![]() ![]() It gives him a feeling every hacker would love to have. When club meets ball there is an explosion and the ball starts climbing in the air like a little white rocket launched – and then lost – in space. Then he pulls out the driver he uses in competition on the Long Drive Tour – the XR16. He moves on to what he calls his “practice driver” and there is more sound and more distance on the ball. But he’s just getting started, just getting loose. When he begins his practice session at Vantage Point Golf Center in Cordova, he warms up with driving irons and even then his power is evident. Hogue has the look that every hacker would love to have standing at the tee box of his local golf club. A former baseball player at Austin Peay State, he has taken his baseball swing and fashioned it into a powerful long-drive golf swing. You’re guaranteed to pick up yardage doing that.Germantown firefighter Will Hogue is sitting atop the Long Drive Tour rankings. The question that Gorton has heard most often is this: “How do I hit my drives longer?” If you really concentrate, it kind of occupies your mind.” A lot of times, it’s a full shoulder turn. It may sound simple, but so many golfers don’t do it – they have way too many swing thoughts. He said work on one thing, just have one swing thought when you’re up there on the tee. Here is a swing tip from Gorton: “I learned this a long time ago, It came from Mike Dunaway (one of the first long-drive competitors). “Long drivers have to be straighter than average golfers,” he concluded. “If I hit it 350 yards off the tee, and I’m two degrees open, I’m in somebody’s house. “If an average golfer hits it 250 yards off the tee, and he’s two degrees open (at impact), he’s in the rough,” he said. Then Gorton talked about the challenges facing a long driver. I believe very much in being solid at impact. “I’m proud that I’ve been a low handicapper for a long time. There is no way to hit these long drives without making solid contact with the ball. “They think the sport is full of bodybuilder animals who are able to hit the golf ball so far because they are so large. “So many people have a misconception about long driving,” he said. He loves to talk about the necessary ingredients for becoming a successful long driver. Gorton is known for his smooth, rhythmic golf swing. If he could hit it straight, it would have been game over. He made Davis Love look like Cristie Kerr. People were rolling around on the ground with laughter.”Īrt Sellinger, chief executive officer of the Long Drivers of America, said of Latham, “He was 6-foot-9, and he was incredibly long. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen. He’s getting ready to hit, and suddenly the same horse makes a noise, rares up, and runs away before Latham has a chance to hit. It flies off the property and into a pasture. So he hits one that starts flying about 150 yards straight right. He could hit the ball a country mile, but he also could hit it sideways more than anybody I knew. “We’re at a long-drive event, and Latham is on the tee. “Bobby Wilson (another long drive legend) was there. “This is the honest to God’s truth,” Gorton said. Reflecting on the old days, Gorton told a story about Long John Latham. “Nobody else has won those three, and I’m proud of that,” Gorton said.Ī few decades ago, long driving was much less formal than it is now. He won the Open Division in 1987 when it was called the National World Long Drive Championship, and he later captured the Senior Division and Super Senior Division after RE/MAX took over as primary sponsor. Some of his current clients include Volvik golf balls, Ogio travel gear and clothing, the Golf Swing Shirt training aid, Pure grips and Barber Pole putters.Įvery year he competes in the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship. For 30 years he has worked in the golf industry, the last 15 years as an independent sales representative. There is nobody who loves golf in general and long driving in particular more than Mike Gorton. ![]() To celebrate the event, which attracts hundreds of golfers from dozens of countries, Golfweek is compiling a series of profiles of prominent long-drive participants who helped shape the sport. 18 in Mesquite, Nev., and will finish with the Open Division finals Oct. Top 50 Modern Courses in Great Britain & IrelandĮditor’s note: The Re/Max World Long Drive Championship started Sept.Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain & Ireland.Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America. ![]()
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