The best way to improve golf at the Olympics? Add Long Drive.

What is the best way to improve golf at the Olympic Games? Well, I think I have the solution, which is adding in Long Drive. Here’s why. 

If you want to see a golf balls flying 400 yards, all at once, hit by some of the longest hitters on the planet, then you’ll want to keep reading. 

Golf at the Olympics, to some, might just feel like another PGA Tour event. Strokeplay, played over four days, can be a bit tough for new viewers, as it doesn’t carry the same fast paced excitement as other events, such as track and field.

The whole point and the premise of the Olympics was to see who was the strongest, fastest, most powerful and the fittest. This was done over different events like sprinting, boxing, wrestling, discus, javelin, long jump and equestrian.

Over the years the Olympics has grown and golf is a discipline back on the line-up. At the next iteration of the games in Los Angeles in 2028, we’ll even see a mixed golf event. 

That’s brilliant and it got me thinking. If we can have different disciplines in golf, why can’t we open things up to Long Drive? Besides, look at other disciplines in the Olympics. Some athletes will run marathons to win their medals, others will run 800 metres. Then, you’ve got the sprinters, who run just 100 metres.

The 100 metres of golf

A golf tournament takes four days to decide a champion, but it only takes ten seconds to decide who’s a sprinting champion. Long Drive would be the perfect discipline to add some fast-paced fun and excitement to the game.

Long Drive is the 100 metre sprint of golf. Competitors hit balls 400 yards, so it’s something that would be a great spectator sport. It’s an easy concept to grasp, here’s how I think it would work. 

Just like the discus or javelin, you have two lines marking the left and right side of the grid. It’s 60 yards wide with markings every ten yards making mini grids, all the way up to 450 yards. 

Just like sprinting, you will have multiple golfers hitting at the same time. It’s fast paced, with six balls to hit in two minutes and 30 seconds. From those, your longest ball is the one that counts. When you’re on the clock and swinging as hard as you can, it makes for great entertainment. 

Long Drive at the Olympics: How would it work?

In Long Drive there are different format variations, but the best way would be to do a group stage and a points system. There would be 200 points for the longest ball in your group, 100 for second, 50 for third, 24 for fourth and zero points if all your balls end up out of bounds. This would be done based on a field of 64 players, split into four groups of 16 and done over five rounds, so each hitter would hit against the rest of the field.

The top eight players from the four groups would move onto the next round, forming the top 32.

This is when it would get exciting. Repeat the points system for one last time with two groups of 16, taking the top eight from each, making the final 16. 

From there you have four groups of four hitters, and a double elimination format would take place. Six balls to hit your best and longest ball at the same time against the other competitors with the top two advancing to the next round. You’d repeat the process going from 16 to, eight and four, before the final. 

Fast paced, exciting, easy viewing

In my eyes, Long Drive at the Olympic Games would be electric. The fastest golf swings from around the world all trying to smash the ball as far as humanly possible. It’s what the Olympics is all about. It would be straightforward to follow on TV, as well, since you can simply see the yardages that players are hitting and follow shot tracers. For viewers back home, I think this would attract a lot of eye balls.

It’s not going to be played over four days and take a long time like a tour event. It can be done in a couple hour long slots on one day, with the double elimination being the grand finale on the other. It would be great exposure and fun for new viewers, and it would give golf another discipline. More eyeballs on the sport, with a new discipline has got to be a good thing.

It’s fast paced, pushes the golf swing to its maximum limit and shows just how strong, fast and athletic you have to be in Long Drive. I think this would make the perfect addition to the Olympic Games and who knows, if I was to get selected, I might even bring home another medal.

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James Tait is bunkered’s Gear Editor. Want to know how the latest Callaway driver, Vokey wedge or Scotty Cameron putter performs? He’s the guy to ask. Better yet, just watch his videos on the bunkered YouTube channel. One of the biggest hitters in the UK, James also competes on the World Long Drive circuit and is a descendent of former Amateur champion Freddie Tait.

Gear Editor