September 6, 2025 • 10 mins
The World Long Drive Championship is set to take place in the US later this month, and one Kiwi golfer is set to appear.
Chris Charlton joined Piney to discuss further.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
World Long Drive Championships and the US later on this month,
they are Chris Charlton and his training partner George Wardell.
Chris Charlton is with US. Chris, congratulations on qualification. What
did you have to do to qualify for the World
Long Drive Golf Championship.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, it's so sport itself is pretty simple. Basically, stand
up there, You've got two and a half minutes. Me
and you hit against each other, so we both hit
six spores each and whoever hits the longest ball wins.
So the sport itself is pretty simple. You sort of
have to work within I guess a parameter. You can't
just hit it anywhere kind of what most users would
(00:54):
think is sort of a typical golf vieway is kind
of the width of the of the grid. The sport's
pretty simple in terms of getting to words. I was
fortunate enough Golf Australia had a couple of tickets to
the World Champs on offer as part of a series
that they run over summer, and I was fortunate enough
to win the Australian PGA Championship which is sort of
(01:18):
held in conjunction with the actual Australian PGA over in Brisbane.
So fortunate enough to win that and obviously secure ticket
to Worlds, which is super exciting.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
So you talked about going head to head with another competitor.
How many rounds of that are there before the final?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
So in the state it'll be it'll be about four
at four rounds as far as I know. The format,
so you run in groups of sixteen and basically you
do five rounds which is thirty four, so five sets
of six and you get a points system and then
the top eight produced through the next round, so you
do I think it's five qualifying rounds and then after
(01:59):
that you go into knockouts, and knockouts is typically quarterfinals,
semi final, final.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
Gotcha? Is it where it lands or where it stops?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It's where it stops, so you can't actually it has
to stay in the grid the whole time. It can't
go out and back in, so there's no heading trees or
houses and popping back into the grid.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
But it's where it lands and rolls.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So that's part of the sport really is every track
is different. Some tracks have you know, it's like a
runway where's hard ground and some tracks are light in
terms of the soft mard and then you've got wind
factors and there's a lot to it. But yeah, it's
where it ends up.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
What is your best distance.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
In the final of Australian the Australian Champs, I hit
at three hundred and eighty six meters.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Three hundred and eighty six meters.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Yeah, yeah, good.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Where would that get you theoretically if you hit that
at the World Champs?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Where would that get you?
Speaker 5 (03:01):
Not very far?
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Really, with a smile on my face, because it's in Denver,
which is in the middle.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
Of a super high altitude.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
So because the altitude is so high up there, people
are probably heading it closer to four ten four hundred
and twenty meters for about four hundred and fifty yards.
I believe last time they were up there for an
event they were trying to get close to five hundred yards.
Speaker 5 (03:24):
So it is all very weather dependent.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
But yeah, you'll you'll probably need something closer to the
full fifty mark.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I'd say that is incredible. So do you feel that
is something you've got in your locker? Could you hit
it that far?
Speaker 5 (03:40):
I think if things go my way.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Yeah, for sure, I've been working a lot this year
on basically just raw power and speed. Obviously there's a
massive skill acquisition in terms of knowing how to fight
to it, knowing how to spin rates, all that sorte
of thing.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
But one thing I've been working a lot on.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
This year is my speed and making sure that if
I hit my best ball and one of the top
guys that said this ball, that we're somewhat close enough
to each other. And yeah, it's still a work in
progress to bring it all together in the next sort
of seven eight weeks, but we're getting closer and close
to bridgingnet gap, which long term is the golf incredible.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
So power and speed?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Is there one that you know you talked about working
on your speed there you've clearly pinpointed that as an
area where you can get your biggest gains or are
you also still trying to get as much power as
you can? Plus there must be technique issues here too, surely.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Yeah, Well I came from background of golf, so there
is a massive technical issue which is learning how to
untrain my golf swing and get into a long drive swing.
In terms of areas to work on. I think it's
it's probably more of a speed element. I think definitely
strong enough than powerful enough in the gym retrospect to
compete with the long drive guys. But I think there's
(04:56):
an element for rets under the belt and just making
sure that my top end speed is good enough to
compete with the rest of the rest of the world.
But yeah, in terms of yeah, it's a tough sport,
it's it's one of those ones where you've got to
make sure that you're not trying to do your top
in speed at all times of all times of the year,
(05:17):
or else you will end.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Up sort of breaking your body a little bit.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
So there's there's elements which are technical times and at
the moment sort of coming to the back end of
our winter and all the technical stuff's been done and
now to be bringing it all together and putting it
out onto the grid.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
As they say, how are the crowds at these events?
Speaker 5 (05:36):
They are phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
There's some events which we've been lucky to be involved with.
The OZZIEPGA was an awesome event last year they ran it.
They had fireworks on.
Speaker 5 (05:46):
The first tee.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
They basically as soon as the OZZIEPGA on the Saturday
afternoon had finished, they had all the crowd and moved
straight over to the first t. They had fireworks, they
had like flamethrowers. They had about probably five six hundred
people there watching and we basically ran our event at
the exact time time as they just came off. I
(06:08):
think it was Minulea just come off the eighteenth Green.
So they try to put on a bit of a
spectacle and have a bit of fun with it, especially.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
For a lot of the corporates that are around so good.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
And is there prize money involved here?
Speaker 5 (06:17):
Chris? There is? I actually am not actually sure.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
It's not really a big motivator, And to be honest,
I couldn't actually tell you what the prize money is
for World Champs. It's only my second time heading over
to the States for this, so I hope so I know.
I think last year is about forty grand US potentially
for first place, but I honestly could not tell that.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
I actually quite like the fact you don't know.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I think that says a lot about your motivation for this,
just trying to smack it as far as you can.
What is your do you still play regular golf, and
you talked about having to adjust because obviously you know
you don't want to have it that far off every
tea that you walk onto. So do you still play
a bit of regular golf as well?
Speaker 5 (07:08):
I used to.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I used to when I first started a long job.
I did, but my coach, funnily enough, has banned me.
He said it messes with my swing too much, going
from drivers to irons and all that sort of thing.
So I've taken a back chef, unfortunately from golf, and
I will get back into it. I play a fun
ambros of in every labor day. I played probably two
(07:29):
or three around a year, but and probably play off
for maybe a tour or three, which is largely through
the long drives and terrible puttings. So you can get
an agreement any three partners, yea at.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
The part, well let's try for show putfa do Isn't
that that's the old adage? And well, obviously you're you're
driving a a. What do do they provide you with
the golf balls? Does everyone use the same kind of
golf balls? You clip obviously don't bring your own.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Yeah, so you have to use what they give you.
So that's part of I guess the preparation as.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
Well is what what balls are they're using, how do
they compress? How did they fly?
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Last year they used the Bridgestone ball. This year they've
gone with Pinnacle as their main sponsors to using Pinnacle balls.
So it's all part of the training is how do
I get the most out of that specific golf ball
as well, So we spend a lot of time in
simulators looking at numbers, spin rates, especially for different types
of golf balls. So there only think Consonant is obviously
what we use in terms of the gear, but then
(08:26):
in terms of the balls and stuff, they provide them more,
which is good because you end up losing most of
them anyway.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I can imagine, hey mate, this is just awesome. I'm
just so pleased we've had the chance to chat about this.
So what your head off what middle of September, get
yourself acclimatized, and then get into it.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
On about the twenty fifth I.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Think, yeah, unfortunately, we'd like to be more time over there,
but we head over about five I think four or
five days before get acclimatized, spend a week over there,
which would be really good, and then our season kicks off,
so we've got a fair bit of travel end of
the year, China in Australia and stuff, which is cool.
So it's exciting time a year to be doing a
(09:02):
bit of long driving getting now and traveling the world
as well, which is always a.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Bit of fun your season.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
There's a circuit for this as well, so this World
Champs is just one of the things you're involved in.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
There's an American circuit which is the World Long Drive Circuit.
There is also a New Zealand circuit which XDL and
New Zealand run, which is really cool. We're lucky to
have i guess, sort of five or six events here,
and then the Australian circuit. There's an Asian circuit, so
it's kind of what.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
You can afford to do. Obviously in America.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
It's it's costly to get over there and it's it's
not a cheap trip, but we sort of get over
there as much as you can because that's I guess
we are. The world ranking points are, that's the WOD
events are, that's that's ultimately where we want to be at.
But the World Champs is the Krem de la Creme
and that's what he runs trying to win. So fortunate
(09:52):
enough to be there this year and hopefully show them
a little bit about what Keywis can do.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
So good mate.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Look, it's been great chatting to you Chris. All the
best mate. Can't wait to see how you go.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
No, awesome, appreciate the time, Thanks very much.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
No thanks, thank you for your time, Chris. What a
fascinating chat.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Chris Charlton, one of the Key He is qualifying for
the World Long Drive Golf Championships in the US late
September this year.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
So interesting, he's his coach. His coach doesn't let him
play normal golf anymore. Love that.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
We'll keep track of Chris's progress when he's over in
the US later on this month and let you know
how he goes.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to news Talks b weekends from midday or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
World Long Drive Championships and the US later on this month,
they are Chris Charlton and his training partner George Wardell.
Chris Charlton is with US. Chris, congratulations on qualification. What
did you have to do to qualify for the World
Long Drive Golf Championship.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, it's so sport itself is pretty simple. Basically, stand
up there, You've got two and a half minutes. Me
and you hit against each other, so we both hit
six spores each and whoever hits the longest ball wins.
So the sport itself is pretty simple. You sort of
have to work within I guess a parameter. You can't
just hit it anywhere kind of what most users would
(00:54):
think is sort of a typical golf vieway is kind
of the width of the of the grid. The sport's
pretty simple in terms of getting to words. I was
fortunate enough Golf Australia had a couple of tickets to
the World Champs on offer as part of a series
that they run over summer, and I was fortunate enough
to win the Australian PGA Championship which is sort of
(01:18):
held in conjunction with the actual Australian PGA over in Brisbane.
So fortunate enough to win that and obviously secure ticket
to Worlds, which is super exciting.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
So you talked about going head to head with another competitor.
How many rounds of that are there before the final?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
So in the state it'll be it'll be about four
at four rounds as far as I know. The format,
so you run in groups of sixteen and basically you
do five rounds which is thirty four, so five sets
of six and you get a points system and then
the top eight produced through the next round, so you
do I think it's five qualifying rounds and then after
(01:59):
that you go into knockouts, and knockouts is typically quarterfinals,
semi final, final.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
Gotcha? Is it where it lands or where it stops?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It's where it stops, so you can't actually it has
to stay in the grid the whole time. It can't
go out and back in, so there's no heading trees or
houses and popping back into the grid.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
But it's where it lands and rolls.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So that's part of the sport really is every track
is different. Some tracks have you know, it's like a
runway where's hard ground and some tracks are light in
terms of the soft mard and then you've got wind
factors and there's a lot to it. But yeah, it's
where it ends up.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
What is your best distance.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
In the final of Australian the Australian Champs, I hit
at three hundred and eighty six meters.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Three hundred and eighty six meters.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Yeah, yeah, good.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Where would that get you theoretically if you hit that
at the World Champs?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Where would that get you?
Speaker 5 (03:01):
Not very far?
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Really, with a smile on my face, because it's in Denver,
which is in the middle.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
Of a super high altitude.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
So because the altitude is so high up there, people
are probably heading it closer to four ten four hundred
and twenty meters for about four hundred and fifty yards.
I believe last time they were up there for an
event they were trying to get close to five hundred yards.
Speaker 5 (03:24):
So it is all very weather dependent.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
But yeah, you'll you'll probably need something closer to the
full fifty mark.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I'd say that is incredible. So do you feel that
is something you've got in your locker? Could you hit
it that far?
Speaker 5 (03:40):
I think if things go my way.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Yeah, for sure, I've been working a lot this year
on basically just raw power and speed. Obviously there's a
massive skill acquisition in terms of knowing how to fight
to it, knowing how to spin rates, all that sorte
of thing.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
But one thing I've been working a lot on.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
This year is my speed and making sure that if
I hit my best ball and one of the top
guys that said this ball, that we're somewhat close enough
to each other. And yeah, it's still a work in
progress to bring it all together in the next sort
of seven eight weeks, but we're getting closer and close
to bridgingnet gap, which long term is the golf incredible.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
So power and speed?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Is there one that you know you talked about working
on your speed there you've clearly pinpointed that as an
area where you can get your biggest gains or are
you also still trying to get as much power as
you can? Plus there must be technique issues here too, surely.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Yeah, Well I came from background of golf, so there
is a massive technical issue which is learning how to
untrain my golf swing and get into a long drive swing.
In terms of areas to work on. I think it's
it's probably more of a speed element. I think definitely
strong enough than powerful enough in the gym retrospect to
compete with the long drive guys. But I think there's
(04:56):
an element for rets under the belt and just making
sure that my top end speed is good enough to
compete with the rest of the rest of the world.
But yeah, in terms of yeah, it's a tough sport,
it's it's one of those ones where you've got to
make sure that you're not trying to do your top
in speed at all times of all times of the year,
(05:17):
or else you will end.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Up sort of breaking your body a little bit.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
So there's there's elements which are technical times and at
the moment sort of coming to the back end of
our winter and all the technical stuff's been done and
now to be bringing it all together and putting it
out onto the grid.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
As they say, how are the crowds at these events?
Speaker 5 (05:36):
They are phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
There's some events which we've been lucky to be involved with.
The OZZIEPGA was an awesome event last year they ran it.
They had fireworks on.
Speaker 5 (05:46):
The first tee.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
They basically as soon as the OZZIEPGA on the Saturday
afternoon had finished, they had all the crowd and moved
straight over to the first t. They had fireworks, they
had like flamethrowers. They had about probably five six hundred
people there watching and we basically ran our event at
the exact time time as they just came off. I
(06:08):
think it was Minulea just come off the eighteenth Green.
So they try to put on a bit of a
spectacle and have a bit of fun with it, especially.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
For a lot of the corporates that are around so good.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
And is there prize money involved here?
Speaker 5 (06:17):
Chris? There is? I actually am not actually sure.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
It's not really a big motivator, And to be honest,
I couldn't actually tell you what the prize money is
for World Champs. It's only my second time heading over
to the States for this, so I hope so I know.
I think last year is about forty grand US potentially
for first place, but I honestly could not tell that.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
I actually quite like the fact you don't know.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I think that says a lot about your motivation for this,
just trying to smack it as far as you can.
What is your do you still play regular golf, and
you talked about having to adjust because obviously you know
you don't want to have it that far off every
tea that you walk onto. So do you still play
a bit of regular golf as well?
Speaker 5 (07:08):
I used to.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I used to when I first started a long job.
I did, but my coach, funnily enough, has banned me.
He said it messes with my swing too much, going
from drivers to irons and all that sort of thing.
So I've taken a back chef, unfortunately from golf, and
I will get back into it. I play a fun
ambros of in every labor day. I played probably two
(07:29):
or three around a year, but and probably play off
for maybe a tour or three, which is largely through
the long drives and terrible puttings. So you can get
an agreement any three partners, yea at.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
The part, well let's try for show putfa do Isn't
that that's the old adage? And well, obviously you're you're
driving a a. What do do they provide you with
the golf balls? Does everyone use the same kind of
golf balls? You clip obviously don't bring your own.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Yeah, so you have to use what they give you.
So that's part of I guess the preparation as.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
Well is what what balls are they're using, how do
they compress? How did they fly?
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Last year they used the Bridgestone ball. This year they've
gone with Pinnacle as their main sponsors to using Pinnacle balls.
So it's all part of the training is how do
I get the most out of that specific golf ball
as well, So we spend a lot of time in
simulators looking at numbers, spin rates, especially for different types
of golf balls. So there only think Consonant is obviously
what we use in terms of the gear, but then
(08:26):
in terms of the balls and stuff, they provide them more,
which is good because you end up losing most of
them anyway.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I can imagine, hey mate, this is just awesome. I'm
just so pleased we've had the chance to chat about this.
So what your head off what middle of September, get
yourself acclimatized, and then get into it.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
On about the twenty fifth I.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Think, yeah, unfortunately, we'd like to be more time over there,
but we head over about five I think four or
five days before get acclimatized, spend a week over there,
which would be really good, and then our season kicks off,
so we've got a fair bit of travel end of
the year, China in Australia and stuff, which is cool.
So it's exciting time a year to be doing a
(09:02):
bit of long driving getting now and traveling the world
as well, which is always a.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Bit of fun your season.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
There's a circuit for this as well, so this World
Champs is just one of the things you're involved in.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
There's an American circuit which is the World Long Drive Circuit.
There is also a New Zealand circuit which XDL and
New Zealand run, which is really cool. We're lucky to
have i guess, sort of five or six events here,
and then the Australian circuit. There's an Asian circuit, so
it's kind of what.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
You can afford to do. Obviously in America.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
It's it's costly to get over there and it's it's
not a cheap trip, but we sort of get over
there as much as you can because that's I guess
we are. The world ranking points are, that's the WOD
events are, that's that's ultimately where we want to be at.
But the World Champs is the Krem de la Creme
and that's what he runs trying to win. So fortunate
(09:52):
enough to be there this year and hopefully show them
a little bit about what Keywis can do.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
So good mate.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Look, it's been great chatting to you Chris. All the
best mate. Can't wait to see how you go.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
No, awesome, appreciate the time, Thanks very much.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
No thanks, thank you for your time, Chris. What a
fascinating chat.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Chris Charlton, one of the Key He is qualifying for
the World Long Drive Golf Championships in the US late
September this year.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
So interesting, he's his coach. His coach doesn't let him
play normal golf anymore. Love that.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
We'll keep track of Chris's progress when he's over in
the US later on this month and let you know
how he goes.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to news Talks b weekends from midday or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
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