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Avid Loudoun County golfer makes goal to play 365 rounds in 1 year

Rob Tidgewell, 62, wanted to make the most of his retirement, so playing golf was the answer

LEESBURG, Va. — On the final day of 2017, 62-year-old Rob Tidgewell said he didn’t want to work anymore.

The former sales director for a major health insurer had just paid off his son Connor’s college tuition and wanted to enjoy the retired life.

Tidgewell’s father life was cut short. He died two years post retirement at 72, so retirement was something Tidgewell said he wanted to have time to enjoy.

Tidgewell, a member at River Creek Club in Leesburg, Va., was playing a round of golf on Jan. 1, 2018 in freezing degree temperatures and with snow on the ground, when he came up with an idea.

Credit: Rob Tidgewell
Rob Tidgewell on the first day of his journey to play 365 holes of golf in 2018.

He wanted to play 350 rounds of golf in one year, but that number would later increase after he was challenged.

"A friend of my wife said, 'Why 350? (The) 365 is much better number. I looked at my wife. She was shaking her head and rolling her eyes and said, 'Do what you want.' I said, 'OK, 365 is the number," Tidgewell said.

Tidgewell played at least a round of golf on 100 different courses in six different countries, including Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the United States. He can recite every course name -- all 100 of them.

He played multiple rounds of golf on 64 different days. While in Scotland, he played 43 rounds in 27 days and played 60 out of the 61 days in the month of April and May.

The avid golfer also keeps his own score, referring to a spreadsheet that list every round, course, date, score, including how many birdies and eagles he shot -- 72 birdies and 0 eagles.

On May 12 Tidgewell had to be talked out of playing golf. It was his son’s graduation from Christopher Newport University.

"I was talking to my wife about playing, asking, 'How am I going to golf today?'" Tidgewell said. "She said, 'You’re not playing.'"

On Dec. 23, with eight days to spare, 24 of Tidgewell’s friends teed off on round No. 365.

Credit: Rob Tidgewell
Rob Tidgewell fulfills his goal to play 365 rounds of golf in one year.

"It was 37 degrees. Everyone had their ski hats on, mittens on and layers on, couple bottles of champagne and whisky so that kind of helped," Tidgewell said.

Tidgewell was the last to finish. He shot a 78. Rob took a picture with family and friends to celebrate.

"365 was about a goal. If you don’t have a goal, why try?" Tidgewell said. 

Tidgewell plans to continue golfing in 2019.

"That's the question everyone keeps asking me. Maybe I go for 365, maybe 400," Tidgewell said.

As of Jan. 10, Tidgewell has played seven rounds of golf this year. He only played two rounds at this time last year.

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