WLD - Just a fun winter conversation

[bobfoster]

Okay dear friends - a silly season winter topic, because most of us above about the 35° global latitude are in a deep freeze right now. So we have to talk about golf instead of actually playing.

 

I really dig the World Long Drive competitions. Love Kyle Berkshire. Love Phyllis Mehti. But WLD is such a dramatic change in philosophy. Everything is opposite from pro golf. The biggest hitters on the PGAT are actually going for really stiff shafts, shorter shafts, and (recently) higher lofts - like in the 9, 10 - even 10.5 lofts. They are trying to optimize the trade-off between distance and control. They want distance, but they always want their "fairways hit" stats to excel. Your scores go way down when you can hit a lot of second shots off the short stuff. 

 

WLD people are very different. These people are using lofts in the 3° - 6° range. They play long shafts - but with flexes that are insanely whippy (goof grief, it looks like they are swinging ropes). It is astounding to watch them load their shafts. Of course, the problem is that the release has to be timed absolutely perfectly. But not a problem with them, because they are completely fine with missing six out of eight in a round - as long as they nail one perfectly center face (actually, maybe a millimeter above center face) with incredible SS, ball speed, and controlled spin. (When you swing that freaking fast, ballooning gets to be a real issue). 

 

BUT! I have found I am really learning something from their mechanics. Their footwork vis amazing (the best have their feet very loose - they almost come completely off the ground at contact). But I've really been focusing on their back swings, and most especially their transitions. At their best, they are perfect. Transition is probably the most critical part of the golf swing. That fraction of a second where the upper half of your body is still moving backwards, but your lower body was already started the turn forward (the X Factor that generates torque - winding up the rubber band on the paper airplane). When the timing is perfect, it is absolutely magical to watch. But it is incredibly difficult to get it perfect. I'm not a bad golfer, but am getting older. Usually average drives in the 240 - 250 range. I just watched a video and saw Kyle drive it 462 yards. It is hard to even believe it is possible to hit a golf ball that far (and straight) with conforming equipment. 

 

Anyway, I am trying to figure out how to adapt some of what these people do to my own game. I will never be a WLD guy. I do not want to slice or duck hook six out of eight drives into the woods. But if I can adapt a few of their tactics to get an extra 10 or 15 yards (without sacrificing consistency) I'm totally down with that. 

 

Oops - I'm babbling. But it is winter. So - open discussion!!! Do you watch WLD? Have you changed anything about your game because you did?

Edited January 7 by bobfoster

[djohnsonx]

I haven't really watched much WLD except some clips from when Jamie Sadlowski used to do it. I'm open to watching it though because one of our vendors we use at work basically gave us an open invite to come watch the event in August and the 2025 championship.  They are hosting both events on their turf farm. Would be pretty cool to see live.

[bobfoster]

55 minutes ago, djohnsonx said:

I haven't really watched much WLD except some clips from when Jamie Sadlowski used to do it. I'm open to watching it though because one of our vendors we use at work basically gave us an open invite to come watch the event in August and the 2025 championship.  They are hosting both events on their turf farm. Would be pretty cool to see live.

Here's the 2024 WLD Championship. Fun stuff.

 

 

[DTorres]

    I did some WLD competing in the past, my last being the 2019 Yucca Valley Qualifier before covid. There are A LOT of things you can add to your current golf game without sacrificing pro style play. Some things you absolutely can’t for example the 4” tee height we like in WLD, the Ladies flex and extra long shafts, extra low lofts and etc. The most serious long drivers take EVERYTHING into play that increases ball speed and decreases spin. Once I finished my speed training and started competing I was constantly checking what the elevation was where we were competing, windage, temp, turf firmness and grass density just to know exactly how to set up the 3-4 drivers I would bring to each meet. Only when your speed tops out and you absolutely exploit everything you can for ball speed, spin, decent angle, roll out will you start to see 400+ yard drives.

 

   For real, standard play tournament golf though there are things you can pull from long drive. The footwork you speak of comes from the need to release our hips quickly while swinging up as fast as we can. We rock slightly before the backswing to engage the kinetic energy needed to load the most energy possible into the clubhead, quite a few tour pros are starting to do this. Growing up golfing I was always told to quiet down my feet down, in all reality I think that was just so I could learn proper impact and club path. Once you have that down and know how to deliver the club head properly it’s mostly about how to deliver the driver as fast as possible at an upward attack angle to minimize spin. So in opposite manner your feet need to be a bit active,  tilt your back shoulder down toward the ground, start by swaying your driver forward before your backswing and it will produce more momentum and speed and it will start a strong driver arch. You don’t need a fast backswing, just catch your momentum at the top as high as your hands can reach, feel your shaft load and then unleash the Go juice , try and hit it into the clouds. A low spin, low/mid launch shaft at an upward attack angle should produce a low rpm, 100-110 foot apex burner that should roll out a while even with say a 6-9* driver. Adding a little bit more freedom to your stance and swing  will unlock a lot of speed. It will likely increase your distance and if you feel like your spraying it too far or right get a stiffer shaft. ( My gamer driver is a TX Flex tipped 1 inch and the rest of my regular golf irons and wedges are stiff or xstiff)
 

WLD: Your most Athletic swing every time no form restrictions. no irons or putters

Tour Golf: Athletic driver swing with some form restrictions. Take your time with your irons and putter.

 

[2Down]

watched a few times a while back when Kyle Berkshire was wow.  have they gone to whippy shafts?  I always thought they were like suffer than stiff.   will have to watch again.  actually I will have to find a broadcast, do they come on before or after bowling?  

 

 

[CROCN]

Thanks for all the talk and support for WLD! We are starting to get some much needed support and exposure. This coming up year will be exciting to watch with some new events and a new RISE tour that the top qualifiers have a chance to tee it up against the big boys! Down here in Texas we are able to keep the ball bombing. Today on the first tee, 415 yard par 4, I made a few guys mad for having to wait until they got off the green. The group behind us were talking, this guy thinks he's a WLD pro. I kept my mouth shut and let the bomb speak for itself. It landed 5 yds short of the green sticking in the mud. Chipped it to a couple feet and tapped it in for an easy birdie. It doesn't always happen like that, but today it just felt good! Too bad it wasn't a competition day.