That is, unless your competing at the World Long Drive Championship. These guys hit long balls for money. How long and for how much? Well next time you see 16 year old Clayton Valley High School Junior, Dominick Mazza, roaming the halls at school, ask him. He may have to tell you twice because he is modest, doesn’t talk real loud, and because the first time he tells you he drove it 436 yards, you will need to hear it again. Unfortunately for him, he cannot accept any money but his dad will tell you that it’s just for fun.
I started working with Dominick a few years a back. When I first met him I thought he was another kid who played a lot of sports and I would need to improve on his fundamentals. Turns out that not only does he like golf but he throws an 87 mile per hour fast ball and is left handed as well. You might say there are plenty of coaches out there that are lobbying hard for him to stay focused on baseball.
So what’s his secret? Well he is pretty strong. He has big hands, weighs about 180 pounds and my guess is, stands about 6 feet 2. Dominick generates tremendous club speed and knows how to use leverage. He recently had his club speed checked and I happened to be there. His club speed was in the high 130’s which would be one of the highest on the PGA Tour. That would send a ball about 340 to 350 yards in the air. That’s what we call, “Bubba Watson long!” He is pretty much a “natural” at hitting it far.
My job is to help him control what he’s got. We have adjusted some things, ironed out a wrinkle here and there but basically, it’s all him. The shafts he uses are so stiff that you can’t flex them. He hits it solid and has wonderful balance. Oh, probably should mention that he is pretty good at the game of golf, too—he won a Junior Tournament this summer which proves he just doesn’t hit it long.
How lucky was his 436 yard drive that registered to be the second longest drive ever recorded at that grid? No luck at all, considering the fact that he qualified for the finals with five of his six balls traveling 400 yards or more! He put on a clinic and “shock and awed” everyone there, including his dad.
Dominick will be traveling next month to compete with the world’s best. You can bet they will be watching him closely. After all, he is still a growing boy!