Millersburg golfer maintains 11-year streak

It was late January when a snowstorm the likes of few others ravaged Holmes County and most of Ohio. Holmes County saw close to 14 inches of snow pile up, and for most people, thoughts turned to questions like “can I get to work,” “will the electricity stay on” or “how long will we be off school?”

Others simply watched the snowfall through the comfort of their homes and thought, “How beautiful this looks,” as the fire roared in the fireplace.

Brent Hofstetter had a more unique thought in mind. As the snow hammered the county, his thought was, “Will I be able to get in a round of golf at Fire Ridge Golf Course in February?”

For the past 11 years, Hofstetter, a native of Millersburg, has played at least one round of golf every month at the local golf course, sometimes braving cold temperatures to do so.

He added this one addendum to the streak: “The streak only counts if it’s played around here somewhere,” he said. “Anyone can go to Florida and play golf.”

As the snow settled in and remained in place for the first half of February, his doubts about whether his streak would continue grew. Then suddenly, an unusually lengthy warm stretch hit town, and the snow disappeared, almost overnight.

Then on Friday, Feb. 20 on a sunshine-filled morning, he hit the links and the streak rolled on.

“The streak started in March of 2015,” Hofstetter said. “So this February makes it exactly 11 years since I began the streak. I assumed it would stop in a year or two, but it has just managed to keep going.”

Hofstetter said that year he played throughout the rest of 2015 and managed to play during decent weather during January and February, and the thought entered his mind: Was this something he could continue to do, and if so, for how long?

The answer thus far has been yes, and as for the how long, only time will tell.

“There have been some unpleasant rounds where I just had to push through and get it done,” Hofstetter said. “I’ve been lucky because there have been times during winter where there have been months where snow has been on the ground but not a calendar month.”

The years became the streak as 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 fell in line, but Hofstetter said it means nothing to everyone else, even his wife.

“Nobody cares about this thing but me,” Hofstetter said. “Not even my wife Jenny cares about it. She just rolls her eyes when I tell her I got a month taken care of.”

The early 2020s soon were in the books, leading to this recent storm of 2026. Hofstetter felt certain this snow would remain in place and stop the streak, but warm weather intervened and gave the streak a chance.

“December has never been an issue throughout the streak,” Hofstetter said. “January and February are always the challenge. Sometimes you simply have to seize the day when the opportunity arises.”

January of this year proved to be a unique story. The Hofstetters were slated to attend a nephew’s wedding in Western Ohio Jan. 8-9, which just happened to be the warmest two days of the month. Prior to driving out west on Jan. 8, Hofstetter got in his round right before they left, a round he finished off in a mere 29 minutes.

“We were leaving at 12:30 to drive down, and at 11 a.m. I was done at work and realized it was possible to get a round in,” Hofstetter said.

There were no practice swings. He at times putted with a wedge and admitted there were times when the golf cart had barely stopped before he rushed out to hit a shot, but he got his round in, and he said that turned out to be the only time he could have played in January.

“Fastest round I’ve ever played, and I was home before my wife came home from work, and we left on time,” Hofstetter said.

Of course, telling her the story resulted in the rolling of eyes.

Hofstetter said the streak has gotten to the point where a good number of people know about it and inquire as to whether he was able to get his monthly round in.

“I know the streak will end sometime; it’s not going to go on forever,” Hofstetter said. “But for now, it’s just a strange but fun challenge. It’s not a source of pride for anyone else but me.”

How long will this unique challenge go on? Time will tell, but for now, Hofstetter has made it through the challenge of 2026’s snowstorm and is safely on to year 11.