Thackerville, OK – Long Drivers of America, the organizing body of the World Long Drive Championship, crowned its second champion at this year’s final on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Long Drivers of America Hall of Fame member and five-time open division champion Jason “GolfZilla” Zuback from Calgary,  dominated a world-class field in his rookie debut in the senior division.

Zuback the winningest player in long drive history dominated the sport from 1996-2006 capturing 5 world championships and making nine finals.

Battling a 20 mph headwind on an unseasonably hot day in Thackerville, Oklahoma, Zuback never lost a round and hit the longest ball of the day at 352 yards on his road to the title beating a star-studded field in the match-play finale.

Jason started the competition off strong in the morning breezing through his initial two rounds of competition with drives of 338 yards and 352 yards.  In the pivotal round 5, Zuback blasted one 336 beating his closest competitor by 12 yards easily making him the #1 seed in the Match Play brackets.

In the Semi-Finals, he faced long-time friend and fellow LDA Hall of Famer, Brian Pavlet.  Just months removed from full hip replacement surgery, Pavlet took the long road to match-play through the losers bracket but fell to Zuback for his second straight semi-final finish.

With the win, Zuback pocketed $12,000 (U.S) and adds another world championship to his resume.

Las Vegas, Nev. – Little did anybody know in October 2000 that the Titleist Pro V1 golf ball would become one of the most revolutionary products in golf equipment history. Fifteen years ago this week, at the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas (now the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), 47 players switched to the multi-component, solid technology Pro V1 the first week it was available, representing the single greatest pluralistic shift in equipment usage ever at a PGA TOUR event. Las Vegas was the first event in which Tour players could play Pro V1 in competition after it was added to the Fall 2000 Edition of the USGA Conforming Golf Ball List.

Today, Pro V1 and Pro V1x are the most played and best-selling golf ball models around the world. Two out of every three players across the worldwide professional tours tee up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, and the percentages are even higher at major men’s and women’s global amateur events, the NCAA Championships and competitive boys’ and girls’ junior championships.

Bill Morgan, Senior Vice President for Titleist Golf Ball R&D, was on site at the 2000 Invensys Classic at Las Vegas to introduce the new Pro V1 to players. He described the almost universal feedback he received from those who put the new ball to the test early in the week:

“While we expected early adoption, we weren’t certain what the ball count would be, because players only had a day or two of practice rounds,” said Morgan. “Forty seven players, or over half of all the Titleist players in the field, immediately put the new Pro V1 in play. We heard from players, that for the very first time, they didn’t sacrifice anything in a golf ball. The Pro V1 provided total performance by delivering exceptional distance gains off the tee while providing incredibly soft feel and what we called ‘drop-and-stop’ short game control. It also had a durable cover that wouldn’t cut or shear the way the traditional balata-covered balls did.”

The Pro V1 was an exciting addition to Titleist’s high performance golf ball line, further accelerating Titleist’s position as the industry leader in innovative technology, best-in-class process quality and manufacturing capabilities. It was the first time Titleist had applied its expertise in large-core technology, multi-component technology and elastomer urethane technology into one product.

Mary Lou Bohn, Vice President, Golf Ball Marketing and Titleist Communications, was also in Las Vegas that week.

“The Pro V1 responded to the changing nature of the game,” said Bohn.  “The arrival of the power game on the tour necessitated golf balls that delivered very low spin in the long game, while maintaining the spin, feel and control of the premium liquid center, wound technology golf balls. We walked the fairways with players during their practice rounds, and it was amazing to hear so many great players effusive over Pro V1’s performance.  If you look at the early success of players who achieved record-setting performances, the results spoke for themselves.”

One such player was Billy Andrade, who won the Invensys Classic the first week the new Pro V1 was available, and recently recalled how it “resurrected his career.”

“I remember I was not having a very good year entering that event,” said Andrade. “I think I was around 160th on the money list and there were only a few events left. I was desperate. I vividly remember the first time I put it into play during a practice round. The ball was 20 yards longer than the Tour Prestige that I was playing at the time. I chalked some of it up to altitude, but the distance, in addition to the overall performance of the ball, was like nothing I had ever played.”

Andrade fired five consecutive rounds in the 60’s to win by one shot. Not only did players transitioning to the Pro V1 finish 1-2 on the leaderboard, they finished 1-2 in driving distance. The victory was the fourth of Andrade’s career and vaulted him from 159th to 43rd on the 2000 PGA TOUR money list. Another Pro V1 player tied for third after fashioning a closing 10-under par 62, the event’s lowest single round score.

To put things into perspective, Titleist Brand Ambassador Jordan Spieth, recently named PGA TOUR Player of the Year, was seven years old when the Pro V1 debuted in 2000 and is among several young Titleist golf ball loyalists who have never played anything but Pro V1 or Pro V1x in competition.

“I’ve been playing the Pro V1 or Pro V1x since I was 12 years old and started playing competitively,” said Spieth. “That is when I made golf my number one sport and wanted to shoot the lowest scores possible. I haven’t played another ball in competition since then. I think everybody that took the game seriously, at least my peers at the time, all wanted to play the Pro V1 or Pro V1x.”

The immediate success of the Pro V1, beginning with the Las Vegas event, created a demand for a golf ball among all golfers not previously seen before. Due to the considerable momentum the Pro V1 gained as a result of tour player usage and success, media coverage and word-of-mouth communication, Titleist accelerated its market launch from March 2001 to December 2000. After just four months in golf shops, Pro V1 was the best-selling golf ball in the market place. At the 2001 Masters, 42 of 45 Titleist players in the field teed up a Pro V1.

Not only did the Pro V1 allow tour players to reach new heights, but it also allowed golfers at every level to enjoy a better game. Previously, golfers had to make sacrifices and prioritize distance over scoring performance. They could choose a 2-piece ball that would give them distance off the tee, but that meant a loss in short game control into and around the green. With Pro V1, golfers now had one ball that delivered unmatched distance as well as the short game performance demanded by the best players in the world.

Why the name“Pro V1?”: One of the questions Bill Morgan got most after the launch of Pro V1 – and still gets to this day – is, “What does Pro V1 mean?”

“We didn’t know what to call it,” said Morgan.  “The leading tour-played ball at the time was the Titleist Professional.  We were coming up to the USGA deadline for getting balls on the conforming list, so I just put an interim stamp on for submission and I figured we would work out what to officially call it later. I wrote Pro for Professional, V for the ‘Veneer Project’ that it was called in R&D, and the number 1. I absolutely thought we would change the name but the players said they loved it – so it stuck.”

BY THE NUMBERS:

– Billy Andrade won the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas on October 16, 2015.

– Two out of every three golfers across the major worldwide professional tours play the Pro V1 or Pro V1x, more than five times the nearest competitor.

– The Titleist Pro V1 franchise has accounted for 406 wins and 56,881 players on the PGA TOUR entering the 2015-16 season since its debut at the 2000 Invensys Classic in Las Vegas.

– The Titleist Pro V1 franchise has accounted for 2,374 worldwide wins and over 304,000 players across the worldwide professional tours since its debut.

– According to Golf Datatech through September 2015, the Pro V1 has been the best-selling golf ball in the marketplace for 175 consecutive months.

Cabot Links announced today that PGA of Canada member Ted Stonehouse will be joining their team in early November in the role of Director, Golf Operations.  Ted will join Cabot’s existing management team with a focus on the golf services and golf retail operations.

“I am very excited to join Cabot’s dynamic management team.”  Stonehouse says. “I am looking forward to reuniting with Ben Cowan-Dewar, Joe Robinson and Ryan Hawley, and to working closely with Adam Calver. This golf operation does so many things right; I hope to add to the already great experience.”

Joe Robinson will take on the new title of Golf Professional Emeritus and will continue in his current work capacity.

Ted comes to us from Clovelly, in St. John’s Newfoundland, where he worked as Director of Golf for the past 4 years. Prior to Clovelly, he had a 13-year tenure at Bell Bay, where he introduced many successful initiatives and his junior program was considered second to none. Previously, he worked at private, semi-private and resort style courses across Canada.

Over the years, Ted has been recognized by the PGA of Canada for his outstanding contributions to the game. He has received numerous awards, including PGA of Canada National – Club Professional of the Year (2002), Merchandiser of the Year (2003), and the Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year (2007).

“I could not be more excited that Ted is joining the team here at Cabot,” says Ben Cowan-Dewar, Managing Director at Cabot. “In the decade that I have known Ted, he has embodied what a true professional is and we are lucky to have him.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., – The Symetra Tour announced today that Symetra has committed to a four-year extension as the exclusive title sponsor of the Symetra Tour — Road to the LPGA. The Bellevue, Washington-based life insurance company will continue its role as the umbrella sponsor of the Symetra Tour and two events on the tournament schedule — the Symetra Classic held in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship Presented by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

In addition to its sponsorship extension, which will run through the 2021 season and represent a decade of partnership, Symetra also has pledged incremental dollars to a purse subsidy fund that provides a financial match to tournaments that raise their purses starting in 2016. As part of this program, the 2016 purses of the Symetra Classic and Symetra Tour Championship will increase to $150,000 and $200,000, respectively; the latter to a level that would have made it the second-highest purse on the 2015 schedule.

Symetra began its partnership with the Road to the LPGA in 2010 as the title sponsor of the Symetra Classic in San Antonio, Texas — an event that moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2012. The company then secured naming rights for the Symetra Tour in November 2011. Formally known as the LPGA Futures Tour, the Symetra Tour has served as the LPGA’s official developmental tour since 1999.

On October 8th, 2015, the AT&T Byron Nelson – a PGA TOUR stop in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area – issued a challenge to Golf Canada – organizers of the RBC Canadian Open.

The bet was that if the Texas Rangers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in the MLB playoffs, Golf Canada staff would have to sing “Texas, Our Texas” – the official state song of the state of Texas. However, since the Toronto Blue Jays bet Texas, the organizers of the AT&T Byron Nelson had to sing “O’Canada”. Here is their rendition. Enjoy!

If there’s any knock against golf resorts, it’s that they often have middling courses. Good enough and well-conditioned, certainly, but not great. This is understandable – the courses must appeal to a wide range of skills and the emphasis is on fun rather than challenge. People are on vacation, after all. Who wants to get beaten up?

That said, Canada is blessed with plenty of exceptions to the rule. From Humber Valley and Highlands Links in the East to Banff Springs, Jasper Park and Whistler in the West, Canada has resorts that combine top-notch accommodations with truly great golf. While the latter examples are well-known and well-documented, here are another five in Canada that are either emerging or perhaps a little less known.

1. CABOT LINKS, INVERNESS, N.S.

STAY: The contemporary design of the resort’s 60-room lodge stands out in this former coal-mining village in Cape Breton, but the building’s low-slung profile and low-key luxe feel right for a beachy setting. The most outstanding feature might be the views: cleverly, every room looks onto Cabot Links and the ocean. Another 16 rooms are available in villas.

PLAY: Cabot Links, regarded as Canada’s only true links, has captured the attention of golf aficionados, and for good reason. Rod Whitman designed an epic playground of wonderful holes in a stunning seaside setting. When the wind blows, it’s even more fun.

LET’S PLAY TWO: Any of The Lakes, Le Portage or Bell Bay nearby would do, but let’s be honest: Cabot Cliffs, a sister course to Cabot Links that’s perched on a cliff, as its name suggests, is the world’s new bucket list course so it’s the one to insist upon. It opened this past Canada Day.

BEYOND GOLF: The Cabot Trail along Cape Breton’s coast is one of Canada’s most scenic drives. Lots to do along the way, from kayaking and hiking to whale watching and local dining.

2. COBBLE BEACH, KEMPLE, ONT.

STAY: The Nantucket-style clubhouse has more than just the typical golf amenities, such as a pro shop and 19th hole. The upper floor is an upscale inn with 10 rooms, all with different layouts and capacities. How cool is it to sleep right in the clubhouse?

PLAY: Architect Doug Carrick has courses that are more highly regarded, but Cobble Beach is surely his most fun. The hummocky fairways ensure a lively ground game, the wide fairways on the front nine give way to tighter passageways on the back, and his ingenious use of the sloping property provides a view of Georgian Bay from every hole. Yes, every hole.

LET’S PLAY TWO: The Golf Club at Lora Bay isn’t exactly next door – it’s nearly an hour away – but the Thomas McBroom design is worth the drive. It’s scenic, features lots of elevation changes (the first tee shot is dazzling) and has a pleasant detour through a former orchard on the back nine. Play well and you’ll score well.

BEYOND GOLF: The Tom Thomson Art Gallery in nearby Owen Sound is the rare small-town museum with big-city cred — a terrific showcase for one of the Sound’s most famous sons.

3. ROCKY CREST, MACTIER, ONT.

STAY: Suites, villas, cottages and cabins are nestled in the trees beside Lake Joseph at this authentic Muskoka resort. It’s family oriented (pools, water activities) but it’s also great for buddy trips, given some of the suites can comfortably hold four or more.

PLAY: Rocky Crest doesn’t pack as big a wow factor as some Muskoka courses, and is perhaps better for it. Rock outcroppings are integrated but not overused or intrusive, fairways are framed by forest and wetlands but playable. Setting it apart from many resort courses, it’s walkable.

LET’S PLAY TWO: Rocky Crest is owned by ClubLink, which has two other courses in the region (Lake Joseph and the Mark O’Meara Course at Grandview). They’re just fine, but Ridge at Manitou, 45 minutes north, deserves more love than it gets, if for nothing else because of its gorgeous 18th hole and its intimate clubhouse.

BEYOND GOLF: Muskoka is dotted with villages and towns that make for a pleasant shopping or lunch excursion, say Port Carling or Bracebridge. Algonquin Provincial Park to the north is Canadian nature at its best. You might even see a moose.

4. WOLF CREEK, PONOKA, ALTA.

STAY: A two-bedroom cabin sits just off the ninth hole on the resort’s Links course. A large, full-serviced campground can accommodate plenty more visitors. So bring your RV or even your tent.

PLAY: The Old Course at Wolf Creek is the original and tighter of the resort’s two layouts. It is strong early work from designer Rod Whitman, who has gone on to create other masterpieces, including Cabot Links in Nova Scotia and Sagebrush in British Columbia.

LET’S PLAY TWO: The resort’s second 18, the Links, is also a Whitman creation but has a more expansive feel. The back nine, added in 2010 to an existing front nine from 1996, is especially good.

BEYOND GOLF: What’s a trip to Alberta without a little cowboy culture? The Ponoka Stampede, held the last week of June each year, is a smaller version of its Calgary cousin and features six days of rodeo and chuckwagon racing.

5. PREDATOR RIDGE, VERNON, B.C.

STAY: The main lodge has panoramic views of the Monashee Mountains and parts of the resort’s two courses. More intimate retreats are available at the cottages and villas built along the 17th and 18th holes on the Ridge course.

PLAY: The Ridge is fun, very playable, winds through mountainous terrain, and features extraordinary elevation changes and provides some of the most jaw-dropping views in Canadian golf. Your best shots of the day might be with your camera.

LET’S PLAY TWO: With its views of Lake Okanagan, the Golf Club at the Rise also delivers lots of eye candy. Anyone with a big game – and time to travel – might also head to Kamloops 90 minutes away to play Tobiano, a course that’s demanding but spectacularly unique (and vaguely lunar) in its appearance.

BEYOND GOLF: It might seem odd for guests of one outstanding resort to spend time at another resort nearby, but Sparkling Hill in Vernon is worth a look, if only to see the 3.5 million pieces of Swarovski crystal incorporated into its design. Otherwise, the Okanagan Valley is wine country – take a guided or self-guided tour of the many vineyards.

The new Scotty Cameron Futura X7 and X7M putters make use of face-sole core technology with advanced perimeter weighting to offer increased stability and forgiveness throughout the stroke, in addition to providing easy alignment and a soft, sure feel.

Futura X7 and X7M are the next evolution of Scotty Cameron’s tour-proven Futura X line, a putter family defined by modern contours that deliver high-MOI performance through advanced perimeter weighting.

“The motivation behind Futura X always has been to help golfers make a more stable, more balanced, more consistent, more confident stroke,” Cameron said. “We’ve enhanced those benefits with X7 and X7M through larger, multi-material constructions that make alignment simple. For the golfer, that translates into higher MOI for stability, a bigger sweet spot for forgiveness, easier alignment for a more confident setup, and a better, softer feel.”

Futura X7 is a large, modern wingback mallet with horizontal and vertical sight lines, while Futura X7M offers a unique pop-through bar-back mallet design for additional MOI and stability. Futura X7M Dual Balance combines the X7M head style with tour-proven Dual Balance technology for added stability.

Each Futura X7 model features a lightweight aluminum face-sole core surrounded by a stainless steel frame. “The key feature is the two materials,” Cameron said. “Basically there are two constructions involved here. The feel and sound of the lightweight midsection are married together with the heavier surrounding heel, toe and back to be more forgiving, for better performance.”

Odyssey Golf has officially announced the new Odyssey Works Tank Cruiser line of putters which feature the high performance Fusion RX insert, and adjustable weighting options in the head and grip for improved stability and feel. The line of putters, which uses the company’s Versa high contrast alignment, is made up of 4 popular Odyssey head shapes: #7, V-Line, #1 Wide and 2-Ball Fang.

The adjustable counterbalance weighting is designed so golfers can fine-tune the weighting to match their putting stroke. A heavier counterbalance can help take the hands and wrists out of the stroke for a smoother, more consistent motion while a lighter counterbalance weight helps activate the hands for a more “feel” type of stroke.

With adjustable head weights, a heavier head can add stability and a lighter head can provide more feel. The head weights in the #7, V-Line and #1 Wide models can be adjusted to 365 grams, 375 grams or 385 grams. The 2-Ball Fang head weight can be adjusted to 375 grams, 385 grams or 395 grams. These putter models also come standard with a Superstroke grip.

Odyssey Principal Designer, Austie Rollinson noted, “There’s a lot of versatility with these adjustable weighting options. The whole platform of this adjustability is to give you stability throughout the stroke. And when you add all of the other great technologies, you have a great package.”

FootJoy has launched the latest innovation in high-tech performance with the new EXO4^TM glove. Boasting several exclusive, performance-enhancing technologies, the EXO4 glove offers exceptional fit, flex, feel and form in all weather conditions.

The lightweight EXO4 glove incorporates an exclusive FiberSof MicroTAC™ palm that provides a smoother feel with advanced Taction^® Grip for extremely durable and reliable performance in all playing conditions. The exclusive FiberSof^TM material on the back of the hand and fingers of the glove combines with special LYCRA® FLX Zones to form a unique FJ Exoskeleton™ bonded construction for advanced comfort, breathability and contoured fit.

Using specifically-designed FLX Zones^TM along the back of the hand, the EXO4 glove also delivers a natural, flexible movement for the golfer, while maintaining a secure and consistent grip on the club. A moisture-wicking Wrist Elastic Cuff, plus a 3-Directional angled tab closure, also improves fit and comfort when playing.

“The EXO4 epitomizes the top performance from the #1 Glove in Golf and offers several innovative design and material technologies that will appeal to golfers playing in all types of conditions,” said Maria Bonzagni, Senior Director of Marketing, FJ Gloves and Accessories. “Thanks also to the impressive comfort, look and durability of the glove, the EXO4 should be a favorite with those playing regularly week in, week out at their golf club.”

The new EXO4 glove is available in sizes S-XXL, ensuring an all-encompassing provision of Men’s Left, Cadet and Right handed options and come in a bold white/black design.

FootJoy has introduced the new D.N.A. (DryJoys Next Advancement) golf shoe which now has full customization through their popular MyJoys® program.

Offering lightweight support, a secure fit and comfortable performance, the latest D.N.A. golf shoes feature a new TourLock Cleat System for enhanced performance and traction in all conditions. While maintaining its low profile appearance, the new cleat system significantly enhances retention. Inside D.N.A., an improved SnugFit Tongue conforms to the top of the foot and locks it in place.

“We were faced with the challenge of how to make our most feature-laden golf shoe even better and I believe we’ve accomplished that,” said VP of Product Design and Development, Doug Robinson, “With influence from our leading Tour players we have upgraded the overall performance of the shoe while giving golfers the ability to add their own personal touch through the myriad of custom options in MyJoys.”

MyJoys currently offers more than 14 million ways of customizing the #1 Shoe in Golf, including exotic print leathers, personalization, country flags and MLB and collegiate logos.

The D.N.A. MyJoys golf shoes will also feature three areas of customizable color with sizes ranging from 6 Narrow to 16 Wide and 7XW-12, 13XW. Additionally 12 new microfiber leathers will be added to the MyJoys Program for use on the new D.N.A.: White Silver Sphinx, Black Silver Sphinx, Silver Fluid, White Patent, Blue Metal, Black Metal, Off White, Royal Blue, Platinum, Black, Red.