Golfers at the District Long Drive Championships Thursday at Mick Riley Golf Course came equipped with the latest in technological golf equipment.
Nearly every driver used by the contestants had a graphite or composite shaft, some had a larger head and most were longer than the regulation 43-inch size. However most were just a few inches longer.Some players were heard grumbling about winner Mark Wawsczyk using a 58-inch driver to win. But Wawsczyk can't understand their complaints.
"If they think it goes longer then why aren't they using one? Who's stopping them?"
Wawsczyk acknowledges he got the idea for the long driver from Wedgy Winchester who won the national long drive championship in 1984 using a 64-inch driver.
Actually Wawsczyk had been using a 65-incher, but cut it down just before coming to Utah to "get a little more control."
And what does Wawsczyk practice with? An 84-inch driver.
CLASS ACT: Kudos to Salt Lake County, Jeff Waters, Nolan Wathen and Mick Riley Golf Course for staging a top-notch long drive contest on Thursday.
Bleachers were set up to hold more than 100 spectators and a public address system was in place to announce each player and his accomplishments. Walkie talkies allowed workers on the course to give instant measurements of the drives.
Afterwards California's Steve Hoke echoed the comments of many contestants when he said, "This is really fun for us. I play in 25 of these events all over the country a year and this is the best."
FOREIGN RELATIONS: The 8th annual Utah-Japan Week is coming up next week.
Seventy-six junior golfers from Nagoya, Japan will spend the week in Utah and play golf every day at courses such as Wasatch Mountain, Davis Park, Mountain Dell, Bountiful and Park City. The young golfers will stay at homes of local families.
The week will culminate with a match pitting 14 of the Japanese golfers against 14 of Utah's top junior golfers at Bonneville Golf Course Friday at 10 a.m. Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini will be on hand for the opening of the matches.
"This is a great cultural and golf exchange," said Park City pro Rex Underwood, one of the organizers.
STRAY SHOTS: The Deseret News Junior Tournament will be played Wednesday and Thursday at Mountain Dell and West Bountiful Golf Courses . . . The annual Father and Son Scotch Twosome Tournament will be played Aug. 28 at West Bountiful Golf Course. Cost is $40. Teams will be divided into five flights based on age. Call 295-1019 for information . . . The UGA Tournament of Champions for all the tourney winners and club champions will be Saturday and Sunday at Wolf Creek Golf Club . . . The Smith's Utah Section PGA Championship begins next Sunday at Jeremy Ranch and runs through Wednesday . . . Todd Barker qualified for the National Mid-Amateur tournament last week . . . Qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur will be Friday at Alpine CC.