FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 27th, 2017

WORLD LONG DRIVE ASSOCIATION EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH VOLVIK TO BECOME OFFICIAL TITLE SPONSOR OF WORLD LONG DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP

Avis Named Official Rental Car of Volvik World Long Drive Championship

World Long Drive Association Expands International Reach with Addition
of Partners in: Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom

ORLANDO, Fla. (March 27, 2017) – The World Long Drive Association (WLDA) announced that it has expanded its partnership with Volvik, which will become the official title sponsor of the World Long Drive Championship (Aug. 31-Sept. 6). In an additional display of brands aligning themselves with the increasingly popular segment of golf, Avis was named the official rental car of the Volvik World Long Drive Championship. And, in continuing its efforts to globalize, the World Long Drive Association has expanded its international presence through new sanctioned event partnerships in multiple countries.

“We had a huge reaction to being the official ball of the WLDA last year from those tuning in watching pink, green, yellow and orange Volvik golf balls going 430-plus yards in the Finals,” said Volvik USA President Don Shin. “With everything Golf Channel is doing to advance Long Drive and its exciting atmosphere, we wanted to get involved even more by becoming the title sponsor of the Volvik World Long Drive Championship, in addition to being the official ball of all sanctioned WLDA events.”

In addition to becoming the title sponsor of the Championship through a new multi-year agreement, Volvik will:

  • Continue as the official ball for all qualifying and sanctioned WLDA events, utilizing the new four-piece Volvik VIVID XT (Extreme) matte finish ball, specifically designed for players with faster swing speeds and available in five bright colors.
  • Receive signage at qualifying and sanctioned events, and be featured within Golf Channel’s WLDA telecasts
  • Maintain its presence as the exclusive ball on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive program

 

Avis – Official Rental Car of the Volvik World Long Drive Championship
In becoming the official rental car, Avis will be featured within Golf Channel’s telecast of the Volvik World Long Drive Championship. They’ll also receive on-site branding on both the Championship grid and grandstands surrounding the tee box, and have signage at WLDA local and regional qualifying events throughout 2017.

Addition of International Long Drive Partners – In continuing its efforts to globalize the Long Drive segment of the sport, the World Long Drive Association announced a series of international Long Drive partners, providing automatic exemptions into the Volvik World Long Drive Championship for competitors from:

Canada (July 14-16)

  • 1 automatic exemption into the 2017 Volvik World Long Drive Championship (Open Division)

India (*Date TBA*)

  • 3 automatic exemptions into the 2017 and 2018 Volvik World Long Drive Championship; two in the Open Division and one in the Masters Division

Japan – Iwaki Region (*Date TBA)

  • 4 automatic exemptions into the 2017 Volvik World Long Drive Championship; one in the Open Division, two in the Masters Division and one in the Women’s Division

Japan – Tokyo Region (*Date TBA)

  • 4 automatic exemptions into the 2017 Volvik World Long Drive Championship; one in the Open Division, two in the Masters Division and one in the Women’s Division

New Zealand  (May 27)

  • 1 automatic exemption into the 2017 Volvik World Long Drive Championship (Open Division); 2 automatic exemptions into the 2018 and 2019 Volvik World Long Drive Championship; one in the Open Division and one in the Women’s Division

United Kingdom (August 4)

  • 4 automatic exemptions into the 2017 and 2018 Volvik World Long Drive Championship; two in the Open Division, one in the Masters Division and one in the Women’s Division.

 

2017 WORLD LONG DRIVE ASSOCIATION SCHEDULE:

DATE EVENT LOCATION
March 24-27 Endless Summer Invitational Huntington Beach, Calif.
April 21-23 East Coast Classic West Columbia, S.C.
May 18-20 WinStar Midwest Slam Thackerville, Okla.
May 27 New Zealand Long Drive Championship Christchurch, New Zealand
June 3-6 Clash in the Canyon (*Golf Channel*) Mesquite, Nev.
June 23-25 Bluff City Shootout Memphis, Tenn.
July 6-8 Rockwell Blast West Bountiful, Utah
July 14-16 Canada (Bash for Cash) Port Robinson, Ont., Canada
July 22-25 Mile High Showdown (*Golf Channel*) Denver, Colo.
Aug. 4 UK Long Drive Championship Oxfordshire, England
Aug. 4-6 Catawba Classic Hickory, N.C.
TBA India Long Drive Championship TBA, India
TBA Japan (Iwaki Region) Long Drive Championship TBA, Japan
TBA Japan (Tokyo Region) Long Drive Championship TBA, Japan
Aug. 31-Sept. 6 Volvik World Long Drive Championship (*Golf Channel*) Thackerville, Okla.

The 2017 Open Division schedule consists of qualifying events spanning from March through August, with competitors from each event advancing to the Volvik World Long Drive Championship, which will feature a 96-man field competing for a $270,000 purse. The Women’s Division will feature a field of 32 competitors vying for a purse of $40,000. The event will return to WinStar World Casino & Resort (Thackerville, Okla.) for a third consecutive year, following a multi-year extension as the host site.

ABOUT WORLD LONG DRIVE ASSOCIATION
The World Long Drive Association is an organization that brings together golf’s longest hitters from around the globe. Emerging as one of golf’s most popular grass roots competitions, sanctioned Long Drive events are open to amateur and professional golfers. With an Open Division, Women’s Division and Masters Division (Ages 45+), the sport appeals to golfers of all ages, whether you’re a competitor or spectator. The 2017 WLDA season consists of events across the United States and around the world, culminating with the Volvik World Long Drive Championship, Aug. 31-Sept. 6, from WinStar World Casino & Resort (Thackerville, Okla.,) where competitors will convene under the lights for the world title on Golf Channel.

ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available in more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world. Golf Channel features more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, including tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, The Open, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel Digital delivers unmatched coverage of the world of golf. Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Channel Mobile and the NBC Sports App, both powered by Playmaker Media. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; GolfAdvisor.com, the world’s largest golf course ratings and review resource for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour.

-GOLF CHANNEL-