Rip It: Yorkshire's First Ever Long-drive Competition

It has been discussed umpteen times over a beer in the clubhouse but on Sunday, August 30th we will finally find out which amateur golfer in Yorkshire is the biggest hitter!

Yorkshire Golfer magazine, in conjunction with Direct Golf's Stadium Driving Range in Huddersfield, is hosting the county's first ever long-drive competition – the 'Rip It' challenge.

The event is open to players who reside in Yorkshire and they will be bidding to win prizes worth £1,500.

Organiser and Yorkshire Golfer editor Mark Flanagan (pictured) is looking forward to the competition, which is intended to be lots of fun for those who enter and also for friends and family who come down and watch.

“There are lots of golfers in Yorkshire who may not have a short game to match the professionals but in terms of getting the ball out there can match the top guys for length," he said.

"I once played in a competition where a 14 handicapper hit a 400-yard drive and every club in Yorkshire has these type of players. This competition is for them and it should be pretty spectacular. Plus there will be plenty of space for friends and family to come and watch and we will also have lots of food and drink available.

“Event sponsors Krombacher will be handing out free beer and we will have a barbecue so it will be quite a party atmosphere. I just hope the weather is kind to us.”

The competition will have a morning qualifying session before knock-out finals in the afternoon. Qualifying starts at 9.40am when two lots of entrants will step forward and hit three drives with their longest counting as their qualifying mark. Drives will be measured using state-of-the-art Flightscope technology so the distance will be instantly known.

The leading qualifiers from the main event plus the age-group category qualifiers – Over-40s men, Over-60s men, U-18s boys, ladies and ladies O-50s – will go through to the knockout finals in the afternoon. Players eligible for age-group categories can also qualify for the main draw, they just need to be long enough!

In all the finals the player who hits the longest drive in qualifying will be seeded one and he will play the lowest ranked qualifier in the first round. The second best will meet the second lowest and so on.

In the knockout stages each player will have one ball with the longest drive going through and eventually it will be left with two battling it out for first prize.

Editor Mark has also been practising hard for the event – and with good reason. He will open the competition at 9.30am because he has set an extra challenge for all those who enter. Anyone who beats his longest drive will win some balls. How many they win depends on how many can out-drive the Yorkshire Golfer editor!

Mark explains: “Thanks to our friends at Direct Golf we have a massive pot of balls worth £400 to give away. They will be shared out between all those who out-drive me so if only one person can manage it they will walk away with golf balls worth £400.

“I want to make it clear if I do qualify for the final I will not take up my place. For me it is a bit of fun so hopefully that will just take the pressure when I have a go.”

Mark is hoping a drive above 280 yards will put him near the top. “I have been working hard on getting extra length off the tee and have changed my setup to get an extra 20-30 yards. It seems to be working, but I just hope I can perform on the day.”

Places for the event are limited and it costs £12.95 to enter. You can enter online at www.yorkshire-golfer.co.uk where full details of the 'Rip It' Challenge are available. But if you have any queries ring Yorkshire Golfer editor Mark Flanagan on 01924 666240.