Golf’s Longest Hitter Discovers Happiness in Corporate World

DENVER —  When Jack Hamm says he’s banned from most driving ranges, the first reaction is a low-throated snicker and an exaggerated eye roll.

And then he unleashes an 8-iron that sails high over a 50-foot fence about 250 yards away.

To borrow one of Hamm’s favorite phrases, this is a true story.

Hamm, who holds the Guinness record for the world’s longest golf drive (473 yards), is well-built but nothing that automatically suggests he could power even short irons amazing distances with accuracy and consistency, while trying to find a niche for his small business in the booming golf industry.

Hoping to blend his engineering degree with his passion for sports, Hamm in 1986 founded Longball Sports Inc., which makes the Air Hammer, a $250 metal driver that has six nail-size holes through the clubface and an exhaust hole in the back. That means less wind resistance and a higher club-head speed, which means longer shots.

The holes, however, have prevented the clubs from being certified by the United States Golf Association, barring them from official events.

Hamm doesn’t mind.

“The average golfer doesn’t care if the club is legal,” is his standard response. And he knows what they can do. He hit the 473-yard record drive with another of his clubs, the Jack Hammer, at a driving range south of Denver on July 20, 1993.

Thanks to a creative infomercial and general word of mouth, Longball did about $5 million in sales last year. Hamm expects to double or triple that this year.

“My goal in this whole thing is that some day I’m in an airplane and somebody is reading a magazine and they’re like, ‘Longball, it’s synonymous with Top-Flite or synonymous with Titleist,’ ” Hamm says. “This company’s not this one-shot-in-the-dark infomercial like the Miracle Mop. Longball I see as a long-term product line. It stands for hitting the long ball.”

“This is a true story,” Hamm says as he prepares to explain the trophy sitting behind his desk. The silver casserole dish-shaped trophy is inscribed with the words “1992 Phoenix Open Long Drive Champion.”

Hamm admits to being a little nervous while warming up on the driving range. Next to him is sweet-swinging Ben Crenshaw and down the row are Joey Sindelar and Curtis Strange.

It doesn’t take long for Hamm’s 300-yard 6-irons to draw a crowd.

“The next thing I know, I’ve got the whole (PGA) Tour standing behind me,” says Hamm, who later hits his one allotted drive 392 yards and walks away with the trophy.

So why is a guy who can hit the ball from here to the Mir peddling golf videos and unsanctioned golf clubs instead of winning millions of dollars on the PGA Tour?

His short game, for one thing.

Another true story, Hamm says: He played a round at Inverness Golf Club a few years back and shot a 2-over-par 74--with 43 putts.

“I drove eight greens. . . . That was typical,” he said. “I’d get the ball up on the green and then play croquet with it--back and forth, back and forth.”

Despite his own short-game shortcomings, putters and wedges are included in the Longball line. But everything is built around Hamm’s affinity for distance. The company slogan is “Distance is everything.” The company’s phone number shouts 1-800-TOO-LONG.

“What is the thrill for a golfer that brings him back? It’s hitting the long ball,” Hamm says. “You don’t come back for the putting. When you go play a round of golf and you hit that shot on No. 6 300 yards, that’s why you come back. You don’t think about when you made a 6-foot putt.”

Japanese business accounts for about one-third of Longball’s annual sales. The story’s a lot different in the United States, as Longball tries to keep up with the Big Berthas and King Cobras.

“Callaway’s probably got a department that spends $30 million a year on research and development, where this company’s got me,” Hamm says. “What’s really crazy about it is our driver goes 40 yards longer than theirs.”

Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan can attest to that. Shanahan met Hamm a couple of years ago at a driving range near Broncos headquarters in Englewood.

“He hit it a long way,” said Shanahan. “Jack’s the type of guy that has a little bit different swing, but when he hits it, he can hit it 400 yards.”

Hamm gave Shanahan an Air Hammer, but Shanahan said he can’t use it because he plays in several tournaments that don’t allow outlaw clubs.

“But it does hit the ball further,” the coach said.

Hamm is frustrated, too, by golf’s pessimistic attitude toward what he believes to be the perfect swing built from the perfect setup.

The stance is wide, with the feet pointing outward. Hamm’s left elbow is bent nearly to a 90-degree angle. His left shoulder blade is pointing toward the fairway as he prepares to create 162 mph of club-head acceleration.

After a slow body coil, the ball is gone, heading into a field behind the fence. Hamm lets out a grunt that sounds prehistoric.

Hamm is eligible for the Senior PGA Tour in less than five years. He says he would love to “shock” the seniors with his unorthodox swing.

“The technique is my most frustrating personal part because I’ve had this thing for so long, and I truly believe it is something that would change golf if ever properly promoted,” Hamm says.

“I’ve stood there in front of people who were like, ‘Who is this guy?’ I can see it in their eyes: ‘This couldn’t possibly work. Greg Norman didn’t say this thing worked. Arnold Palmer didn’t invent this.’ It’s a very hard thing that you’re fighting relative to the golf world because they have been so trained.”