Golfshaker Competes in European Longdrive Championships

By: Adam Smith | Edited: Mon 14 Jul 2014

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Golfshake member Matthew Small made his first steps into the world of Longdrive championships as he competed in the recent European Championships in Sweden.

Small who plays off a 14 handicap described his time in Scandinavia as ‘possibly one of the most exciting experiences of his life’.

What is it?

For those who don’t know some describe Longdrive Championships as extreme golf.

Competitors simply have to hit their drives as far as possible, keeping it within a 35 - 45 meter wide grid.

The categories include Open, Senior and Ladies and all are welcome from professionals to club playing amateurs.

To qualify for the European Final you have to come through regional qualifying and each official regional championship will have a notified number of qualifying spots available.

For Small it was his first foray into the world of long driving but something he always felt he could compete in:

“I was always one of the longer hitters in my Saturday group and also enjoyed it when people would stop behind me at the range to watch me hit a few drives and make a comment along the lines of 'wow how far did that go'.

“Then a couple of years ago I came across the REMAX Long Drive being shown on ESPN and after having a look around the internet I came across a name we all know 'Ivan Sanders, former champion and master club builder'.

“I spoke with Ivan and a couple of months later I went for a coaching day/driver fitting (I cannot recommend this enough if you want to hit longer and straighter) and came away with real hope that with some work I may be able to actually 'compete' in a sport at a reasonable level.”

Qualifying

After coming through regional qualifying, a spot in the European Championships was confirmed and it was Small’s chance in his words to ‘compete with the big boys’.

Unfortunately for Small the chance to compete in the World Championships in Mesquite, Nevada later this year halted in the early stages in Sweden but it was an experience he’ll never forget and also hopes to repeat next year:

“It was an awesome experience and I will be working hard over the winter and going back next year stronger and faster.
“Also something else that happened which will stay with me is the friendliness of all the competitors, not only to each other but also to a newbie like me. They just walked up to me, hand out, with a smile on their face, shook my hand, introduced themselves and then started chatting. There was no half smile and a nod, or a quiet 'alright' they just include you instantly.”

From all at Golfshake, well done Matthew and we’ll hope for better luck next year.