Countries · MONGOLIA · 18 HOLES · PAR 11,880

One man golfed across Mongolia.

In 2003 and 2004 André Tolme, an American civil engineer, golfed about 2,000 km across Mongolia with a three iron, from Choibalsan in the east to Khovd in the west: 18 holes, par 11,880. He lost 509 balls and finished 290 over par.

The one to remember

Golf across Mongolia: 18 holes, par 11,880, 290 over.

Facts and sources

  • André Tolme teed off in Choibalsan, eastern Mongolia, in June 2003 and finished in Khovd, in the west, on 10 July 2004. He split the route into 18 holes, each ending in a town: 1,985 km (1,234 miles) on his scorecard.
  • Par for his course was 11,880. He took 12,170 shots, 290 over par, and lost 509 balls (his scorecard, NPR, AP).
  • He played with a 3-iron. In 2003 he pulled his tent and balls in a small cart bought for about $15 in Ulaanbaatar's market; later a caddie's Russian jeep carried the supplies.
  • In 2003, after nine holes and nearly 1,000 km, a wet summer's knee-high weeds stopped him. He came back in late May 2004 and played the last nine holes over mountain passes and along the edge of the Gobi.
  • On the 18th hole, par 508, he took 506 shots: an eagle.

Illustration: the landscapes, the people, animals and vehicles, the swing and the ball's flight, the golden eagle and the weather are drawn to tell the story, not recorded. The map uses Natural Earth borders; the gold route through Choibalsan, Öndörkhaan, Ulaanbaatar, Arvaikheer, Bayankhongor and Altai to Khovd follows Tolme's course map only roughly, and its 18 flags are spaced by the hole lengths on his scorecard. The cart is from the first summer; from the seventh hole on a caddie's jeep carried his supplies.

Sources

  1. Scorecard · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  2. Golf Mongolia (home page) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  3. About Andre Tolme and Golf Mongolia (FAQ) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  4. Hole 1: A Mighty Wind (progress report) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  5. Hole 2 (progress report) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  6. Hole #3: Golf Mongolia has wheels (progress report) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  7. Hole 5 (progress report) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  8. In the Rough (update, 4 September 2003) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  9. Update from Russia (17 May 2004) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  10. Hole 11 (progress report) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  11. Hole 12: Fate says Chigeeree (progress report) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  12. Hole 18 (progress report) · Golf Mongolia (André Tolme's expedition site) checked 11 October 2026
  13. Golfing Across Mongolia (All Things Considered, 1 October 2003) · NPR (Robert Siegel) checked 11 October 2026
  14. Golfer Returns from Playing Across Mongolia (All Things Considered, 21 July 2004) · NPR (Melissa Block) checked 11 October 2026
  15. Course: Mongolia. Par: 11,880 · The Associated Press, via the Lawrence Journal-World (28 July 2004) checked 11 October 2026
  16. Golfing Mongolia (The New York Times, 4 July 2004), as reproduced on the expedition site · The New York Times (James Brooke) checked 11 October 2026
  17. One steppe at a time (The Times, 26 July 2003), as reproduced on the expedition site · The Times, London (Clem Cecil) checked 11 October 2026
  18. A fairway stretching as far as he can see (Concord Monitor, 24 July 2003), as reproduced on the expedition site · Concord Monitor (Kristin Proulx) checked 11 October 2026

The narration is AI-generated. Sources last checked 11 October 2026.

Script

In 2003, one man set out to play golf across Mongolia. André Tolme, an American engineer, teed off in Choibalsan, in the east, bound for Khovd in the far west. He split the route, about 2,000 kilometers long, into 18 holes, each ending in a town. Par for the course was 11,880. He played with a three iron, and at first pulled his tent and hundreds of balls in a small cart. Herding families often asked him in for hot, milky tea, and sometimes vodka. After nearly 1,000 kilometers, knee high weeds stopped him. The next spring he played on, over mountain passes and along the edge of the Gobi. Along the way, he lost 509 balls. He reached Khovd on July 10, 2004, after 12,170 shots. That's 290 over par. On the last hole, he made an eagle.