Patrick Koenig is living every golfer’s dream.

As of Oct. 20, the native of Seattle, WA has played 453 rounds of golf in 2023. The accomplishment is not only the envy of the weekend golfer but is also legendary.

Two days prior Koenig carded his 450^th round at The Golf Club at Omni Interlocken Hotel in Broomfield which “unofficially” broke the Guiness World Records for most 18 hole golf courses played in a year, a mark currently held by Cathie and Jonathan Weaver of Canada. (Guiness still needs to verify Koenig’s rounds to officially declare him the record holder.)

“That was the coolest thing,” Koenig said about concluding the round at Omni Interlocken. His first round occurred at Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, CA in January. 

Upon holing out on the 18^th hole at Omni for an 83, the one-handicapper was bombarded with water balloons from his friends. “Thank you to everyone who supported my dream and was a part of this world record,” Koenig, a professional golf photographer, wrote on an Instagram post that has over 105,000 followers. “We have accomplished what no golfer has ever done before. 450 golf courses in 287 days. Tomorrow…more golf.”

And that’s where Pelican Lakes and its sister course, RainDance National Resort & Golf, both in Windsor, CO, fit in.

On Oct. 19, Koenig, and friend Eric Hoskinson, tackled Pelican Lakes in the morning and RainDance National in the afternoon. “I’m just along for the ride,” said Hoskinson, an event specialist at Fun Golf Vacations in Palm Springs, CA. “My first round is when he broke the record.”

Koenig tries to line up friends to play with him, but oftentimes he teed it up solo.

“I’ve played by myself a good amount, which is fun,” he said. “It’s kind of like my church. I’m able to just do my thing, especially if I’m first out.

“After the record day we had media and were filming non-stop and people were like ‘Patrick, Patrick, Patrick,’ which is cool to be the center of attention, but at the end of it, it’s exhausting. I’m feeling recharged a little bit. I’m back to increasing the lead (on Oct. 19).”

His playing partners have varied from club members like Ron and Sue Bowen at Pelican Lakes, to 2003 Masters runner-up Len Mattiace.

“I played TPC Sawgrass (in Florida) with Len. He’s a great dude,” Koenig said. “He lost to Mike Weir in a playoff at the Masters after shooting 65 the final day and told me some insane stories about that tournament. He was telling me what I was doing was the coolest thing and came out for my finale and played with me at another course in Detroit.”

Koenig has played golf in 40 states and three countries (US, Finland, and Sweden) and when he’s stateside he travels in a custom-wrapped RV plastered with his company’s branding, the RGV Tour. Inside the RV, which surprisingly had only logged 20,000 miles, is a golf shrine. It features hundreds, if not thousands, of golf course trinkets from ball marks to flags to bottle openers, and inside a cabinet he stores his “box-o-scorecards.”

When the writer of this blog entered the golf-man-cave-RV, Koenig insisted he sign the “Imperial Scrolls of Golf History,” a notebook for “everybody who makes a positive impact on this tour is allowed to sign this.” Koenig also allowed the writer to place a Pelican Lakes ball mark on the RV wall using double-sided tape, right next to course #451, Blackstone Black Bear in Parker, CO and said, “Pelican Lakes is the 452^nd course, which will be a new world record, until I play RainDance and the new world record will be 453.”

Koenig tracks all his rounds on the Golf GameBook app, whose marketing is displayed on his RV, and posted a six-bogey round of 78 at Pelican Lakes. Hoskinson would probably rather not have his round shared, (which was…don’t tell anyone…an 89), but mentioned in the messaging section of his round on the app that he’s “saving all my strokes for RainDance.”

Justin Carlock, a Windsor High School graduate, and assistant golf professional at Pelican Lakes, joined Koenig and Hoskinson at RainDance National for round #453. For those keeping score, Carlock won the round with a one-over 73 while Koenig shot 79 and Hoskinson…you’ll have to check the app to see his score. (Jokes.)

Patrick was kind enough to provide a review of both courses. We feel his feedback is valid, considering he’s played more golf in a year than the average golfer has in five years.

This is what he said about Pelican Lakes: “The golf course lives up to its name with plenty of pelicans and plenty of lakes. Precision is required throughout the round if you are looking to score well. Despite the record amount of shoreline, you can avoid most water hazards with some careful course management.”

And here’s his thoughts on RainDance National: “A plethora of spectacular views and unique golf holes. The arroyos and canyon edges give the golf course a scenic advantage and the rolling terrain make the golf course a lot of fun to play.”

The entire golf staff at The Water Valley Company is proud and flattered Koenig included our two amazing golf courses in his record-breaking quest.

Patrick, we will always have a spot for your RV anytime you’re in the area.