54, the unpredictable British summer had its say.

I can’t pretend that positives-vibes-only spirit was obvious in our group for the whole six hours and 24 holes we spent getting soaked, with actual puddles in our “waterproof” golf shoes, watching another tee shot head miles offline while we struggled to hold on to a grip wetter than an otter’s pocket, but even in the tougher moments, I knew we’d be looking back on the day with great fondness.

As we finally holed out on the 54th green, it was hard to believe how far we’d come – literally and metaphorically – since that sunrise tee shot. My back ached, my hands were like prunes, but I couldn’t have been happier. Our scores were already forgotten – thanks to scorecards disintegrated by the rain and an increasing allegiance with Hagen’s “we did it for fun” approach – but we’d shared something I’ll remember longer than any single round. Even the worst swings and most undesirable conditions were part of a day that reminded me that golf isn’t about how well you play, but how much you can enjoy the challenge.

The next morning, despite my body reminding me quite how many shots I’d hit, I couldn’t help but smile. Playing the Hagen 54 didn’t just make me appreciate the three wonderful courses more – it made me appreciate why I love this game in the first place.

Rob McGarr

As someone who is an advocate for golf being 12 holes – by which I mean I’m often bored and tired and hungry after 12 holes – it’s amazing how many of these “challenges” I find myself caught up in.

I’ve done 72-hole and 100-hole days before, but there was something about this that really captured my imagination. The fact you play the courses the way Walter Hagen and Jim Barnes did all those years ago, the fact it’s three of the finest links in the country, and the fact it’s three venues that have hosted my favorite sporting event – it all adds up to the almost perfect golf day. (I say “almost”, simply because of the weather – but it’s all part of the fun, I suppose.)

Funny how we’re all happy to get out of bed at 4am for things like this, isn’t it? I would have got up and done it all the next day, if I had dried off in time.

Alex Perry

Working in this industry for more than 15 years has given me plenty of “pinch me” moments, but few will top playing three Open courses in one day. Standing on the 1st tee at Prince’s with close friends as the sun rose over the sea, I felt like a kid again – excited, carefree… but quietly wondering how my back and swing would cope.

We traced the footsteps (if not the shots) of golfing greats, and for 30 holes, it was magical. The final 24 brought biblical rain, driving wind, and very wet underwear… the full links experience!

Had Hagen and Barnes faced such conditions, they might have swapped their quest for a dry clubhouse and a whisky. Thankfully, they completed their odyssey, giving us the chance to do the same, and despite being soaked to the skin and holding a scorecard that resembled papier-mâché, I loved every minute. While we floundered in the rain, the courses flourished, and if anything, the conditions made it even more memorable (and proved that a lot of waterproofs are, in fact, not).

The highs – brilliant shots, birdies, 7am beers – far outweighed the squelching shoes, slices, and shanks. Above all (apart from lost balls) was the laughter. The kind born from shared struggle, mild delirium, and knowing you’re part of something very special.

Roll on next year… my shoes should be dry by then.

Rob Jerram

Playing any golf course that’s steeped in history is always a pleasure, so having the chance to play three in one day can only be described as a privilege. It’s fantastic to be able to play such outstanding golf courses in one day, and to play them in the same way Walter Hagen did in 1920 makes it extra special – you’re literally following in the footsteps of one of the greatest golfers of all time.

My golf definitely wasn’t of the same standard as the 11-time major champion’s would have been, but I didn’t let that dampen my spirits – not even the torrential rain could do that! We started on what would have been Hagen’s 26th hole (the 4th on the Himalayas Course at Princes) and it meant we were playing with the good weather until we reached the 2nd hole at Royal Cinque Ports (our 31st hole).

Pretty soon after we turned back to make the long walk back towards Princes, through Royal St Georges, the heavens opened and the wind was blowing directly into our faces. With the prospect of playing more than a round of golf in the wind and rain, the magnificence of the event prevailed, and it definitely helped power us home.

The main message we received before teeing off and embarking on a 54-hole mission was to have fun, and we definitely did.

James Hogg

Want to play in the Hagen 54?

The Hagen 54 is an annual event. You can enter next year’s edition here.

Entering as a fourball team is encouraged – and a safer bet, considering you’ll be spending a lot of time with your three playing partners – but entries for solo players or smaller groups are also possible.

You can hire a caddie for the day and trolleys are allowed.

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