As summer peaks, golfers will be hitting the links at any one of the great courses across America. When they tee it up on the first hole, a man’s natural inclination is to try and hit the ball as far as he can.
There’s no better feeling in golf than crushing a ball down the fairway.
Recent PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson has a legendary short game, but he only brags on social media when he “hits bombs.” Bryson DeChambeau dedicated the entire pandemic to bulking up to be better able to conquer golf courses with his monstrous drives. It worked out well for him when he took on the difficult Winged Foot course at the 2020 U.S. Open and overpowered it with the length of his drives. He was the runaway winner of America’s national championship and, in doing so, launched a new quest for distance that had other pro golfers trying to add 20 yards to their drives to keep up with Bryson. The importance of long drives originated when John Daly came to fame by winning the 1991 PGA Championship with gargantuan tee shots and vaulted an unknown country boy to household name status.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
This quest for distance also opened the gates for many big, athletic men to try their hand at launching balls as far as they could go. And with the market demanding big hitters, it’s not surprising that the World Long Drive Championship (WLDC) has become very popular in the golf community. The WLDC has been held every year since 1974, but it is now growing immensely in popularity. It is exactly what it sounds like. A bunch of guys try and hit tee shots as far as they can. The long fairways are marked for distance like a football field which is apropos because most competitors look like NFL linemen. Winning distances are usually over 400 yards. It’s got a bit of a WWE feel with loud music and competitors engaging with the raucous crowd. It’s a lot of fun. And what used to be a novelty is now big business. Kyle Berkshire, last year’s winner, pocketed 125K- not bad for a night’s work. Berkshire was the 2019 winner (2020 was Covid canceled), and he has done a lot to popularize the sport. His swing is unlike any you’ve ever seen – it starts with him swaying his large frame to gain momentum, and he just kind of flows into the backswing, gets it way past parallel, and unloads on the downswing. It’s probably best to watch it on YouTube. Berkshire has a fun-loving personality, surfer’s long hair, and hits it a mile. The perfect guy to grow the sport.
Another big, athletic man trying his hand at long driving is former Washington Redskin Tyler Catalina. Catalina had a stellar career at Rhode Island and Georgia as an offensive lineman. He’s 6’6’ 315 pounds and has the hand-eye coordination of a major league baseball player. While still pursuing his football career with the Ottawa Redblacks in the Canadian Football League (CFL), he found some downtime when the CFL canceled the 2020 season. An avid golfer, he and some friends played in a golf outing at River Creek CC in Leesburg, Virginia, when they strolled up to the long 4th hole. On the tee was none other than the aforementioned long drive champion Kyle Berkshire who was making an appearance at the club to meet and greet and show off his driving ability. You could buy a ticket for charity, and Kyle would hit a drive for your group. Before Kyle hit, though, everyone in the group would have a chance. Tyler stepped up to the tee and promptly skulled a shot into the water. Not good. After the group finished teeing off, Berkshire did his duty and hit a booming drive 360-yard drive. That would’ve been the end of it, but as Tyler and his group were about to drive off in their carts, Berkshire stopped them and wanted Tyler to hit another drive. He was impressed with the length and speed of Tyler’s swing and wanted to see what he could do if he connected with the ball. Tyler was happy to oblige and blasted a ball out into the fairway that went 20 yards past Berkshire’s. 380 yards! Berkshire was aghast and told Tyler he should consider long drive competitions. Since that fateful day, Tyler has added long-drive champ to his sporting aspirations. Fatefully, it just so happened that Catalina was a member at Belmont Country Club in Ashburn, VA, and the PGA Professional there had coached a long drive champion in the past.
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That coach was former long drive competitor and current PGA professional Simon Dewsbury. Dewsbury is a former Pro golfer who reached final qualifying for the 2002 Open Championship and represented Great Britain in the President of Russia Cup…whatever that is. Weighing 160 pounds soaking wet, you wonder how Dewsbury can teach Catalina anything regarding hitting a ball far. But alas, it’s all in the technique. Dewsbury can hit it 330 yards with proper swing mechanics and form and has placed in International long drive events. Imagine what a monster like Catalina could do with a similar technique. Their goal is to make Tyler a national long drive champion. Dewsbury knows if he can impart some of his wisdom, then skies the limit on how far Tyler can hit the ball. A lot of their exercises on the range concern flexibility and generating power in the backswing. Dewsbury has a low-key approach and can be soft-spoken, but he knows how to motivate a competitor like Catalina. “Tyler is used to being in the trenches in a violent sport, so I will occasionally get in his face and challenge him.” They sort of have a Rocky Balboa/Mickey Goldmill thing going on. Being golf and not boxing, it’s unlikely Catalina will ever have to utter the words “cut me, Simon,” but sacrifices will be made. Dewsbury coached Paul “St. George” Slater to the European Long Drive Championship, and he sees many similarities between Catalina and former champion Slater. “Tyler and Paul both have tremendous power and a willingness to try new things to improve distance. Neither are set in their ways.” Catalina’s main focus is still on football, “Football comes first, but if I could have a career in long driving, that would be a nice option as well.” The 2021 World Long Drive Championship is in September, and Catalina still has to qualify. Dewsbury and Catalina will be working toward that goal over the summer. Maybe Kyle Berkshire will come to regret stopping that cart before it drove off onto the fairway.
Dan Redmond covers golf for Breitbart and can be found on Twitter @danfromdc
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