THE 2025 World Longdrive Championships!

To start this off, I want to say my year was not consumed for the first time in many years of competing full-time on the Long drive tour. I let it take a back seat due to some injuries, and honestly, it was just time for a break and needing to reflect on what the future holds.

With diving fully into my Men's physique prep and allowing myself to step away from the long drive golf space, it was a blessing to let some small things heal up from injury and come back and learn to just enjoy a sport I had loved in the past, for the friends I had made and what the sport had allowed me to do with my life. Having great friends who ask you to participate in events across the world, to then finally attending my 11th World Long Drive Championship.

This year's worlds were very different from previous ones held in recent memory. First off, it was my first event of the season, as I was at the Belleville Endless Summer event but hadn't hit a ball all season until the Monday of the actual event due to my bodybuilding prep (and that was totally okay with me). But this year was our first time at Big Foot Turf Farm for the world championships, a venue I had been to many times before for tour events. It wasn't always my ideal location, as the conditions generally aren't in my favor since I don't hit the ball really high or spin the ball enough for the thin air. So, I knew I just wanted to go have fun, see my friends, and enjoy my time just as a competitor and let whatever happens, happen.

The week started off decently. I made it through the first day of qualifying and was hitting the ball decently. I didn't really know what to fully expect, to be honest, but it all worked out. That evening was also the Masters (45+) Division, which is where, to be honest, a bunch of the guys I started with are now competing. I had many good friends squaring off in the finals, and boy, did they put on a great show, with Mike Dobbyn (the reigning champion from my first year in 2008) defeating Ryan Reisbeck, the current Masters Champion. The best part was being able to stand and watch it all unfold under the lights in the Colorado evening, and then be able to call Mike's brother Mitch on FaceTime and share the moment with him. This is where the Long Drive family part of this all comes into play, sharing successes with others and their families. I got to give Big Mike a big hug and congratulate him on his win. To those that are newer to the sport, back when I had just begun, when it was finals night, the entire bleachers would be packed elbow to elbow in Mesquite with fans, friends, family, and other competitors. We had multiple final evenings, generally Friday and Saturday nights, for the Grand Champions, Super Seniors, Masters, and Senior Division, and to be fair, they were in most years the most entertaining, given this was mostly just a hobby and an old boys club of old friends having fun. Where the sport is today, it's hard for me to tell the old stories of watching Mike Gorton, Pat Dempsey, Bobby Wilson, Gerry James, Dan Boever, and many others. I mean, you had two men on the tee box with microphones attached named Bobby and Pat, and their bantering back and forth was all class and pure entertainment (something I feel unfortunately is a bit lacking in the sport today).

From there, we had a big day in front of us Friday, as it was possibly a two-round day of five sets. As long as I was able to get through the first round, I'd be hitting in the second round later that afternoon. Again, we started off okay and ended up hitting the ball well enough to advance to the round of 32. I was in the second group, so it hadn't quite warmed up just yet, and my longest ball was creeping up to 400 yards at 399. But I can say I did hit it pretty well; I just needed to hit it higher if I wanted to keep moving forward. As the day went on, the ground started to dry up a bit, as it had poured rain in the days prior to the event, and some balls were plugging right where they landed, even at much lower flights. So, to say it was, for the most part, a carry contest would be quite accurate.

To add to that, we had a grid that was quite wide at 80 yards. Now, that does seem wide, but if you really wanted to win a set, there was only about a 20-25 yard area on the right side of the grid that was allowing for some extra roll. However, you also risked the chance of it bouncing out of bounds. And, well, we have to be realistic; trying to pick a spot at 400 yards that you want to land your ball onto isn't exactly like just finding a fairway with a 3-wood. This will also come into play later on.

When we started the afternoon rounds, I was honestly quite tired. I hadn't competed twice in the same day for quite some time, as it hadn't been the norm at events for a few years, although quite a few of the events this season were exactly that. But you also didn't have to compete the day before. The altitude also plays a factor, as there is less oxygen with the thinner air, so recovery becomes more of a strain than somewhere closer to sea level. But everyone has to deal with it; all is fair across the board, maybe except for a few locals who live at that altitude on a regular basis. Things got a little tight near the end of this round where, well, I needed to get my act together after not such a hot start. But with some luck and grit, I was able to make it through to the top 16 for championship Saturday, my 5th time in 6 years being able to do so. And well, as the oldest one in the top 16 who honestly wasn't expecting to be able to do so with such little practice time, it was nice knowing that I still kind of had it in me.

Then it was time to try to recover and be as ready as I could for the Top 16, as it was another round-robin format of another 5 sets of 6 balls against the best of the best the tournament had to offer. Again, I was just having fun and getting to chat and see everyone. I'll backtrack a little here; I really enjoyed getting to stop and see my friends compete, as I mostly stayed at the grid during the time I wasn't competing, getting to see parents, children, wives, and partners and chat about life and how their years have been. This community is full of such a great group inside and out. I enjoyed every minute of it. So, for those that are reading this and are part of that family, I just wanted to say thank you!

As for my performance in the top 16, it wasn't my best, and honestly, that was completely okay as I had only spent about 12 hours of practice time getting ready. My goal was to enjoy myself, and this was likely to be my last World Championship for at least a few years until I turn 45 and can compete in the Senior Division (which again would just really be for fun and enjoyment). I had a couple of bright moments as I hit my longest of the competition at 436 yards during the 4th set to at least put some decent numbers on the board, but it was too little, too late.

Now I got to sit and watch 8 of my friends battle it out for the championship, but before that, we had the Women's Division start and put on one heck of a show. With my friend from Kitchener, Ontario, winning her first World Championship at the biggest event, she was having an amazing year, winning the Endless Summer event in Belleville as well. Kelly knew what she needed to do and executed perfectly, ending up just 1 yard short of an all-time record for the Women's Division at 413 yards in the semi-finals and a drive of 406 in the finals to take the championship as the oldest Women's Champion at 50 years of age. Like, imagine that, hitting it 400 yards at 50 years old! Regardless of your gender, that's absolutely amazing, and Kelly is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. If you're ever reading this, buddy, congratulations on your title and the crown of Best Canadian Women's Long Driver ever!

After this we had the Mens open final after a big battle two titans were in the mens Final, Zach Holton and Scottie Pearman, both great men who had very good seasons and hit the ball great all week in order to be there, Scottie hit the longest ball of the championship with the wind up and at the players back in the semi finals Scottie hit one 486yrds, Longest ball of the 2025 season, and even more impressive Scottie is not much younger than i am at turning 40yrs old this season, his ball flight for Denver I believe was suited perfectly for the conditions and he took advantage all week, round after round being a dominating force, The only issue was the young man he was up against had a very solid history at this venue, Winning here multiple times, and also narrowly missing out on the Final match twice before at previous world Championships, after 4 balls the men were Tied at 459yrds. which goes to show how absolutely insane this competition is(the balls weren't measured to exacts if this had remained and was within six inches it would have be deemed a tie and a playoff would of been needed, but on Zacks next ball he hit it 471 yrds to take the lead and become the Champion. it was a very gritty performance from both men and impressive to watch them adjust to the conditions as the winds picked up and let off during the set of 6 balls.

I defiantly felt for Scottie and his family as you could see this as a moment to grab that had just slipped away, but knowing Scottie it wont be his last opportunity even at his age, he is still evolving and learning.

I was lucky enough to have known Zack's family for the past few years as his parents and wife attended many of the events, and I was fortunate to have made friends with them. The looks on their faces when Zack won put the biggest smile on my face. Not only was I happy for Zack, but knowing the amount of effort that every one of his family and team puts into these events and the close calls in the past made it hard not to go back in time and think of the moments I was fortunate enough to have in my past years of sport with my father, family, and partners. I was doing my best to rush them up onto the stage since their southern good-natured roots had them being reserved and not wanting to cross the rules line of going through the barrier. There was no way I was letting that happen and made sure they were up there to celebrate with their husband and son, as these are once-in-a-lifetime moments that no one should be left out of if they were there to support. Congrats Zack on what could be your first of many World Championships.

I have a lot of thanks to give this sport. The friends, the travels, the extended family, just everyone I've had the pleasure of meeting over the years in one way or another because of this sport/hobby. It not only has taken me all over, but it has also taken me home to see friends and family as well. For that, I will always be grateful, thankful, and appreciative of those who got me here, no matter if it was 17 years ago or this year. If you have been part of it, I will always be grateful. My career might be winding down, but with that top 16 finish, I might make it one more go; we will see what the future holds. To everyone chasing their goals and aspirations through sport or otherwise, if I can give a bit of advice, don't wait until you are aging to do so. Give it your all now and learn as much as you can as soon as you can. Gain all the worldly experiences as fast as possible. Then one day, when you're back at the local coffee shop and an old friend walks in, the banter will never end, and stories will always be aplenty.

Until Next time,

RG