Lauren Cupp competes in the U.S. Speedgolf Open at Temecula Creek Golf Club in southern California on July 26, 2026 on the way to her sixth title.
Provided by Paris Photography
When Lauren Cupp of Yahnundasis Golf Club cruised to victory at Pinehaven on July 21 in the NYS Mid-Amateur Championship, it was just the beginning of a marathon week for the athlete, coach and mother.
“I always put a lot of importance on the Mid-Amateur, state titles are pretty cool, so I was very excited about that. But I went right from Pinehaven to Utica Hospital. My 5-year-old broke her leg,” Cupp said in a phone interview.
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Her daughter’s trampoline park injury left the Cupp family scrambling. The entire clan was scheduled to leave in a few days for California where Lauren, her husband and two of her children were scheduled to compete in the U.S. Speedgolf Open at Temecula Creek Golf Club in southern California. The trip went on as scheduled, despite the mishap.
“My parents were nice enough to take care of poor Ellie at home,” Cupp said.
Her husband Wes Cupp, their 12-year-old daughter Leslie and 9-year-old Teddy made the trip with the Cupp family’s newest arrival, 1-year-old Natalie in tow.
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Lauren Cupp finished off the whirlwind week by winning her sixth U.S. Open Speedgolf title to qualify for and represent Team USA in the Speedgolf World Championships Nov. 3-6 in Auckland, New Zealand at Whitford Park Golf Course.
In Speedgolf, scores are calculated based on their total shots and how much time it takes the player to run the course.
In the U.S. Open, Cupp followed her opening-round 10-over 82 and finished in 63 minutes, 20 seconds on Saturday with an 83 in 60:57. Her two-round total score of 289:17 easily outdistanced the second-place finisher, who scored 314.
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Cupp is thankful for her children’s new interest in playing golf as one of their many sports-related activities, all of which have the family constantly on the run. As a coach of Hamilton College’s men’s and women’s golf teams, she’s an advocate of both the traditional sport and Speedgolf. She and Wes are owners of the semi-private Rome Country Club, where they run various programs to support the game.
Lauren Cupp competes in the U.S. Speedgolf Open at Temecula Creek Golf Club in southern California on July 26, 2026 on the way to her sixth title. Her husband Wes Cupp, a former champion, finished eighth in the Men’s Open Division. Their children Teddy Cupp finished runner-up in the Junior 8-10 Division and Leslie Cupp was among the top-six participants in the Junior 11-14 Division.
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She was a three-sport athlete at Hamilton, graduating in 2007. When we talked, she had just finished a lengthy call with a potential recruit.
At the Speedgolf championships, Teddy Cupp finished runner-up in the Junior 8-10 Division and Leslie Cupp was among the top-six participants in the Junior 11-14 Division. Wes Cupp, a former champion, finished eighth in the Men’s Open Division.
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“This summer both kids have gotten into golf, which makes me so happy because last summer they just wanted nothing to do with it,” Lauren Cupp said. “But all of a sudden they’re into it and they’ve totally caught the bug. So we’re out there every day and we’re even building a putting green in our front yard.”
She started playing Speedgolf when she was hired at Hamilton, which coincided with having her first child. The availability of time to play and exercise was limited, so she improvised.
“I put Leslie in the stroller and I’d run with her in between shots to get my workout and my golf in and not have her in the stroller for too long,” she said.
Then, she saw a clip of athletes playing Speedgolf on ESPN.
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“I was like, ‘Wow, this is a real sport. I do this already,’” she said. “That’s why I’ve continued to do it, it fits perfectly in our busy lifestyle. It’s also given me a lot of really cool opportunities too, to travel the world.”
Lauren Cupp won the U.S. Speedgolf Open at Temecula Creek Golf Club in southern California on July 26, 2026. It was her sixth title in the event.
Provided by Paris Photography
Two years ago, Speedgolf took her to Japan. She has promoted Speedgolf at tournaments at Pebble Beach and the PGA Show. She was filmed at Rome Country Club for a feature on “CBS Sunday Morning” and her Speedgolf prowess has been the subject of articles in the Wall Street Journal, Golfweek and other publications. The Cupps are hosting a Speedgolf event at their club on Aug. 24.
Meanwhile, she still relishes the opportunities to compete in traditional state, regional and local golf championships.
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The state championship at Pinehaven followed her runner-up finish at the NYSGA women’s four-ball championship at Leatherstocking in early June. She and her partner Pennie Carlo of Kanon Valley lost on the final holes to Capital Region collegiate players Jane Fanning and Dannah Smith.
The win was her second in the Mid-Amateur, with her first coming in 2017 at Schuyler Meadows Club.
“When I won (the Mid-Amateur) in 2017, I thought that was going to be the first of many, more recently I started thinking it was going to be the only one,” Cupp said. “This feels pretty sweet.”
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