Tag: World Long Drive 2019

World Long Drive sold to GF Sports and Entertainment; competitions return to TV in 2023 with bigger purses

World Long Drive is coming back to TV.

World Long Drive is coming back in 2023 and will be bigger and stronger than before.

GF Sports & Entertainment has acquired the World Long Drive IP, and the sport is set to return to TV on the Golf Channel with bigger purses and excitement.

The last couple of years have been a slow stretch for the sport of long drive. It was not televised during the COVID-19 pandemic when Golf Channel postponed and then canceled the season for World Long Drive. The players decided to pick up the baton and host events at One Stop Power Shop in North Carolina, which blossomed into the Professional Long Drivers Association.

The PLDA faced challenges of travel during COVID and finding advertising dollars within pandemic budgets, but it had the goal of keeping the sport alive. There are a lot of new names in the sport since the last televised event in 2019, and they feel it’s important to get the athletes in the right light and fans on board with the growing sport.

The 2023 WLD season with be comprised of 12 events domestically and more than 30 events internationally. Players will tee it up to win more than $1.1 million in cash prizes. Competitors will have the opportunity to qualify for the World Long Drive Championship at eight qualifying North American events, equating to 128 total qualifying spots.

The tour tees off March 10-12, in Mesquite, Nevada. The Championship will be Oct. 18-22 at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta.

“World Long Drive is exciting, challenging and fun,” said professional golfer and 2022 PLDA Championship runner-up Bryson DeChambeau. “I started long drive to increase my swing speed, and then I got addicted to hitting it farther and farther. I’m looking forward to qualifying for Atlanta and competing on a national stage in 2023.”

volvik world long drive championship- Season 2018
Volvik World Long Drive Championship  (Photo by: Cy Cyr/Golf Channel)

Amateur level competitors from all over the world aspiring to join the tour will have the opportunity to qualify at various ranges to make it to the grand stage of the championship. This grows the sport in inclusivity, as it will give competitors from 18 different countries the opportunity to compete in the established league.

“To say I am thrilled for World Long Drive to be returning to television is an understatement,” said 2019 World Long Drive Champion Kyle Berkshire. “The sport and its athletes deserve to be showcased on this platform, and I am excited for all of us to deliver many memorable moments and storylines to the viewers over the years to come.”

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World Long Drive champ Kyle Berkshire admits his long hair is a handicap, but he has ‘an emotional attachment’

Kyle Berkshire shares some tips, tricks and fundamentals that have helped him reach the No. 1 ranking on the World Long Drive Tour.

Kyle Berkshire currently sits atop the rankings of the World Long Drive competitors, and he’s hoping he can use his booming tee shots to reach the PGA Tour.

Berkshire spent the first two years of his college career playing for the University of North Texas. He had always been a powerful hitter, but he was tempted to try his luck in the long drive world by a coach of his. He ended up winning his first long drive qualifier and went on to qualify for major long drive tournaments quickly.

Berkshire transferred to the University of Central Florida to be closer to his sponsors at the time. “I didn’t really have a plan after that current phase, but I kept building on it and getting better and it kind of turned into a nice career,” Berkshire admits.

He was the winner of the 2019 World Long Drive Championship and is confident that he will hold on to his ranking going into the 2021 season.

He shares some tips, tricks and fundamentals that have helped him reach the number one ranking in the world on my latest episode of the “WHY YOU SUCK AT GOLF!” podcast with Averee Dovsek.

In 2021, Berkshire plans to compete in a bodybuilding competition and take his strengths to new heights. He expects for his clubhead speed to get faster as he begins to get leaner with his dieting.

His longest recorded competition drive is 492 yards and with his increasing clubhead speed, he has no reservations that he will beat that swinging 156 mph.

Berkshire has spent some time working with Bryson DeChambeau and helping him bring his long drive talent into play on the PGA Tour. He admits that heckling him in their lengthy practice sessions has produced the best results out of DeChambeau.

“You have to put your mind in an uncomfortable spot to achieve extreme results. The mind likes comfort, so what we are doing is pushing the limits of what’s possible and with that comes discomfort,” he said. “You have to marry that feeling on the inside to produce results on the outside.”

In 2021, in addition to his bodybuilding and long drive training, he plans to sharpen his game up to land a spot on the PGA Tour.

“The obvious one would be to put it up, but I don’t actually like that one, because the weight on the top of my head from my hair kind of throws off my swing a little bit. To be clear, it certainly is a handicap, but I have an emotional attachment to my hair at this point.”

Averee Dovsek is a contributor for Golfweek, hosting the popular “Fitness with Averee” video series. Also, her podcast, WHY YOU SUCK AT GOLF! is available on multiple streaming platforms.

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