Mike Gorton

4-time Long Drive Champion.

By Colorado Avid Golfer

So how’s your short game?

Nobody asks me that! It needs work. But unlike most long drivers, I’m a plus-one handicap.

What’s your longest drive?

At one time I held the record for the world’s longest drive—449 yards.

What driver do you use?

A Yonex Cyberstar NanoV Spec 425 9.0°driver with an extra-double stiff NanoHighSpeed tour shaft. I play golf with a 46-inch shaft; I long-drive with a 48.

Do you carry any long irons?

No. I have four wedges, and I hit my nine-iron 200 yards.

You draw a big distinction between long drivers and golfers.

Absolutely. In fact I’m going to lobby the USGA for amateur status. The USGA considers long drivers “non-amateurs,” not professionals. We’re in golf purgatory—we can’t compete in PGA events or USGA events. I’d love to play in the Colorado Senior Open.

Do you play golf at the same place you practice long driving?

Yes. The Omni Interlocken in Broomfield has been very good to me. 

How long have you been competing as a long driver?

28 years. In 1992, I became the first member of the Long Drivers of America Hall of Fame.

Besides equipment, what else has changed over the past three decades?

Well, when I won the 1987 open division I got $15,000. Last year’s open winner took home $250,000. Another change is that we now have a dedicated site—Mesquite City Park—for the RE/MAX championships every October, It’s like a PGA Tour stop.

This month you’ll go for your third straight Super Senior title. What’s the hardest part about competing?

Controlling your energy. It’s such a high testosterone event, and a lot of guys let the extra adrenaline hurt them. Another challenge is timing.  You have two and a half minutes to hit six balls. You can’t get caught up in watching your shots. You have to tee up the next one while the first one’s in the air.  You also have to know your swing well enough to make very quick adjustments. Last year in the finals, there was a 50mph headwind, so I changed my swing and hit it low. It only went 311 yards—almost 40 longer than the competition.