60-Minute Man

By Jon Rizzi

On Friday, June 28 The Broadmoor’s East Course could very well become the site of a new world record. On that day, Colorado Springs resident Greg Stafford will stand in a two-square-meter teeing area and—wielding a reinforced custom driver with a 7.5 degree loft he can swing up to 160 mph—he will crush a drive towards a green expanse that fans out like a baseball field from home plate. For Stafford, a “home run” needs to travel at least to the 300-yard marker and land within a 157-yard-wide area.

Then he’ll do it again. And again. And again. His goal: Break the mark for most 300-plus-yard drives hit in one hour—276. That’s one every 13 seconds. An official from the Guinness Book of World Records will fly in from Dublin to bear witness, as will a gallery of up to 200 near the third hole. Sponsors include The Broadmoor and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox baseball team. Stafford initially proposed staging the event at the team’s Security Service Field, launching his parabolas from home plate onto Springs Ranch Golf Course well beyond the outfield. “I don’t think they wanted to test whether their $1 million JumboTron could withstand a golf ball traveling 180 miles per hour,” he says, chuckling.

A genetic engineer by training, the Southern California native hit his first 300-yard drive at age 13. Inspired by the power generated by samurai swordsman, he developed a program called the Ryu of Driving Distance. By the end of the last century he held three records for 300-plus-yard drives: 684 consecutive; 800 consecutive in eight hours; and 1,000 in 12 hours. His one-hour record of 211 was eclipsed and he wants to reclaim it. “I figure if I get off about 400 drives—that’s one every nine seconds—I should be able to do it,” he says with soft-spoken confidence. “Plus, I did the 211 at sea level.”

Stafford’s quest is less about ego and more about Springs Rescue Mission. He’s set up a Website, where individuals can pledge anywhere from 1¢ to $5 per drive, and all proceeds benefit the mission’s work with the homeless and hungry. “My drives,” he says, “really help save lives.” To pledge: drives4lives.com

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.