It wouldn’t be much fun playing golf with Seb Twaddell. Well, it would and it wouldn’t. He’d drive the ball way, way past you on every hole. After a while, it would start to grate. But watching him taking on crazy lines and driving most of the par 4s would also be quite entertaining, especially if the odd drive went 400 yards sideways.
The 24-year-old, who used to play off plus four, can produce a mind-boggling 246.8mph ball speed, which is a world record. He doesn’t play so much ‘regular’ golf these days, for his golf career, much like one of his tee shots, has taken a slightly different path. He’s a long drive specialist, capable of hitting the ball nearly 500 yards (his personal best in competition is 473 yards).
It was on January 3rd this year that the Australian set that ball speed record. Training with his playing partners and with his coach Craig Parker watching on, Twaddell edged ever closer to 250mph – a number that he’s convinced will come, especially given the extra motivation he has to win this year’s World Long Drive World Championships in Colorado.
Last April, Twaddell suffered a setback – not the injury type you might be thinking of, such as a dislocated shoulder (really, watch Twaddell hit a drive) or a bad back. Visa issues put the skids on his 2024 season. Six hours after landing in Hawaii he was on the next flight back to Australia. Not even tips for how to hit your longest drive for the airport staff could help his cause.
“That was a rough flight coming back,” Twaddell tells Golf Monthly.” We were gearing up to have a go at the World Championships and to go for that World No.1 spot. I had everything planned. I’d booked flights and accommodation for the whole season.
“Everything was turned upside down. I didn’t know when I was going to get back over. I sat down with my team and just said, ‘Let’s treat this as extra time to get as good as we can get so when we have the opportunity to compete again, we’re ready to win.”
That’s what he’s been doing. Training hard. Three to four times a week, he’s been making the one-and-a-half drive to Brisbane to put the hours in with his coach. There is still a month of speed training to go until the new season gets underway, but already Twaddell is feeling confident with where he’s at. Very confident.
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Latest from Golf Monthly in Features…