how many drives per week?

[jfk]

hi there gunslingers,
 if you can stop polishing youre guns for a second, (ooh err..)  i was wondering how many drives a week you guys hit?  ive heard of top guys hittin 500 to 1000 a day! is that right? i hit bout 2 to 300 a week.

i'm gonna have a moan now, took part in a long drive comp today at world of golf driving range clydebank, was second i believe, well with minutes to go anyway, i left in disgust! tho we where hittin down a range it was calculated by a launch monitor, vector maybe? there was guys hittin it right over the right hand fence and it was still gettin counted!!   it just didnt seem to be related to where my ball was ending up, it was very frustrating, it was only for a mizuno driver, i'll just pretend i didnt want it.       john.

[Viper]

John,

Practice too hard too soon and injuries quickly follow - lower back, tendinitis etc.

A swing practice session should not be about volume, but rather about working on not more than one or two swing facets at a time - preferably only one.  Again, work on too many swing facets in a season and one's subconscious can totally lose the swing imprint and as a result the swing can totally cave in, particularly under competition pressure. As a newcomer to L.D. I have made both of those mistakes and many more!

Patiently build up, test some equipment along the way, and give emphasis to daily stretching exercises rather than volume hitting. It is so easy to damage what one brings to the sport by trying too hard.

Whilst I cannot comment on the Long Drive competition you mention (as I was not there) it is wonderful to hear of an increasing interest and awareness in our sport. Initially, like with all new things, mistakes will sometimes occur because of  simple ignorance rather than idiocy.

It is a big thing to organise an event and we must all encourage, help, and advise organisers who are willing to listen. By all means we should constructively criticise, but whenever possible we ought to first of all strive to   make some honest comments of praise. An unkind word (even one well intentioned) can potentially drive someone out of our sport for ever, particularly beginner organisers who sometimes expect nothing back save perhaps a word or two of praise. 

Positive intercourse between us all makes our sport greater.

(Sings Long Drive anthem).

[jfk]

ivan you can be soooo serious sometimes!!

the only thing i work on really is at home, i try to build up my swingspeed and strength, thats when i'm careful about injuries, thats about it.

i dont work on my swing, i just make adjustments when required, i,m hittin balls for fun nothing else, i know what i'm doing, i've NEVER had an OB set out of 15, and that includes six four ball sets, another 50 yards and thats me sorted! lol.
I have my own views on the golf swing but i wont bore you with that.

the guys at the event where pretty upfront about the monitor not to be trusted,
it was good fun anyway, just wish i hadnt hit 100 drives the day before in all that heat then found out there was a comp the next day...  aaahhh.

(sings always look on the bright side of life)

john.
 

[Viper]

I write down all you big hitting guys' quotes and then watch.

"Six balls is more than enough to get one on the grid,"  or words to that effect. (Unnamed).

"I know what I'm doing. I've never had an O.B. set......." (JFK).

I prefer the less pressure  'wear a helmet' approach, and am always personally delighted to stick one in!

"Sooo serious" ......guilty as charged.

But, I'm nevertheless watching................!

[jfk]

Me a big hittin guy?!!!   i also said i needed another 50 yards!!!     i'm gonna use an assumed name at the next event Ivan!!!   lol.

[Viper]

John,

There will likely be competitors' blood on the tee in next month's Scotland event if you, Stewart Mc Murran, and Chris Southwood all turn up with your big cannons blazing. I may go along with my shooting stick just to watch. It is nice to see the Seniors / Super Seniors upstaging the Open division with their sheer competiveness and growing numbers.

Is anyone going up to Scotland who is willing to share a vehicle and travelling expenses? I might even find a joke (or two) to tell to lighten that sapping journey. 

Being guaranteed to see no OB sets would be adequate insurance for me to venture so far north and loudly cheer you all. I've not had so much fun since I used to follow the then named Cassius Clay.

 

[jfk]

ye it would be a shame if there was top seniors never made it to the euro final because of geographical reasons, as the home comps are very well contested, its a pity about the places.
will there be final qualifying on the saturday morning of the euro weekend at whittlebury? that would help cos if i dont make it from cumbernauld i dont know if i could afford to go to Dublin,  OB sets or not!

[Viper]

John,

The number of Seniors allowed through to the European final is a completely arbitrary process, so travelling to a regional event in the hope that it is indeed taking place, that it is sanctioned, and that one could potentially  qualify is at best speculative:

If one goes onto the European Long Drivers' website it clearly states in the section 'What is Long Drive?' that two seniors go through from each regional championship. However, when one looks in the 'Current Competitions' section such contradicts this and says that only one finalist goes through.

If only the contradiction stopped there: Regional championships advertised by LDE as having no Seniors' comp. have staged a Seniors' Championship (eg. Sweden, June '08), and sometimes where it has been advertised that only one Senior would go through in fact two have been put through notwithstanding a poor entry, eg. France '08.

The mystery deepens further: In France '08 two Seniors hitting a very different distance in the hit off were put through, but in England two seniors hitting much longer, and only a yard apart in a match play final, were divided with only one going through.

Playing Devil's advocate: If I were defending the above accusations I might perhaps say "A final discretion always lies with the event organiser." Assuming such is the case then  nevertheless it is an essential ingredient of fair dealing that discretion is not perversely exercised. 

Access to the World L.D. Champs. is even more irrational for European Seniors and Super Seniors but that is another story.

Every competition in every sport needs clear rules and consistent enforcement of those rules. Otherwise, how can our sport be take seriously? 

(The timetable for the Euro. Finals has not yet been published.)

P.S. There have also been irregularities regarding Open Division entries to the European Champs. but it not up to me to speak on behalf of another division to which I do not belong.

[jfk]

ye youre right ivan,

the whole set up is based around us being able financially to travel around europe from event to event, we cant do that and get no prize money in return, that position isnt tenable, and the fall back position assumes that driving talent is evenly spread throughout europe, the popularity of golf varies from country to country so that isnt the case either.

I do have sympathy for LDE, theyre in a difficult position, i just hope they do there best to make sure the best guys line up in the euro final, its in everyones interest.  I didnt go to a scandinavian event for the reasons you mentioned, the senior situation was unclear.

john

[Viper]

John,

There are a lot of top flight European competitors who are still not through to the finals. A lot will soon need to start flying overseas if they seriously intend qualifying.

In the Seniors' division there is only one advertised qualifying place advertised for Scotland, but more than that may be allowed through. No-one ever knows.

However, it could be made  easy and  clear for everyone. For example in the Seniors' Division the rule could be:

'One senior competitor definitely qualifies. However, up to two more more Senior competitors shall be allowed through strictly provided that each of them exceeds a minimum qualifying distance of 300 yards.'

A  Senior performing reasonably will exceed 300 yards whatever the grid or weather. But, that distance could be varied for each qualifier competition at the Organiser's discretion and declared on the event day, and BEFORE the competition proper actually starts.

[jfk]

ye that sounds ok, and youre right about the qualifying distance being decided on the day,  on the first day at whittlebury there was a strong headwind and Joe miller and Adam stacey could only manage about 320 yards, i wouldnt liked to have hit into that, sounds like a real bundle of laughs!

[Viper]

Even on a day like that a good Senior should have hit 300+.  I hit shortly after Jo and Adam that day (with the compulsory 44.50" drivers - which I think were Callaway, but I may be wrong) and got a 290 and I am years beyond the Seniors' age classification.  The Seniors in Europe need to hit  beyond 350 on a normal weather day if they  hope to  ever be competitive in the World Championships!

Long Drive is very much like athletics insofar every  team goes through cycles of both strong and weak events.  At this point in time our European organisers need to do far more to bring talent into L.D. and assist in improving such once it arrives. This is particularly true in both the Seniors (where half of the talent lies in the Super Seniors forced to enter that division) and Ladies' divisions. In the latter regard very often no ladies even show! 

At the moment in Europe we only have Adam, Daniel and Jo seriously competing at World level. (I feel protests arriving). Somehow we need to set the bar higher and get more competitors over that bar, wind or no wind.

[thekid]

[Viper]

I keep adding your Swedish web sites to the World Long Drive Directory (which has fallen down the popularity lists to around page 11 herein), and occasionally your Long Drives to the All time World List (equally unpopular) but you Swedish guys need to start publishing things in English - the world language. Most of your web sites displays a Union flag  but almost invariably such always refuses to switch language! Other Swedish sites comprise just pretty pictures.

We would occasionally come over to your country and kick ass (again) if we could read your event advertisements etc!!!!! We would then see who was the best.

[thekid]

Thats why we keep it in Swedish...

No dummie here! huh....

[psg8802]

Even on a day like that a good Senior should have hit 300+.  I hit shortly after Jo and Adam that day (with the compulsory 44.50" drivers - which I think were Callaway, but I may be wrong) and got a 290 and I am years beyond the Seniors' age classification.  The Seniors in Europe need to hit  beyond 350 on a normal weather day if they  hope to  ever be competitive in the World Championships!

Long Drive is very much like athletics insofar every  team goes through cycles of both strong and weak events.  At this point in time our European organisers need to do far more to bring talent into L.D. and assist in improving such once it arrives. This is particularly true in both the Seniors (where half of the talent lies in the Super Seniors forced to enter that division) and Ladies' divisions. In the latter regard very often no ladies even show! 

At the moment in Europe we only have Adam, Daniel and Jo seriously competing at World level. (I feel protests arriving). Somehow we need to set the bar higher and get more competitors over that bar, wind or no wind.

Interesting...

[iEaTbIgBErThAs]

Only adam, joe and dan???

Europe has a lot of competitors that can compete on the world level Ivan. What about Patrik?? Mikael?? Janos?? marcus?? and many others.....

I don't think europe have any competitivenseniors though.. but when Johan, Phil and Tony get there in a few years, they will compete and can do well at the worlds! Hell, Johan has won this year, he's still hittin it with the young guns and beatin 'em!

Also Ivan, your comment on the 350yd on a neutral day doesnt really mean anything, conditions and grids vary, especially in europe!

[Viper]

"Seriously competing at world level" could arguably mean anything, but when I used the term I (arguably wrongly) took such to mean successfully competing in the World Long Drive Championships, there being little other widely open  international Long Drive competition.  What amounts to "successfully competing?"  Arguably it could again mean  anything, but my inference was having at least once reached  the later stages of a World Long Drive championship.  If, when applying such criteria,  I missed out anyone still competing   at the same level who has  achieved exactly that then I apologise as such was not done deliberately.

Yes, days and distances vary but the fact remains that if one asks the question "How long are the seriously long Senior competitors?" one either fails to answer, or alternatively comes up with a distance which the top competitors reasonably regularly achieve.

Sadly, competing well within Europe is arguably not sufficient  to be called  'world class.' I suggest that to be world class one has to take on the Americans and Canadians (and others) and be successful against them.

I stick by my opinion but gladly add to my 'list' anyone still competing at the same level who has done just that. It was not intention to slight anyone, simply to be realistic.

We have in the past had our earlier greats such as Viktor Johansson (World Champion in 2000 - beating Zuback in the process -  and I  believe that he also finished 6th in 2005), a man from whom we could learn so much: Not least that it is possible to  hit a  'country mile' with a 260cc driver head.

[The-lefty]

I will be in the top 5 in 2 years when I will be a senior.

[Viper]

Tony - do you think that you can take out our main man 'The Power'  as a Senior in waiting?  As far as I know you have only recently hit 402. :  Once I've hopefully persuaded The Power to get his leg fixed and get back in the gym I think that he'll be up there with you. Time we had at the very least one  serious hitter in the Senior Division - preferably two!  The Euro. Seniors can't expect to become famous when half of them can't presently even take out us decrepit Super Seniors!    But noted - serious European world class Seniors cometh.  Both of you could potentially do EXTREMELY well at world level.  In the meantime give everyone hell in the Open Division!!!! (Whispers: "Phil, get off to the gym!")