On May 13th, Chad Fribley, PGA, and Tasha Garma took on the challenge at Persimmon Country Club to set a new world record for the most birdies in 12 hours. While the record remained unbroken, their incredible effort was far from in vain.
Chad played an astonishing 187 holes and scored 48 birdies, while Tasha completed 167 holes with 20 birdies. Their relentless enthusiasm and dedication throughout the day were nothing short of inspiring.
Most importantly, their marathon day on the greens wasn’t just about setting records; it was about giving back. Together, they raised $1,200 for Oregon Junior Golf, contributing to the development and support of young golfers in our community.
This month, we interviewed Chad Fribley to learn more about him. He is the Director of Instruction at Chad Fribley Golf at Persimmon CC. He is going through the PGM program for the third time, having previously left the business to pursue playing full-time. He has been back in the program for just over a year.
Hometown: Tualatin, Oregon
How did you get into golf as a career?
I got into golf as a career because I have always had a huge passion for the game. When it came time to graduate from high school, my parents found out about the PGM program being offered at a few colleges in 1994. So I decided to attend NMSU as they had the best weather and were the farthest west program at the time. From there, I started to expand my experience working in the industry through the various internships I completed for the program.
Who were your mentors?
My father was a huge influence on me. He was the one who introduced me to the game and largely showed me how to conduct myself, not just on the golf course, but in life. At this point in my life, I have been able to work with some great PGA professionals and teaching professionals who have all contributed to my experience. I have also had some not-so-good people to work for, and they showed me the type of person I did not want to be.
How did you prepare physically and mentally to play 187 holes of golf in 12 hours?
To prepare for this record attempt, I spent the last year working with Diana Del Garbino, a physical trainer, to gain strength and endurance. Without her help, I would not have physically been able to make this attempt. Mentally, I relied on my experience from playing mini tours for 10 years. This is one of those rare times in life where I was able to use knowledge gained from my past and put it to work in the future.
What was going through your mind during the marathon?
During the 12 hours and 187 holes, there were a lot of thoughts going through my mind. The first was thinking about what a cool experience this was. I have done the 100 holes fundraiser in the past, and this was just on a whole new level. After about the third round, I really started to grasp the idea of what an accomplishment the current record of 93 birdies is. To be able to make that many birdies and maintain the pace for 12 hours is truly amazing! In the end, I am so glad we did this. I am super happy that I stuck it out and finished the full 12 hours, even though I knew many hours ahead of time that I would not get the record. I hope that this event will help to inspire not just my own kids but also other golfers in the Oregon area.
How did you and Tasha support each other during the marathon?
During the event, Tasha and I were more of a mutual support team. We each spent the day playing separately, but we did have support people with us tracking our birdies and taking videos of the attempts. It would have been great to play together, but she knew that I was going to be moving a bit faster, and she did not want to hold me up.
Do you think you’ll try to break the world record in the future?
I would definitely contemplate trying this record again, but I really need to figure out a way to get more holes in. On paper, my original plan was to try and play 14 rounds to have a shot. But once I got through the first three rounds, I knew that I would not be able to maintain the pace necessary to get that many rounds in. So I have to spend some time trying to find ways to move faster through Persimmon CC or possibly find a different course with a faster layout. The more likely scenario is that I am already eyeing a handful of other records to attempt next year and just make the whole thing a much bigger production with more people making attempts and ultimately generating more money for charity.
The real winner of the challenge was Oregon Junior Golf. What does this organization mean to you personally?
You are correct that Oregon Junior Golf was the real winner in this event. In the end, we were able to donate over $5,000 to help junior golfers in Oregon. For me, I have been wanting to help Oregon Junior Golf for a long time. I grew up in the Oregon Junior Golf system, playing summer tournaments from age 8 to 18. After I finished college, my father, Phil Fribley, spent more than 20 years as an OGA volunteer until his passing seven years ago. Since his passing, I have been trying to come up with unique event ideas that could generate money to help OGA Junior Golf and allow me to start giving back to an organization that really helped with my foundation in the game of golf.