Wisconsin Life

– Angela Fitzgerald: Tee off at Norsk Golf Club in Mount Horeb and there's a good chance of crossing cart paths with Nolan Krentz.

– Nolan Krentz: When I was six or seven, Mom got us into junior lessons out here, and basically been playing out here ever since, 25 years or so.

- He's the Mount Horeb High School golf coach, but he also spends most of his free time in the fairway.

[whoosh, clank] Get up there.

I play all seasons.

I mean, I'll play basically February to December.

– Angela: It's safe to say Nolan plays a lot of golf.

A lot of golf... [powerful swings] - Nolan: 250, 275 days of the year probably, I'm stepping foot on a golf course, yep.

- A few years ago, he set a goal, [magical sparkle] play 10,000 holes in a year.

His drive only increased from there.

[whoosh, metallic plink] - You know, if you got 10,000 holes one year, your goal is to get 10,001 the next year.

[club pings ball, ball rattles in hole] - 10,000 [magical sparkle] led to 12,000.

Then, during the pandemic, he already had the perfect hobby to pass the time.

He played more than 17,000 holes in both 2020 and 2021.

- And then, it got to be where I really wanted to get to 18,000 that year in 2022.

[gentle clack] - Angela: 18,000 holes.

That's almost 50 holes a day.

But this is Wisconsin, and to make up for all the time lost to the weather, Nolan often played 72 holes a day.

- Definitely not going full out on every swing.

You're kind of, you know, saving yourself, saving energy.

I'm not maxed going out all the time, so that helps me hit the ball a little straighter.

[high-pitched metallic bing] - It also helps that he's a good player and he plays fast.

[hits ball hard] - All right.

- It takes him about 45 minutes to play the nine-hole course.

He never has to think long about his next shot.

– Nolan: More than likely or not, I've been there before.

Maybe even that day I've been in that spot.

That's why I'm able to pick a club so quickly, and basically, just hit a shot from there.

[quick hit] - Angela: Why does he do this?

It provides peace, quiet, and focus.

- Yeah, I think for me it's, you know, some sort of self-fulfillment.

You know, you have a couple hours where you are just, you're in your own, you know, you're focused just on what you're doing.

Oh, we did get her.

- The Wisconsin State Golf Association presents Nolan Krentz with this... - That's why, in 2022, he set an unofficial world record for number of golf holes played in a single year.

– Nolan: 18,018.

So, it's a good number to finish on and remember.

18,018.

[thwack] - Nolan's still busy chasing birdies, but these days, coaching and teaching take more of his time.

So, for now, a bigger number will have to wait.

Until then, the sight of Nolan walking around Norsk will always be par for the course.

– Nolan: I think it's definitely, safe to say, it's definitely a passion, definitely a driving force, an integral part of my life on a day-to-day basis.

So, yeah, kind of a theme every year, basically, is play until snow is on the ground.

[metallic clink]