Jamie Sadlowski
Encyclopedia
Jamie Sadlowski is a Canadian professional long drive
r, golfer and ice hockey player from St. Paul, Alberta
. One of the longest drivers in the world with a personal best of 445 yards, he won the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship
successively in 2008 and 2009 and has competed in over hundred long driving events and demonstrations.
and was defenseman and team captain for Bonnyville Pontiacs
. He has two brothers; his brother Brandon is also a hockey player. He first entered a long drive competition in Edmonton
at the age of 14, and claims to have been able to hit a ball over 400 yards at just 16. His father refers to him as a "freaky boy".
Sadlowski won the World Long Drive Junior Championships in 2005 and 2006. In the adult competition he has defeated rival and distance record holder Mike Dobbyn
several times in the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship finals in 2008 and 2009 but, unlike Dobbyn, is of average height and slight of build at 5'10" and 168 pounds. He won $250,000 for winning his first world title in 2008, and $150,000 defending it in 2009 during the economic difficulties. As of 2011 he has a personal best drive
of 445 yards. He won the 2008 finals as number 1 seed against number 2 seed Dewald Gouws, with a drive of 418 yards, hitting 434 yards in an earlier round. He reached the semi finals in the 2010 championships but lost to eventual champion, England’s Joe Miller, with a best of 388 yards as compared to Miller's 396.
In spring 2008, he hit a ball 330 yards using a hybrid club at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Dallas. In 2010 he won the LDA’s Texas Shootout and finished third place at LDA’s Mile High Shootout. He also competed in a charity competition at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii which included professional golfers Bubba Watson
, Dustin Johnson
and Robert Garrigus
. He faced Watson in the final and won easily with a drive of 407 yards, compared to Watson's biggest drive of 347 yards (370 at best in earlier rounds). He has competed in over hundred long driving events and demonstrations and aims to beat Jason Zuback's record of five RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship wins.
.
Sadlowski is able to generate such massive lengths far beyond those of some of the more powerfully built professional golfers because of his unique flexibility and leanness of build, remarking, "Because I'm lean, I can get in positions other long drivers can't." Motion Golf, a company that creates sophisticated 3-D swing animations of players, has deduced that in his swing he rotates his shoulders 166 degrees, but his hips move only 49 degrees; Tiger Woods
averages around 85 degrees in comparison. "Golf for Dummies" said of his swing, "at the top of Jamie Sadlowski's much longer swing, his hands are at 12 o'clock, and the clubhead is approaching 5 o'clock". Sadlowski claims that the secret behind his usually long drive is because of his intensive cardio work out and flexibility exercises in the gym and to "Think swing fast, not hard." CBS
golf announcer Gary McCord
said the reason he is able to hit such phenomenal distances is because "he's figured out how to move his muscles in time and space faster than the big guys." His very active participation in hockey and in badminton and other sports developed fast-twitch muscle fibers in Sadlowski's left side (very important in the ability to drive long distances), while strengthening his wrists. Art Sellinger says "Jamie has been given a gift of hinges and levers. The hinges are the shoulders, the levers are the wrist. He has two right wrists, everybody else has one. His unusual wrist strength in both wrists is attributed to the fact that during the winter months he has played ice hockey left handed since a child and then in the summer golf right handed.
Long drive
Long drive is a competitive sport where success is derived by hitting a golf ball the farthest by driving. A small but dedicated talent base of golfers populate the world of Long-Drive, with the top talent competing professionally in various events and exhibitions.-Distance:Professional long...
r, golfer and ice hockey player from St. Paul, Alberta
St. Paul, Alberta
St. Paul is a town in east-central Alberta, Canada. It was formerly called St. Paul de Métis and was originally a French-Catholic settlement and mission to the Metis people....
. One of the longest drivers in the world with a personal best of 445 yards, he won the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship
RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship
The RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships, also known as the World Long Drive Championship, REMAX World Long Drive, RE/MAX WLDC or REMAX, is an annual world championship in long drive golf driving, hosted since 1975. RE/MAX became the title sponsor in 1995; it evolved out of the original Long Drive...
successively in 2008 and 2009 and has competed in over hundred long driving events and demonstrations.
Biography
Sadlowski was born in St. Paul, Alberta on July 7, 1988, the son of a highway-repair man. Since his youth, Sadlowski has been a keen ice hockey player and competed for three years in the Alberta Junior Hockey LeagueAlberta Junior Hockey League
The Alberta Junior Hockey League is an Alberta-based Junior A hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League . It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. There are currently 16 teams in the league. The regular season league champions receive the Dave Duchak Trophy...
and was defenseman and team captain for Bonnyville Pontiacs
Bonnyville Pontiacs
The Bonnyville Pontiacs are an ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. They play in Bonnyville, Alberta, Canada at the R. J. Lalonde Arena, capacity 2700....
. He has two brothers; his brother Brandon is also a hockey player. He first entered a long drive competition in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
at the age of 14, and claims to have been able to hit a ball over 400 yards at just 16. His father refers to him as a "freaky boy".
Sadlowski won the World Long Drive Junior Championships in 2005 and 2006. In the adult competition he has defeated rival and distance record holder Mike Dobbyn
Mike Dobbyn
Mike Dobbyn is an American professional power golf driver who holds the world record for the longest recorded drive in history at 551 yards. In regular professional golf, the hardest hitters average just over 300 yards.However, although his longest drive is 551 yards, most of hits range between 350...
several times in the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship finals in 2008 and 2009 but, unlike Dobbyn, is of average height and slight of build at 5'10" and 168 pounds. He won $250,000 for winning his first world title in 2008, and $150,000 defending it in 2009 during the economic difficulties. As of 2011 he has a personal best drive
Drive (golf)
In golf stroke mechanics, a drive, also known as a tee shot, is a long-distance shot played from the tee box, intended to move the ball a great distance down the fairway towards the green.-Longest drives:...
of 445 yards. He won the 2008 finals as number 1 seed against number 2 seed Dewald Gouws, with a drive of 418 yards, hitting 434 yards in an earlier round. He reached the semi finals in the 2010 championships but lost to eventual champion, England’s Joe Miller, with a best of 388 yards as compared to Miller's 396.
In spring 2008, he hit a ball 330 yards using a hybrid club at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Dallas. In 2010 he won the LDA’s Texas Shootout and finished third place at LDA’s Mile High Shootout. He also competed in a charity competition at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii which included professional golfers Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson
Gerry "Bubba" Watson is an American professional golfer. Watson is one of the few left-handed golfers on tour and is known for his tremendous length. The longest driver on the PGA Tour, in 2007 he had an average drive of 315.2 yards and is capable of generating a ball speed of 194 mph, being...
, Dustin Johnson
Dustin Johnson
Dustin Hunter Johnson is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour having been third in the driving distance stats for three consecutive years between 2009-2011....
and Robert Garrigus
Robert Garrigus
Robert Garrigus is an American professional golfer who is currently a member of the PGA Tour. He won the 2010 Children's Miracle Network Classic, to guarantee exempt status on the PGA Tour through the end of the 2012 season....
. He faced Watson in the final and won easily with a drive of 407 yards, compared to Watson's biggest drive of 347 yards (370 at best in earlier rounds). He has competed in over hundred long driving events and demonstrations and aims to beat Jason Zuback's record of five RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship wins.
Driving mechanics
Sadlowski is naturally left-handed and is able to drive some 300 yards using a left-handed club but is more able playing right-handed. It was in 2010 that he set his personal best of 445 yards and averaged 405 yards. He generally uses a Adams Speedline 6.5 with the maximum legal 48" House of Forged Shaft. He has also achieved several other impressive feats with other clubs, with his records as of 2010 being 350 yards with a 14 degree hybrid, 300 yards with a 3-iron, 260 yards with a 5- iron, 240 yards with a 7-iron, 180 yards with a pitching wedge and 300 yards with a putter. As of 2011 he resides in Scottsdale, ArizonaScottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
.
Sadlowski is able to generate such massive lengths far beyond those of some of the more powerfully built professional golfers because of his unique flexibility and leanness of build, remarking, "Because I'm lean, I can get in positions other long drivers can't." Motion Golf, a company that creates sophisticated 3-D swing animations of players, has deduced that in his swing he rotates his shoulders 166 degrees, but his hips move only 49 degrees; Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
averages around 85 degrees in comparison. "Golf for Dummies" said of his swing, "at the top of Jamie Sadlowski's much longer swing, his hands are at 12 o'clock, and the clubhead is approaching 5 o'clock". Sadlowski claims that the secret behind his usually long drive is because of his intensive cardio work out and flexibility exercises in the gym and to "Think swing fast, not hard." CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
golf announcer Gary McCord
Gary McCord
Gary Dennis McCord is an American professional golfer, commentator, author, and actor.-Early life and career:McCord was born in San Gabriel, California and raised in southern California. He was a two-time Division II All-American at UC Riverside...
said the reason he is able to hit such phenomenal distances is because "he's figured out how to move his muscles in time and space faster than the big guys." His very active participation in hockey and in badminton and other sports developed fast-twitch muscle fibers in Sadlowski's left side (very important in the ability to drive long distances), while strengthening his wrists. Art Sellinger says "Jamie has been given a gift of hinges and levers. The hinges are the shoulders, the levers are the wrist. He has two right wrists, everybody else has one. His unusual wrist strength in both wrists is attributed to the fact that during the winter months he has played ice hockey left handed since a child and then in the summer golf right handed.