So the Remax Long Drive Event is on again for 2015!!!!!

[Bimmer1]

40TH WORLD LONG DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS AND CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS LIVE IN PRIMETIME ON GOLF CHANNEL ON OCT. 20 AND 21 FROM WINSTAR WORLD CASINO AND RESORT

 

New Match-Play Format for Men's Open Championship Division to Feature a $250,000 Purse

 

ORLANDO, Fla., (Aug. 6, 2015) - Golf Channel and the Long Drivers of America (LDA) announced today that live coverage of the 2015 World Long Drive Championship - celebrating its 40th anniversary - will expand to two nights, airing the semifinals on Tuesday, Oct. 20 and the championship finals on Wednesday, Oct. 21, both in primetime.

 

The 2015 World Long Drive Championship will take place Wednesday, Oct. 14-Wednesday, Oct. 21 at WinStar World Casino and Resort, located north of Dallas in Thackerville, Okla. Since 1975, the World Long Drive Championship has been held each year to crown the longest golfer on earth. The 2015 Championship also will introduce a new match-play format, with the men's open championship division competing for the coveted World Long Drive Championship belt and a $250,000 purse.

 

"The mesmerizing drives these athletes hit make for incredible television. We look forward to showcasing one of the most exciting aspects of the game and telling the stories of these big hitters at the World Long Drive Championship in October," said Tom Knapp, Golf Channel senior vice president of programming.

 

"Having the world's largest casino host the longest hitters from across the globe will prove to be a fantastic partnership," said Art Sellinger, LDA owner and chief executive officer. "I'm thrilled that the team at WinStar is taking so much pride in producing a world-class grid for our competitors as they will be featured two consecutive nights in primetime on Golf Channel."

 

"Hosting this championship event is a natural way to expand the existing relationship between WinStar World Casino and Resort and LDA," said Wayne McCormick, casino general manager. "This is the perfect opportunity to showcase WinStar's golf facilities as well as our total entertainment experience to a high-caliber, national audience."

 

Golf Channel's expanded coverage of the World Long Drive Championship also will include news and highlights of the qualifying round, Oct. 14-19, leading up to the live coverage under the lights on Oct. 20 and 21 on the specially designed 475-yard long drive championship grid at WinStar Golf Course.

 

The World Long Drive Championship offers sports fans a chance to witness competitors who generate mammoth swing speeds of 150 mph and ball speeds of 220 mph. In comparison, the highest average swing speed on the PGA TOUR in 2014 was 123 mph, generated by Bubba Watson. Long Drive athletes train and prepare year-round for the chance to take a swing at becoming the World Long Drive Champion, through specialized training to generate maximum ball and swing speeds, and focusing solely on maximizing distance during competition. Tim Burke (Orlando, Fla.), 2013 World Long Drive Champion, holds the record for the longest drive in championship history with a drive of 427 yards.

 

Jeff Flagg (Pelham, Ala.), a former first baseman with the New York Mets minor league organization who played collegiate baseball at Mississippi State University, captured the 2014 World Long Drive Championship title and the coveted championship belt by a mere 13 inches over professional golfer Jeff Crittenden (43, Greensboro, N.C.). When both competitors hit drives that measured 365 yards, Flagg's 13 extra inches proved to be the shortest margin of victory in the history of the World Long Drive Championship.

 

Seven champions will be crowned at the 2015 World Long Drive Championship: open men and women's, senior men's (45+), super senior men's (50+), grand champions men's (55+), legends men's (60+) and masters men's (65+). The match-play format for the open division will run from the second round of qualifying (round of 64) through the championship final on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Registration opens Monday, Aug. 17 at www.LongDrivers.com.

[VinceRKG]

Geeze bout time they announce something. Pretty sad they made us all wait an extra three months and put stuff on hold just for them. Unreal...we need a governing body and a new leader for this so called sport. LDA ...tisk tisk tisk

[mesquite2]

Article didn't mention it's a $1200 buy-in for all divisions.

[VinceRKG]

RIGHT......Pretty dumb but what else can we do. I know......

[SEERDS]

Perfectly Elastic Collision = COR of 1 the theoretical limit that all club face ball collisions need to achieve, then the onlything that dictates distance is athletic ability / technique.
LDA embracing 0.830 stifled innovation fomr the LD component head makers and gave the established Golf Equipment OEMS in the door. Now they can market their Drivers to us as LD Distance machines.

This is when I lost interest in LDA. Follow the regulation to the $$$$.
The really silly thinng about COR is that the ball is ignored but is part of the collision because it compresses and rebounds. (hence we have ball fitting)
So perhaps balls will be the next target of the "regulators"
LD has zero to do with PGA Tour and never should.

I have no issue with clubs for PGA and clubs for non PGA which is what LDA used to be.

[300_Straight]

Could be a ploy but, there has to be a limiting factor as to make it fair. Or are you saying the only limiting factor should be physics?

I haven't seen any OEM Manufacturer list their drivers as "LD" compatible or even mention the LDA. I could be wrong, though. Who am I to say, but I don't think that should shun you from the competition. It's still fun to watch and hopefully one day, participate (when the entry fee isn't $1,200).

[VinceRKG]

The LDA and Worlds havd always been USGA Conforming from day one, the ONLY time it was not was when they had no restriction on length of shaft. There were guys who won with 57 inches shafts and 62 inch shafts. I do not see why your making a big deal out of something that has been in the books since day one with them. ADAMS did make some with LDA stamps on them that were only made in low lofts, as did Cally and Cobra.

[Norboo]

Missed it. any reruns or some place online I can watch?

[Socrates]

[quote name='SEERDS' timestamp='1443622153' post='12389972']
Perfectly Elastic Collision = COR of 1 the theoretical limit that all club face ball collisions need to achieve, then the onlything that dictates distance is athletic ability / technique.
LDA embracing 0.830 stifled innovation fomr the LD component head makers and gave the established Golf Equipment OEMS in the door. Now they can market their Drivers to us as LD Distance machines.

This is when I lost interest in LDA. Follow the regulation to the $$$$.
[color=#ff0000][b]The really silly thinng about COR is that the ball is ignored but is part of the collision because it compresses and rebounds. (hence we have ball fitting)
So perhaps balls will be the next target of the "regulators[/b][/color]"
LD has zero to do with PGA Tour and never should.

I have no issue with clubs for PGA and clubs for non PGA which is what LDA used to be.
[/quote]
The ball is already heavily regulated by the USGA and R&A. [url="http://www.usga.org/equipment-standards/test-protocols-for-equipment-9df6d04f.html"]Test Protocols for Equipment[/url]

Actually the COR being adopted by the LDA made things better. OEM's that wanted to compete needed to step up their game and actually make club heads that could survive in the LDA world. Heads crushing like tin cans were everyday occurrences. You wouldn't have seen a Callaway XR out there before. This translates to better clubs for us.

[VinceRKG]

Actually OEM club heads flatten more.....Cally heads had a lot go through, as did COBRA and TM heads that tried to make it. They have the ability to have HUNDREDS on hand just so when it happens, they can replace easily. I remember when ADAMS was a sponsor and driver for LDA, they had to have their little trailer out there to replace all the heads broken! Guy would take clubs form range, go to tee box and HIt, bring back clubs and hand over to tech, than techwould get new heads put on and hand back to hitters. It was bad.....

and no it does not make a better head for us, it makes it bad.

[Socrates]

OEM's trying (whether they fail or are successful) to compete on the LDA forces the engineers to make heads that are stronger and less succeptible to failure and still perform. Sure there were lots of failures early on, but I'd bet that companies learned a lot more and faster from being out there. Better materials, better welding, thinner materials and overall design. Every bit of high tech helps and eventually filters down into consumer models.

[VinceRKG]

I can tell you right now NO. lol only the smaller NON OEM companies have done this.

[300_Straight]

Damn, wanted to see Sadlowski win this.

[VinceRKG]

They have been waiting for him to win for years...lots of talent out there now with same or more skills. Sucks he lost the way he did.....Big time melt down...