Ready, steady, tee off! Players pick up the pace in speedgolf (Reuters)

(Reuters) - The sound of a whistle signals the start of the race, and Rob Hogan sprints toward the first of 18 legs in his contest: a golf tee. He takes a quick look at the fairway, then hits a drive, grabs his bag and runs toward his next shot, a process he repeats until he makes it the green.

A game of 18 holes would usually take golfers about four hours. Hogan's round of 82 strokes lasted just 36 minutes and 59 seconds, retaining his title in a somewhat unusual contest -- the British Open Speedgolf Championships.

A golf club is southern England hosted the competition at the weekend, drawing both men and women. The players began individually at intervals, carried a maximum seven clubs and…