TEED UP vs. TEED OFF!

Over the past decade, two of the best, most consistent professional long drivers have been David Mobley and Vince Howell.

Despite displaying distinctively different styles – Mobley is a smooth-swinging tempomeister,  Howell a free-swinging basher — they have achieved comparable results at LDA-sanctioned tournaments.

In fact, they rank sixth and seventh in LDA tour career money. Mobley has earned $59,916; Howell has pocketed $55,999.

Each has one LDA Tour win and plenty of highlights. Each is intense, excitable and ultra-competitive.

D-Mob and Vinny Boom Boom are also two of the best golfers currently plying the long drive craft. You wouldn’t want to play either one of them for your cash.

The divergence in their respective records has come at the RE/MAX world finals. During this decade alone, Mobley has made the TV finals on four separate occasions.

The North Carolina resident made three consecutive TV shows beginning in 2002, a streak capped by his winning the world title in 2004.

Howell, by contrast, has not fared well in Mesquite, even though there have been years when the Northern California resident seemed like a virtual lock to make the TV rounds.

Whether it’s been a bad bounce here, a bad set there, or an upstart stealing the spotlight, Howell has been behind the ESPN cameras, not in front of them.

Both Mobley, who turns 44 in August, and Howell, who turns 45 in November, become eligible for the RE/MAX WLDC senior division in 2010.

While each will still be capable of making some noise in the RE/MAX open division, they likely will find themselves among a handful of hitters battling for senior supremacy.

Barring injuries or unforeseen circumstances, both Mobley and Howell could bag RE/MAX senior world titles in the next few years.

In fact, I’ll be surprised if they don’t.

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A Father’s Day salute to all the dads who journey along the long drive highway with their offspring.

A few that come immediately to mind (there are others, no doubt) include:

David (Simon) Gourno

Fred (Fred Jr.) Hooter

Marty (Lisa) Joyce

Corey (CJ) Morley

David (Dave Jr.) Rowles

George (Tyler) Schmidt

Jerry (Joe, Stefanie) Shuba

Rick (Jason) Tijerina

Carl (Carl III) Wolter II

David  (Dave Jr.) Zajac

The Zajacs actually had three generations involved in long drive until Ed, the family’s  patriarch, passed away last month.

It must make a papa proud to share a tee box with his child and experience the same sensations of anticipation, adrenaline rush and — when either of them catches one on the sweet spot — exhilaration.

My dad and I had no such bond. Long drives weren’t in our genetic code.

To my recollection, the only long drive my father ever hit came on the 310-yard (white tees) par-4 seventh hole at Holiday Hills CC in Mineral Wells, Texas, his home course.

Dad sliced his drive wickedly out of bounds. The ball landed on Highway 180, which ran parallel to the fairway, and bounced off the blacktop several times before it ricocheted off  an unsuspecting 18-wheeler and careened back into play.

The ball came to rest on the putting surface, pin high.

Besides short driving, my dad and I shared substandard iron play, weak chipping and mediocre putting.  At least we were equally matched, which made for epic encounters.

Win or lose, we did it together.

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Not to be overlooked or ignored in the aftermath of LDA’s 2009 Texas Shootout Presented by Toyota of Lewisville is the consistency of Tom Roskos.

The high launcher from western Pennsylvania made his fourth straight appearance in the Texas Shootout top eight, grabbing the spotlight in qualifying rounds with mighty blasts of 450 and 435 yards.

The tally:

2006 — Roskos loses to Jason Zuback in the semifinals. JZ subsequently falls to “Downtown” John Downey in the finals;

2007 — Roskos reaches the semifinals again, falling to eventual champion Fred Groth III. Groth subsequently edges Steve “The Predator” Monroe in the finals;

2008 — Roskos throws in a change of pace, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Mitch McDowell. Long drive insiders come to the conclusion that the road to the Texas Shootout title runs through Roskos;

2009 — Roskos returns to the semifinals, this time falling to Allen “Guns” McDougall. McDougall subsequently gets sixth-balled by open division winner Carl Wolter.

For Roskos, that’s three semifinals and one quarterfinals in four years. Shoot, he’s somehow managed to turn the Texas Shootout into a private annuity. His eyes must light up in anticipation every time his flight touches down at D/FW International.

Small wonder that Wolter, in his current Player of the Month interview on this website’s home page, observes: “I think Roskos is one of the best hitters in the game today.”

Wolter’s not alone in that assessment, either.

Roskos, incidentally, finishes first each year in sending a note of appreciation to LDA staff and Texas Shootout tournament sponsors for providing him with the opportunity to compete.

Someone in the Roskos household taught Little Tommy good manners, no doubt at an early age.

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Some serious heat is emerging in long drive’s open division in 2009, sending shock waves around the circuit as RE/MAX WLDC qualifying intensifies.

Among the most-watched LD newcomers is Floridian Kevin Shook, winner of the recent Texas 2-Step in Dallas.

After attending LDA’s Power Golf Academy, where he picked the brains of some of the sport’s most decorated veterans while posting baseline numbers that were off the charts — 210-plus ball speed, for example — Shook showed his stuff at City Pointe.

His winning drive of 335 yards, into a 20 mph-plus headwind, was crushed. So were earlier drives of 318, 326 and 325 that secured him a spot in Mesquite this fall.

Shook put lessons learned at the Power Golf Academy to work at the Texas 2-Step. “I knew I had the speed to compete,” he said afterward. ”I concentrated on not overswinging. I focused on making solid contact and maintaining good balance.”

The strategy worked so well that Shook added his name to the list of players to watch at the RE/MAX world finals.

The 30-year-old Sarasota resident, who works in real estate investments and is involved with a company launching a line of apparel for extreme water sports, made a cameo long drive appearance in 2008, showing up for the regional finals in Viera, Florida, with his stock driver.

That one whiff of competition transformed Shook into a bonafide LD-aholic.

He re-surfaced at 2009’s season-opening Diamond in the Desert Classic armed (with Krank’s El Diablo) and dangerous. He immediately began making his mark and leaving an impression.

Expect to hear more from Shook, sooner rather than later.

Tags: POWER GOLF// Category Teed Up // 1 Comment »

With his dramatic sixth-ball win at LDA’s 2009 Texas Shootout Presented by Toyota of Lewisville, Carl Wolter became the main man on the money list for LDA-sanctioned tour events.

The $13,000 Wolter pocketed last Friday night at Trophy Club CC lifted his career winnings at LDA events since 2002 to $83,018.

Wolter vaulted over former money leader Dave Gureckis, who’s banked $72,850 over the same stretch.

(A complete list of career earnings appears in the News section at the top of “LDA News”. Earnings do not include prize money at the annual RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship.)

Wolter’s Texas Shootout win was his third, tying him with Brian Pavlet and Greg Wellong for most open division victories. Gureckis and Brooks Baldwin each have two.

Meanwhile, Bobby Wilson’s runner-up finish in the Texas Shootout’s senior division lifted the North Little Rock resident’s career tour earnings to nearly six figures.

Wilson has sacked $98,490 at LDA tour events. The LDA Hall of Fame member also has the most wins in tour history, 11. The last came at the 2006 Texas Shootout.

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The Dude is happy that two of his home boys from Fort Worth won the Texas 2-Step last weekend in Dallas.

The Dude plans to invite Doug Penneman and Dennis Trammell over to the Doggone Saloon and buy them a few brewskis, maybe introduce them to my pals Pea Waddley, the Thompson Twins, and Hyman Cary, Ph.D.

And The Dude can live with the fact that a couple of Floridians, Kevin Shook and Bobby Bradley, won the open division of the Texas 2-Step, because their swing speeds were sick.

Even though Florida’s 1-2 finish did mean that my fellow Texans Mat (Hoss) Vilade, Nyle Pruitt and Michael Whitley went home empty handed without a RE/MAX  WLDC exemption.

What has The Dude teed off are the newest driver heads being bandied about during LDA’s Texas Shootout and Texas 2-Step: Fister Golf’s The Punisher and Krank Golf’s Rage.

The Punisher and Rage are great looking, sure enough, but what’s with those names? Are these golf clubs or tag-team wrestlers? Do they belong on the teebox or inside the squared circle?

The Punisher and Rage should headline tonight’s card at the Coliseum against The Undertaker and Sting.  Or take on The Great Kabuki and Jimmy Snuka in a steel-cage match.

Frankly, The Dude is miffed that no club manufacturer has named a driver after me.  Perhaps in the high-testosterone world of long drive, The Dude doesn’t sound quite macho enough.

So let’s go with Bad Dude. That’s a driver that could do some serious damage.

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A couple of long drive veterans from Fort Worth fashioned compelling comeback stories at LDA’s Texas 2-Step this weekend.

Dennis Trammell and Doug Penneman each earned exemptions to the 2009 RE/MAX WLDC finals.

Trammell won the super senior (53+) division by edging Steve Collier, 285/16 to 284/14. Trammell posted the longest drive of the competition, 302 yards, in Round 2.

A 20mph headwind deflated numbers and left some hitters at wit’s end.

While Trammell went winner-winner-winner in the super seniors, Penneman  took  a side excursion through the loser’s bracket of the senior division after an OB set in Round 2.

Penneman rebounded in Round 4, posting 310 yards to oust Craig Hagan (304)  and Fred Trigg (303).  He then won two straight match-play showdowns with fellow Texan Don “The Hitman” Hihn to book a return trip to Mesquite this fall.

Penneman went 316 (longest of the competition) and 302 to Hihn’s 289 and OB. “I’ve never beaten him head to head,” Hihn said afterward. “But there’s always next time.”

Several months ago, such winning scenarios might have seemed implausible for the two City Pointe champions.

Trammell stayed away from long drive in 2008 as he dealt with some personal and professional issues.  He didn’t hit a single ball in competition.

Penneman seemed possibly headed for an extended absence himself after he was diagnosed with prostrate cancer late last year. He underwent surgery in December.

By the end of April, however, Penneman received great news – a PSA level of virtually nil. He also got a green light from his physician to get back on the tee.

Dennis Trammell and Doug Penneman are back, all right. And, in true Texas 2-Step fashion, firing from the hip.

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Carl Wolter came through in the clutch, launching a massive 397-yard moon ball, to claim the open division title at LDA’s Texas Shootout Presented by Toyota of Lewisville.

Wolter’s sixth-ball heroics produced a 397-380 match-play win over runner-up Allen McDougall.

Wolter collected $13,000 for the win. McDougall earned $8,000.

In semifinal matches, Wolter, the 2002 RE/MAX world champion, defeated Alex DeVilling, an LD rookie competing in his first event, 385-377. McDougall bested Tom Roskos, 390-OB.

Roskos posted the longest drive of the evening — 410 yards — in the 8-for-4 shootout that opened the evening’s activities at Trophy Club Country Club, where a crowd estimated at 1,000 gathered to watch professional long drive’s finest. Wolter was next in line with 409 yards.

Four of the eight competitors who survived elimination rounds at City Pointe Driving Range failed to find the grid in the shootout. Headed to the sidelines early in the evening were Jeff Gavin, Zac Adams, Jason Frey and Jamie Sadlowski.

Sadlowski, the reigning RE/MAX world champion, had led the power parade at City Pointe with 421 yards in Round 7 of the winner’s bracket.

Semifinalists Roskos and DeVilling pocketed $4,500. It marked the fourth consecutive year Roskos cashed at the Texas tour event.

TEXAS SHOOTOUT RESULTS
8-FOR-4 Round (In Order of Hitting)

Alex DeVilling 391
Jeff Gavin OB
Allen McDougall 378
Zac Adams OB
Jason Frey OB
Tom Roskos 410
Carl Wolter 409
Jamie Sadlowski OB

SEMIS:
Allen McDougall (4) def. Tom Roskos (1), 390-OB
Carl Wolter (2) def. Alex DeVilling (3), 385-377

FINALS: Wolter (2) def. McDougall (4), 397-380

PRIZE MONEY

Carl Wolter $13,000
Allen McDougall 8,000
Tom Roskos 4,500
Alex DeVilling 4,500
Jeff Gavin 2,200
Zac Adams 2,200
Jason Frey 2,200
Jamie Sadlowski 2,200

Tags: LONG DRIVE WINN, POWER GOLF, RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, TEXAS SHOOTOUT// Category Long Drivers of America // Comments Off

We recently asked the reigning RE/MAX world long drive champion about his burgeoning career on the corporate outing and exhibition circuit.

RP: What are some of the gigs you have lined up for this summer?

JS: I have a few around the Alberta (Canada) area. I’ll also be heading to Virginia and Maryland, as well as to the [PGA Tour's] John Deere Classic in Illinois.

RP:  What has been your favorite gig so far this year?

JS: The Texas Instruments gig in Dallas has been the best to date. It involved myself, Art Sellinger, Bobby Wilson, Brian Pavlet and Dan Boever. We had a lot of fun during this two-day outing.

RP: What is the crescendo in your show?

JS: Probably the watermelon shot; that has become the favorite.

RP: What is the strangest question you have been asked at one of your shows?

JS: I haven’t been asked too many questions that were out of the ordinary yet, which is pretty surprising.

RP: What new elements are you developing for you show?

JS: I’m working on some trick shots that Art Sellinger does in his shows that are pretty neat. It takes a while to get them all down pat. At the end of the day, I think being a smaller hitter it’s important just to show [audiences] how to create the speed and the lag. The big question that always comes up: “How do you hit it so far being a skinny kid?”

For booking information on Jamie Sadlowski’s show, contact sellinger@longdrivers.com.

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Memorial Day honors U.S. men and women who died during military service for their country. It’s a national holiday set aside for parades, town-square observances, visits to cemeteries, and the like.

It’s also a day to fly your flag — at half-staff.

What, then, could possibly be a better date for the Golf Channel to debut its special on “Operation Links” a 2008 USO-sponsored goodwill tour to military personnel serving in Iraq and Kuwait?

The program documents the journey LDA notables Art Sellinger and Brian Pavlet shared with Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman and CBS Sports funnyman David Feherty, among others, during Thanksgiving week last fall.

While Tilghman and Feherty doubtless will get the most air time on the special, LD fans will tune in hoping to see Sellinger and Pavlet put on an aerial display for the troops.

Of course, the real stars of  the “Operation Links” special will be the individuals in uniform, active duty personnel who put themselves in harm’s way every day while carrying out their assigned missions.

Whatever you have planned for this Memorial Day — washing the car, tossing around the horsehide, barbecuing steaks on the patio, maybe even smashing a bucket of balls at the driving range — add watching the Golf Channel that night (8:30  eastern, 7:30 central) to the list.

(Note: Scroll down for Art Sellinger’s blog on an unforgettable experience. You’ll find heartfelt reporting and a compelling read.)

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