Jamie Sadlowski Repeats as World Long Drive Champion

[JetFan1983]

I caught the replay yesterday morning on ESPN2 and enjoyed watching these guys bomb it between 370 and 410 yards in 50 degree Vegas night time weather. Some of these guys were rocking 4.5 degree drivers. What was also crazy was watching the senior portion of the competition, where those guys were consistently bombing it 350 yards.

Canada's Jamie Sadlowski repeated as champion, and his swing is quite interesting to see in slow motion to say the least:




Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think his longest one on the broadcast was 410ish? The announcers were saying the conditions were pretty cold and windy too. Every single one of these guys used those no friction tees.

[Three Putt]

It's really not golf...these dudes train for one thing...to hit a ball off a 4 inch tall tee with a 12 degree launch angle and less than 2000 rpms of backspin.

Having said that...it's un friggin belivable how far they hit a ball if they catch one. (and yes...SOME OF THESE GUYS ARE FORMER PRO'S OR SCRATCH GOLFERS)

Sadlowski has an amazing swing, unbelivable lag...damn.

[RC]

Sadlowski's swing is powerful and unique. He hits the ball with very little weight on his left foot, just a little on the leading edge. His hips have opened up amazingly and no one has his lag angle. But it is his left arm that baffles me. Does anyone else have such a strong pull with the left arm leading so far ahead of his body? I watch his backswing, and his hips stop turning while the shoulders and arms keep going back, and the clubhead just keeps going back. Normal people would break down with such loading.

[wedge player]

makes you wonder just how flexible he really is,and that lag is super impressive

[Golfaway]

These guys are amazing. If they can carry the ball that long they will probably reach the green in one shot in most holes here at our course as it's not a very long course.

[aca247]

i am intrested to see the shaft bend with him swinging a regular flex club

[iammpspeer]

i am intrested to see the shaft bend with him swinging a regular flex club

You mean shaft break? lol..

[flopdarock]

i would love to see this guy play 18... i think he'd be hitting irons off the tee on alot of holes

[aca247]

yeah except his entire swing is buillt for poer not accuracy he would probaly not hit a lot of fairways

[lcfd42]

The main thing that I find interesting about the swing is the left wrist position on follow-through; that really has to be hard on that joint. The wrist is just not intended to bend that far laterally. I'm glad he can do it, but believe that will be one of his first failures in time.

[aca247]

most peoplet dont think that because he plays hockey left handed

[flopdarock]

during those long drive contests... dont they have to hit fw's to make them count? or not necessarily a fw but in between 2 points

[Chilli Dipper]

during those long drive contests... dont they have to hit fw's to make them count? or not necessarily a fw but in between 2 points

It's more like a runway than a fairway. I'd guess the landing area is about 60 yards wide.

[flopdarock]

60 yrds across 400 yrds away... id say these guys can get pretty accurate

[aca247]

60 yrds across 400 yrds away... id say these guys can get pretty accurate

yes but they just need to get 1 in with 9 balls and sometimes they dont even do that

[Three Putt]

60 yrds across 400 yrds away... id say these guys can get pretty accurate

I think it's a 40 yard wide grid, it was about 3 years ago. I wouldn't say they are accurate though, some of the guys that put one in the grid at 390 or 400 on an earlier round put it on the fly around 310 with a massive hook when it lands OB, or they miss with an elephants ass (high and stinky) to the right side...and they end up getting no balls in the grid. These guys are swinging for the fences and hoping to catch one just right for a score. I think Jamie Sadlowski almost got knocked out on an earlier round this year until he hit his 6th shot (and last one) on the grid, and thus advancing. It sort of a top fuel dragster type of thing.

After watching the replay and watching this contest for a couple years...one thing is for certain...Sadlowski is some Alien life form, and any minute I expect a laser cannon blaster to pop out of his right shoulder like the Predator. If I swung like that my wrists would fly off with the club, really neat to watch his swing, unreal. Other power swings that amaze me are Jason Zuback and Pat Dempsy (an older guy). Unbelivable hip transfer through the ball.

[Nickynoodles]

yeah except his entire swing is buillt for poer not accuracy he would probaly not hit a lot of fairways

You are aware that the Fairway in the competition is 40 yds wide. They have to hit it inside that for the shot to play. They are only givin 3-6 trys and i have seen them hit it on the 1st try plenty of times if not that then the 2nd. It requires a ton of accuracy to hit a ball 400+ yards inside a 40yd wide grid. With the record being a 539 yard drive inside of a 40 yds wide grid. If thats not accuracy i dont know what is. Yea sometimes they do take there 3-6 shots and not hit the grid but they dont miss by much. Most Amatures couldnt hit a fairway 40 yds wide 240 yds long 50% of the time. Also most of them are pretty darn good golfers. Look them up i have seen some of them with +1.5, +2, +2.2 and many more very low handicapp index's.

[glebert]

yeah except his entire swing is buillt for poer not accuracy he would probaly not hit a lot of fairways

FWIW, I have always been an "overswinger", for reasons too boring to go into here, but today I went out and got in touch with my "inner Sadlowski" and let myself turn as far as I could (with my woods). I actually hit all of my fairways today (for 9 holes), which is a real rarity for me. I didn't always have the best contact, but they all went pretty straight. Definitely got good distance on the ones that I hit solid, and the others weren't too terrible. Worst tee shot was the last hole where I tried to shorten up the backswing, that was the only fade all day.