Two good pals powered through 15 hours of golf recently to raise money for, and awareness of, a leading prostate cancer charity.

Bobby McLatchie and Steven Dodds took the marathon challenge of four full rounds of golf in a single day last Monday (July 18), after reading new statistics reporting that every day, there are around 140 new prostate cancer cases in the UK.

So far they have raised nearly £500 for Prostate Cancer UK through an online fund-raiser, with proceeds from a raffle organised by Bobby’s wife Louise on top of that.

“The support has been unreal,” Bobby said.

“It’s actually quite emotional to think about. The support from local businesses has been amazing.”

Setting off from the first tee at Ballochmyle Golf Club, where both are members, at 6.28am, the pair sank their final putt at 9.36pm – amid some of the highest temperatures of the year.

“The first two rounds we were joking saying ‘we could do this all day’,” Bobby added, “but as the sun got higher and the temperature rose to high 20s and low 30s, we started to feel it.

“By the end of the second round we were still ok. We were perked up by the arrival of my wife and kids and Steven’s girlfriend who walked a bit with us.

“By the halfway point of the third round we were feeling it.

“My back was so stiff and Steven’s knees were quitting on him. We were still trying to play our best so we battled through the third round but by the fourth it was hard to put one foot in front of the other.

“We were lucky that because we are such good pals we were able to laugh at each other’s misfortune. Teamwork 100 per cent got us through in the end.”

Their tiredness on the last round didn’t stop Bobby and Steven shooting respectable final rounds of 77 and 79.

But as the door closed on one incredible challenge, the idea of taking on another one in the future came into focus for the pair.

Bobby said: “Originally we were like ‘not a chance are we going to do that again’, but we’ve since recovered and the plan is to do something mental each year to raise money for charity.

“Be it a marathon, a golf challenge or anything, we will be trying to raise money for a good cause.

“We both are very lucky to be happy and healthy with an amazing family each. Some aren’t so lucky and we feel we should give back for that.

“My wife, Louise, has been an absolute gem. She organised the raffle and made sure everything was ready for us. She brought us over lunch and sweets to keep us going during the day.

“Steven’s girlfriend Danielle gave us amazing support by walking a couple of rounds and bringing us cold water and juice when the sun was at its warmest.

“We both feel very lucky to have such an amazing support system.”

The pair can now enjoy a well-earned rest, safe in the knowledge that they’ve completed an incredible challenge for an incredible cause, and now they can turn their attention to the next mammoth task.

You can support Bobby and Steven’s challenge by donating here.