Ultimate Long Drive, Inc has signed a five-year exclusive Partnership Agreement with Long Drivers of Japan (LDJ) to sanction the Long Drive Japan Championship. By way of this agreement long drive competitors in Japan can play their way to the Xtreme Long Drive® (XLD) and Amateur Long Drive™ (ALD) World Championships. The 2021 XLD and ALD Worlds will be held at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Chicago Illinois September 11 – 19, 2021.
Throughout the term of this agreement, each year, LDJ will qualify four (4) players from the professional Open division, four (4) players from the professional Masters division, and two (2) players from the professional Women’s division. In addition to professional players becoming eligible for the annual World Championship, amateur players are also invited to qualify for Youth, Junior, Open, Senior, Super Senior, and 70+ divisions.
LDJ has served as the primary professional long drive organization in Japan, recently qualifying players for the former World Long Drive Championships. Adding amateur qualifying for a world championship event is a new twist that LDJ readily accepts.
“We are very excited about our new relationship with LDJ,” remarked Jeff gilder, President of Ultimate Long Drive, Inc. “We look forward to the years ahead and growing our sport with the help of LDJ. They have been dedicated to building the sport in Japan for professional players. Now, we are able to add an opportunity for amateurs to come to our World Championships.”
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with ULD,” said Kenji Nishida, Director LDJ Co., Ltd. “We thank Jeff Gilder for creating such an opportunity. At ULD, they are expanding the base of long drivers by focusing on amateur players while providing professional competition. In Japan, the long drive competition population is declining. We think that training amateur players is the most important thing in order to grow the sport of long drive. Expanding beyond the boundaries of Japan and connecting with the world’s longest hitters will also lead to the revitalization of Japan’s long drivers. This year, the coronavirus has forced global events to cancel. Next year, the world’s mightiest will gather in Chicago to see a parabolic sphere that no one has ever seen. We are grateful and excited to be there with our professional and amateur athletes.”
For more information about Ultimate Long Drive, Inc, visit their website at https://ultimatelongdrive.com.
For additional information about Long Drivers of Japan, visit their website at https://ldjapan.jp/
