Wedge Golf Company
by Ariel Roberson, ShrevePossible
The journey of an athlete is often a tale of passion, perseverance, and unexpected twists. Jack’s path from a young golf enthusiast to a rising star in the world of long drive is a testament to the transformative power of opportunity, dedication, and the unwavering support of those who believe in one’s dreams.
In this article, we delve into the fascinating story of Jack, a young man who initially set his sights on a career in medicine. However, a chance encounter and a suggestion from a friend would change the course of his life forever, steering him towards the exhilarating world of long drive competitions.
Throughout these pages, we explore Jack’s early fascination with golf, the pivotal decision to pivot from medical school to long drive, and the trials and tribulations he faced along the way. From an enigmatic arm injury to the application of his biology knowledge in the pursuit of powerful drives, Jack’s journey is a testament to the fusion of science and sport.
We also take a closer look at the mental preparation and practices that drive him, as well as his unique position in the world of long drive – a sport often associated with giants, where Jack’s blend of skill and scientific insight sets him apart.
This article is not just about the incredible distances Jack can drive a golf ball; it’s about the relentless pursuit of a dream, the adaptability of an athlete, and the encouragement of supportive parents. It’s about a young man who has shown that even the most unconventional paths can lead to the top of the podium.
Join us in unraveling the story of Jack, a golfer who found his way to the world of long drive, and whose journey is an inspiring tale of embracing change and realizing one’s potential against the odds.
When did you first have an interest in golf?
Probably starting around eight years old. My brother played, my dad played, just something to do. We went and he taught us how to play and took us to the range and I’m very competitive like a lot of athletes and just is something that I want to get better at. As I got older, I played in Middle School, played in high school, and just kept trying to get better and better at the sport. Then I ended up taking a pretty significant break from golf between senior year of high school through roughly into sophomore year of college. I just picked it back up because some friends wanted to start golfing in college and so I went and joined them. But I always golfed leading up to that and I always notably hit it far that’s what everybody I golf with kind of knew about me. You know, maybe not shooting the lowest but I definitely hit it very far. So that’s kind of where that developed from.
I studied all biology undergrad, and in the midst of applying to medical school, this opportunity for the world long drive presented itself in a way I didn’t expect
How did you come with the intention to join medical school and then having pivoted into Long Drive?
So going into college, picking a degree, always kind of had an affinity for biology and just learning about the body and you know how we work and such. So I decided to try to pursue a career in med school or just being a doctor. And, you know, going through college I studied all biology undergrad, and in the midst of applying to medical school, this opportunity for the world long drive presented itself in a way I didn’t expect I was with a family friend getting fit for some clubs and they suggested it and you know, they probably just kind of threw it out there, but I took it pretty serious and I looked into it and the rest is history. I decided to give it a shot and pursue something that is very fun and not many people get to do. A lot of it’s moved really fast for me so far. So I’m very happy with the decision as of right now.
What is your longest drive while competing or training?
So my longest drive while competing was 457 yards. I did that my first tournament training and I’m not too sure while training. A lot of the times I spent the early parts of this year I was injured. So the only time I would hit would be during the competition. So I’d say my arm which was what I was dealing with pain wise and haven’t gotten to hit too many crazy long shots outside of competition but hopefully in the future I can really push that number.
What sparked the arm injury?
That I’m still searching for, we’ve not really found a concrete answer as to what caused it or what the problem is. Think we kind of found. Initially it was a stress reaction, which is the kind of precursor to a fracture, the bone starts to get weaker due to high stress and eventually it could create a little stress fracture, a little hairline fracture if you’re not careful. So that was our initial diagnosis early in the year and kind of danced around that recovery and such as that being the injury and later I think it might have been more muscle related or both. I’ve really made a point to do all kinds of PT and train properly and really take care of my arm to recover and as of late has been feeling a lot better. And really it’s my forearm and that’s my main connection to the club where I grab.
Did you play any other sport?
Middle school, you know, I played everything and High School I played lacrosse and did some cross country usually for conditioning but did that really freshman year. Played some tennis but in college I didn’t play anything except intramural stuff.
Do you think either baseball or tennis helped with the swing that you have?
I didn’t play baseball in high school. I did play growing up as a kid but not in high school. I think it definitely kind of primed my body, you know, so as I was growing up and maturing and learning, playing sports like baseball and golf definitely helped my body kind of adapt and learn to do, you know, proper timing and sequencing when it comes to creating rotational power. A lot of the guys in the sport are you know, they play college baseball or minor leagues in the MLB and then you get other athletes that play college basketball and so on. I’m kind of the outlier. I just went to college from undergrad planning on doing med school, but here I am, but I do think growing up definitely helped, set me up for some success.
Do you have any sort of mantra or something that you say before you step onto the turf?
For me, I pray you know, I spend most of my time before I get on a tee box just praying to God and thanking him for the opportunity, for getting me this far and allowing me to be blessed like that. That usually gives me peace. So when I go up there, I know I prepared as much as I can and just leave it out there. That’s really my main, that’s how I prepare as I step up there.
And they’re still 100% behind me and support me every step of the way.
Let’s talk about medical school. Having stepped away, how has this journey been?
Yeah, so medical school was something I had in my sights. It was a big decision for me to decide to not continue pursuing getting into medical school. But it wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be. My parents were very supportive, and were very on board with me doing this. And they’re still 100% behind me and support me every step of the way. I think the transition was definitely easier than what could have been, you know, just making such a change like that into the unknown. Then what about friends, Kyle Berkshire, he’s a phenomenal hitter. Current world number one he actually just did a world record attempt hitting the longest ball and I think he hit it 579 yards just like a week ago.
The knowledge that you have in biology and how the body works is that something that you implement when thinking, doing and swinging but is this something that you think about before swinging?
I mainly, I definitely use that knowledge. It helped me become more interested in how the body relates to swing mechanics and such. But I mainly utilize it in the gym, with my trainer, and what muscles are used in the golf swing that I could make move more efficiently through stretching, strength training, etc. To one: mainly prevent injury and then secondarily: increase endurance and strength. But when it comes to the golf swing, I’ve got some coaches that know way more about it and I trust their judgment and they know how the golf swing should move. I’m still learning about it, you know, biomechanically, but I mainly utilize the biology knowledge in the gym as of right now and just being safe. And recovering.
Wedge Golf Company
I saw from YouTube that you have a mentor. What is the most important thing that this mentor has taught you?
The most important thing is owning my swing and just what I do. Don’t always worry about chasing perfection now I think every golfer does. There is no perfect but that chase is what keeps everybody, getting better. And for me, just him teaching me that hey, where I’m at, I’ve got a good swing. Trust what I’ve got. He’s also just helped me make sense of a lot of what we do we use these things launch monitors there like golf simulators they can read ball flight, give you the ballistics of everything and just tell you what the ball is doing that we can’t see and relay it in numbers and so he helps me make sense of the data and understand how that is tied to my swing and how to read the data and understand what I’m doing that day because the way you feel and the way you hit is never the same usually, every day so he’s been a big help with me adapting to the sport.
You mentioned data. Do you utilize geometry of any sort naturally?
When I hit, maybe not as much, I have targets prior to hitting. My mentor, this is where I’m still learning all this, he will know how far we’re hitting it because we relay that to him. You know, okay, this how fast we’re hitting, you know? Right now and you know how well we’re capable of, and he’ll run ballistic numbers to know “okay, if this is how fast you’re gonna hit the golf ball, lets say 220 miles an hour.” He’ll know “okay, if you’re hitting that and we’re at this altitude, you’re gonna need to spin it this way, this much spin rate, launch it at this angle and you’ll be able to produce this kind of carry and depending on where you are on the tee box, you have different angles going into the grid and depending if your tee box one I might be able to aim four degrees off center and try to bring the ball back in with a fade or if I’m in the other tee box like for the opposite or in tee box three, it might be like two degrees. So you really will check all the geometry like where to aim where the degrees get you and where your misses will be but then when you get out there, it’s all about what you picked out. So you say “okay, two degrees was that flag out there? Now I know hit it there” so we definitely prepare prior to hitting.
What is a goal of yours during the World Championship?
So the goal of mine, I think most people that enter the competition, the goal is to win it. For me personally, it’s about the little goals one step at a time just trying to move on from each group, but at least I like to just do my best. My goal is to make sure I’m as prepared as possible so I can showcase what I know capable, and hopefully that will result in a win. I know what I can do. So goal number one is for me, just to be able to be as prepared as possible and do well.
What are you most excited about?
The whole, everything I do with the sport…it’s exciting. I’m so new to learning about everything. Meeting new people. I’m probably excited. Just to hit, you know, I’m fresh off this last tournament and I was fortunate enough to win it. So confidence is definitely up there. I’m excited to keep pushing and seeing what I can do. Because each tournament I play is a new teaching experience for me I learn a lot whether I win or lose I really learn what I’m good at what I’m not good at how I handle pressure, especially as a rookie, all these things. Being in the first championship environment, it’s going to be a 128 person field; people all over the world. You know, the best hitters from around the world, in Long Drive, so I’m just mostly, I guess, most excited to hit and just see everybody getting me to everybody is the new guy.
Wedge Golf Company
I’m also, as a rookie, one of the fastest guys in the world.
Congratulations, Anything that you’d like to say to our audience or to people that are wanting to get into golf or into World Long Drive? What would you say to newcomers of this sport?
So there’s definitely a level of talent and just natural ability that allows you to swing the club fast. But for me, like I wasn’t a college athlete or anything. I was just in a fraternity and studying biology. You know, I did what everybody else did. I had some fun but, you know, focused on school but this is something that I worked at with a golf swing and have been able to accomplish so much in such a short time. Today, a lot of time when you look at the sport, some of these guys are just massive, you know, some guys are 6’8’’ 250 pounds or you know you name it. I’m one of the shorter guys. I’m about six feet. But I’m also, as a rookie, one of the fastest guys in the world. And don’t think this is something that’s such an outlier or is unreachable because I think a lot of golfers definitely could give it a shot, you know, push it and try to reach for it. And it’s not unattainable, you know, because a lot of people get caught up seeing these, you know, freak athletes that are just huge and thinking that’s the only way I could do that if I was that, but I’m kind of like busting the system with being like the shortest guy out there and not the heaviest but I’m pretty much one of the fastest. It’s definitely cool. Definitely give it a shot.
Wedge Golf Company
The World Long Drive championship is in Atlanta October 18-22, 2023.
To view more tips, training and to follow the journey from Jack:
https://youtube.com/@jacksmithgolf?si=YpVT8dSVP36aD8fp
