Four hundred thirty-six yards. That's how far Domenic Mazza hit it to qualify for the ReMax World Long Drive Championship in November. At the last stage, in Mesquite, Nev., he made it to the final two with Joe Miller of England, who beat him with a 414-yard blast. But here's the most shocking number in Mazza's long-drive saga: 16. The kid's only 16.
A high school junior from Concord, Calif., Mazza turned down the $70,000 second-place prize so he could keep his amateur status. Truth is, he's still deciding if he loves golf as much as baseball. He's a left-handed pitcher already throwing in the mid- to high-80s, and college coaches are lining up fast. His 3.8 GPA has a nice ring, too.
But long-driving has been his thing since August, when a high school golf coach told him about the ReMax. Mazza's father, Steve, remembers: "We were at a tournament where I lasered his drives. He averaged 340 and hit three over 360--with his regular driver." Father and son try to play every Sunday at one of the public courses outside San Francisco.
Since 2007, Mazza has worked with teacher Dave DeLong, who played on the PGA Tour in the early 1990s. "One big challenge has been keeping his equipment up with his development," DeLong says. "He wants to hit a lob wedge like a driver, so we talk about how to play the game."
How does an average-size kid hit it 400 yards? DeLong credits Mazza's huge arc and a transition move where his legs start forward while his upper body stays back. "He moves down and into his left side well before the club reaches the top."
Mazza's take is as uncomplicated as you'd expect from someone not yet eligible for senior math: "I just make a good turn, and let it go. I'm trying to make sure my hips clear so I don't snap-hook it."
With the ReMax behind them, DeLong says they can get back to refining things. "I let him go for a while because he was getting ready," DeLong says. "Now we'll work on putting it in the hole in fewer strokes, not just hitting it long."
If Mazza masters that part of the game, we'll be hearing a lot more from him. That is, if baseball doesn't steal him away.
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