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Welcome to the Distance Factor Podcast, where we, Anna and Janine, share our journeys as professional long drive athletes with unique backgrounds.

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Join us as we provide expert tips, proven research, and personal insights on how to add distance to your golf game and enhance your overall experience on the course.

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Okay, Janine, let's get into it here. Sweet.

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Let's do it. Okay. What got you involved in sports in general? In general.

0:32

So, I would have to say, it of course goes back to when I was really little, about five years old.

0:38

Of course took the classic path of playing soccer in a rec league.

0:43

And I remember My competitiveness had definitely not come out yet, considering my dad would come up to me halfway through a game and go, If you go score a goal, we can go get ice cream afterwards.

0:57

I agree with that. But that that turned into I transitioned over to softball and that's pretty much kind of how my story evolved.

1:07

How about you? I'm just like you five, six years old.

1:12

I was put in every different sport.

1:15

I had a lot of energy and I think my parents just needed a break from me.

1:19

So I started golf specifically when I was six but I did soccer, softball, track and field, you name it.

1:29

I pretty much did every sport. The only sport.

1:32

I did not do I think was like volleyball and that really hurt somebody.

1:35

Okay, I did do volleyball. That's funny though.

1:39

But yeah, young age, just getting involved and being active.

1:42

Absolutely. I think the parents needed a break.

1:45

That's really what happened. Absolutely.

1:47

Yeah, so in terms of golf, I mean how did that Come about because you said that you started it when you were basically six years old.

1:55

Yeah. So my, my parents put my brother and I into a golf camp.

2:01

And so basically we would go a week long camp.

2:04

We'd learn everything, chipping, putting, hitting all that stuff.

2:07

And at the end of the week, they would have a putting challenge.

2:10

They had challenges and everything, but I just remember putting, you mentioned ice cream.

2:15

Well, they had starbursts, okay? So I wanted that bag of starbursts.

2:19

No matter what I did, I was gonna putt until I made that long putt and win those starbursts.

2:25

So that was my motivation.

2:27

So candy has always been a motivator for me.

2:30

But how about you? So you, you went softball.

2:33

So you were in softball. I did go softball. I did go softball.

2:35

Where did, where did golf come into play then? Well, softball was from about seven years old until After I mean, all the way through college I played on a handful of travel teams.

2:52

I mean, softball was my sport. I definitely did not really go the same route as you did and in branch out and do a bunch of different sports.

3:00

I mean, I spent my time. I did a year of volleyball in school I guess that would have been late middle school.

3:07

And then I played some rec basketball very, very short stint of travel basketball, but yeah, softball was my thing.

3:16

I think it was just a function of like, I recognized the talent that was there and that I had the ability to, to be really good.

3:23

And that's just kind of where it went.

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And I played it all year, year round.

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High school season and then as soon as high school season was over travel season started and that went basically all the way until the winter.

3:36

So you're lucky that you can play year round.

3:39

I just want to note here that I am located in Minnesota and Janine, you're in North Carolina.

3:45

Yeah, probably North Carolina. We we have seasons here where we, we like to change it up.

3:51

So I am not able to golf year round.

3:53

Nowadays there's simulators back in the day.

3:56

You know, there, there weren't. Simulators you just hit inside a gym or something, but my year round sport.

4:02

So golf has been a main one, but swimming actually, a lot of people don't know this, but I was, I was a better swimmer than I was a golfer.

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But I I felt pretty proud about that.

4:14

I w and then I would just bring that strength from swimming into golf and that's how I would blow away.

4:20

The ladies with my distance. Yeah, I mean, especially for me, like, that, that rotational sport in softball is 100 percent where my long drive capabilities came from.

4:32

Yeah, you have one fast swing, Janine.

4:34

Okay, you have a fast swing. Well, thank you.

4:37

You do too. Of course. But yeah, I mean, I, I kind of got into golf as soon as I got out of high school.

4:46

I started swinging clubs thanks to the, my assistant high school coach.

4:51

He, he, he got me into golf, but yeah, I mean, I was just one of those people about, I didn't really know what I was doing from a golf perspective and really tried to learn on my own and use any resource that I possibly could.

5:04

And, yeah. Became one of those people that loved absolutely creaming a golf ball on the driving range.

5:11

So that's where that came from. I mean, with, with YouTube and all these other ways to learn how to hit a golf ball, I swear most of the time, most of the people who are out on the course nowadays, they've only learned from YouTube.

5:24

They've never taken a lesson. That's how you learn.

5:28

And I mean, it's great. It's getting more people involved in the sport.

5:31

And it's, I think the barrier to entry is lower, which is what I love about.

5:35

Golf or, and specifically long drive, I mean, long drive, you really only need a driver.

5:42

I mean, I suggest more clubs, but to have that level of entry a lot lower to get involved.

5:49

That's what I, that's definitely what I love, but getting more people involved in sports and golf, you can do that until you retire.

5:56

That's the classic thing for golf is you're retired.

5:59

You go to those communities and that's what I plan on doing.

6:03

You know, I'm gung ho on that.

6:06

Yeah, and I mean, golf is, of course, one of those other things that it's almost a business skill as well.

6:12

Being able to go out and play and have the right conversations with people and network.

6:17

You don't get that with any other sport and I, I have valued that so much just because I never really recognized how about like what you could get out of that and the people that you could meet from playing.

6:31

I agree. I think you're allowed conversations.

6:35

That's the difference. Like softball, you're running or catching, you're in the field, volleyball, you're hitting the ball.

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And there's all these scenarios where you don't get the opportunity to.

6:45

Just talk with people, whether you're in the golf cart or whether you're walking, I think golf is a social sport and that's what I love about it is you get to meet new people.

6:55

That's why I rarely, when I do golf with friends, I'll golf with maybe one other friend here and there.

7:02

I'll go and I join random groups all the time and I just meet people just from all over.

7:08

And that's what I love about the sport is that you can just, you're connecting.

7:11

For your love of the sport and trying to do better.

7:14

You're not really competing against one another.

7:16

You're just doing the best you can. Well, yeah.

7:19

And I mean, that was one of the things that was almost a culture shock for me.

7:22

Cause I was so used to playing team sports that it was okay.

7:27

As soon as I flipped over to golf and really wanted to try to improve my game.

7:31

I mean, it was a hundred percent the effort that I put in and.

7:36

Nobody else was going to have an impact on how I did or how I play that day, which is not what I'm used to.

7:44

So yeah, I like how you brought that up.

7:46

I've never even thought about like, I, I never really even thought about that because in swimming, like there is a team aspect of for swimming and golf, both of them, like you individually do your event or you practice how you perform and it adds to the team points.

8:02

But it is, it's so individualized versus softball, soccer, volleyball, it's all a team, like whether you get a point or not, like it's a team effort or whether you let the goal and, you know, defense.

8:14

For sure. Well, and I mean, even softball, baseball specifically, I mean, I don't undervalue anybody on the field, but if you don't have a pitcher, you're not going to be able to compete.

8:28

100%. If you're not the pitcher, like that's gonna have a huge impact on whether or not you're able to win the game and golf is the complete opposite You're competing against yourself.

8:39

You're potentially competing against other people, but it's all about how you do and and that's it.

8:45

So Yeah Which position did you play when you played softball? So, when I was younger, I did pitch.

8:56

And I kind of, saying I grew out of that is not the right way to put it, because I technically didn't grow into it.

9:05

I was not Tall, 5'10 5'11 softball player that could throw 60 miles an hour.

9:12

So yeah, I spent most of my time on the left side of the infield, shortstop and third base.

9:18

In high school, it was completely shortstop.

9:21

So definitely a leadership role, kind of controlling the infield, that kind of thing.

9:27

That's like the most important position. Well, outside the pitcher, obviously, but like the shortstop, that's where most of the balls get hit.

9:34

I do, I do a rec league softball. Okay, so I'm not to your caliber.

9:38

So when I say I play softball, it, it's not.

9:41

Even close to anything but I play third base and it's only because I can throw the ball far enough.

9:49

I can throw the ball to first and it, I'll be honest, it is the most low key position, okay? That is why I take third base, outside of right field where nobody really hits unless there's a lefty.

10:02

Third base, you either get the ball and throw it to first.

10:06

Or you just go to third base, you touch your base and you wait for the ball to come to you.

10:12

Don't have to think about anything. I don't have to go to the outfield and be cut off or anything.

10:16

I'm like third base. There we go.

10:19

I'm set. First base. I don't, I don't want balls coming at me at first base.

10:23

That's really intimidating. So that's, that's where I go.

10:28

Yeah, I totally get that. Well, and the funny part is speaking of playing rec league, I mean, even when I play slow pitch these days.

10:35

They see me throw and they stick me in the outfield because they know I could get them all in quickly.

10:40

Either that or potentially throw out runners.

10:42

That's the fun part is when they don't see it coming and then you do throw somebody out.

10:47

That's the best, but. You always, you always gotta be like the underdog.

10:52

You never want to show off too much. Absolutely.

10:58

But yeah, I mean, especially in terms of like competing in long drive specifically, how did you end up getting into it? So.

11:07

I first heard of it. I've, you know, growing up, maybe I saw it on TV.

11:12

I don't, I can't. Remember, but I definitely, I bought my house and then three months later, my furnace went out.

11:21

So I actually interviewed a bunch of people to, you know, who I was going to go with for my furnace.

11:28

And there's a guy who actually did pro long drive and it piqued my interest.

11:33

Now, it wasn't until a year later when I went to the Minnesota golf show and the ultimate long drive league was there and they were hitting.

11:41

And to be honest, they kind of ignored me.

11:43

Okay. They were talking to guys. They didn't even look at me, but I was like, no, I just want to, I really want to show them what I got.

11:48

Like I want to hit. Eventually I got in line and then I hit and they're like, you should join.

11:54

And we have a discount code, all that.

11:56

And you know what? Yeah. Okay. If you know anybody from the Midwest, if there's a sale or a discount, we're in.

12:01

Okay. We don't pay full price for anything.

12:04

And that's all we talk about. Like if you compliment something I'm wearing, I'll be like, Oh yeah, I got this for 30 percent off.

12:10

Okay. That is a Midwest thing. And we fully embrace that.

12:13

So there was a discount. So we joined, I'm like, yeah, sure.

12:17

I joined, I started doing those events. And I really like the people who are in that community and I still do all the guys are great.

12:24

I would like to say women as well, but we don't have much of a women presence in Minnesota.

12:33

So I'd love to have more people come out. I keep telling all my female golfer friends.

12:36

Hey, come out. It's just a. Just a Saturday, come and hit and do your thing.

12:41

So yeah, I got involved with them. And so 2022, I was an amateur and then I won the national championships.

12:47

And I decided to use that momentum.

12:50

And in 2023, I went professional.

12:52

So it's kind of my roundabout story with how I got involved in long drive.

12:57

But how about you? We're both super new to the sport, just to summarize that essentially.

13:03

I mean, we both debuted as a professional long driver in 2023.

13:09

But I would say you probably, you even have more of a background than I do.

13:13

Because I, mine's honestly, like, it's not a lot different, but my first steps into the long drive world were definitely different.

13:24

I've found long drive. From social media specifically, I honestly don't really know how I ended up down that path or finding those people.

13:34

But I think my social media feeds had started to turn into golf in general and.

13:42

I was taking lessons from coaches and kind of working on my short game and trying to get my swing a little bit better because my swing, I mean, even just a few years ago, it was ugly.

13:55

I won't even deny it. It was ugly, but it's taken a ton and ton and ton of work to get where I am right now, but kind of finally seeing.

14:07

The landscape of who all is involved in long drive specifically, and that sports background that it takes to get into it.

14:17

I was like, this is an opportunity for me to go compete again, because I missed that competitive atmosphere a lot that I got from playing softball.

14:26

And I wasn't like, I'm a decent golfer, but I'm not to the point where I can go out and try to go play Q school or anything like that.

14:34

I'm far from that.

14:36

So. Finding an opportunity in the golf world that I felt like I had a huge opportunity and I, I saw this, I saw a long drive and I.

14:46

Started kind of seeing some of the women that were involved in long drive and seeing, I mean, even the numbers that they were putting up in terms of ball speed, swing speed distance.

14:56

And that kind of is where my decision to finally set foot on the competition grid came from.

15:03

I mean, quite literally my very first competition was April of 2023 in Hobe Sound, Florida.

15:12

I had not competed before that but I had made myself very aware of how it worked what was required, where I thought I needed to be to even have a chance and so that's, I kind of just took a leap of faith, to be honest with you.

15:27

I. Said, I'm getting on a plane and going to Florida and I have absolutely nothing to lose.

15:32

So that's how I got into it. Oh, and I know what your first event was because I showed up and it was my second event and I broke my shaft the day before.

15:44

So I was using my play driver and I was like, man, this sucks.

15:47

Like I'm not gonna get to the speed I need to.

15:50

Yeah, I competed but I didn't even make top eight that.

15:53

Tournament. Mm-Hmm. Because I just, it fell apart.

15:56

You know? I didn't have backup shafts, so that is why I now carry backup shafts.

16:01

Oh, you have to? Oh yeah.

16:03

Because it's shaft and, and drivers. You have to, it's so easy to break.

16:06

So I just, yeah, I do that.

16:08

But yeah, I, I saw you and I was like, dang, she's really hitting it.

16:11

And then I think you'd be, 'cause Kelly Rudney won the year before.

16:15

Mm-Hmm. And then I think you beat Kelly Rudney and it was like, oh shoot.

16:18

Dang. Who's this girl? Like, you definitely made a splash.

16:21

So. Yep. I love Kelly and she's, she's definitely we were, I feel like we're probably about even at this point in terms of who's beaten who, but that very first tournament it was cause we hit sets of six in long drive competitions.

16:37

So we were. I had made the top eight, made the cut, and it turned into match play, and it was ball number six that I beat her on.

16:46

And I'll never forget when we were in Kingsport, Tennessee, she was like, yeah, I remember, she six balled me.

16:58

But yeah, she's definitely gotten my number a few times since then, so.

17:03

Yeah, six balling, man, I hate it.

17:05

Phyllis likes to do that.

17:07

She's done that to me a few times. Phyllis and I, it's like, Kelly and you always match up Phyllis and I always match up.

17:14

Which, I just want to say, Phyllis is like, what, a five time world champion? So, it's not fair.

17:20

I'd rather take Kelly anyway. That's pretty funny though, how it does turn out that you end up kind of having to compete against the same person in the playoffs every single time.

17:32

I'm, I'm so mad about it because then it always, if I beat her, obviously, like, it feels really, it would feel, I say would, because I haven't beaten her in match play yet.

17:43

So I am 0 for 4 against Phyllis Mehdi right now.

17:47

You've, you've, you've gone against her four times in match play already? Yeah, so I think it was, so if you count last year, last year when, or when I was an amateur, so 2022, I did worlds and I came in second to her there.

18:02

And that's where she six balled me. Oh my gosh.

18:05

So, she's beaten me then, and then it was Colorado, where I still think that her ball bounced from OB to inbounds, but that's because somebody else told me that.

18:15

I have no proof, or else I would have won that.

18:19

Whole thing, Colorado side note, but that was the 2nd time 3rd time was Kingsport.

18:25

So I was in the 1st round against her.

18:28

And then the last 1 was our last our world championships in Atlanta and.

18:33

That's why I got stuck. That's crazy.

18:36

Yeah. Every single time I'm like, Phyllis, you need to pick on somebody else.

18:40

Okay. Somebody your own size. She's like six foot, whatever I'm five foot four.

18:45

This is just not, not fair.

18:48

I know so many people make a comment about how big of an advantage height is in long drive.

18:53

And it really is because you just, you just by default get more length.

18:58

Well, and here's, here's the thing. There's a few different factors, which I hope we talk about in.

19:03

Our future episodes, because this is just just a breezer to, you know, get to know people vibing What happens is you have the club face and I wish I had a club on the corner, whatever your club face.

19:16

And as you get the shaft longer, if you're a shorter person, you have to, it tilts up like this versus if you're taller, it's going to be just fine.

19:25

So that's where I think some of that, it's more about the impact location, how you're hitting the ball.

19:31

So I have a theory. And I won't disclose it now, but we're going to work on this theory and talk about it on the podcast later because I, I've tested it a little bit and I.

19:41

I think if I could put it all together that would be really cool to do.

19:47

I'm excited to hear it. So offline, I'll tell you, Janine, but in the future, if I can get this proof and the science behind it, and then try it out for real it would be very interesting to see if I could be to that level.

20:02

Yeah. I mean, both of us see the potential that we both have.

20:06

And I think that's huge. I mean, the, the steps that we've taken, both of us in the last.

20:12

Basically, 12 months have been huge.

20:15

So yeah, we will definitely dive deeper into kind of that path and especially a lot of the stuff that we've learned to just in general, pick up speed, pick up distance and increase consistency, like, Those are huge.

20:30

And I mean, we're both students of the game as well, continuing to learn and continuing to, to take in more information and use it.

20:41

So it's, it's, it's tons of fun, especially just from somebody who loves to compete and recognizes the awesome opportunity that we do have because.

20:52

The talent that we have. So it's pretty awesome.

20:55

I think both of us are hard workers.

20:58

And, you know, I know we both like to learn.

21:00

We like to learn new things. We don't want to stop.

21:03

And I think this is a great outlet to compile all that information, test out for ourselves and, and bring it back to the people this to help people expand their experience with the sport of golf.

21:15

That's what we want to see. We want healthy, energetic lives.

21:18

So that's what I think golf brings to the table for sure.

21:23

Well, we'll of course dive deeper into it, but just.

21:26

recognizing the value of hitting it a little bit further.

21:30

I mean, it makes a difference.

21:32

I don't think people recognize how many strokes that can take off of their game just by adding an extra 10, 15 yards off the tee box, or being able to flip from a seven iron to an eight iron into the green.

21:44

I mean, the shorter club that you swing with, it, In theory should be a little bit more consistent, have a little less dispersion.

21:53

So just adding a little bit of club head speed goes a really long ways.

21:58

So I agree. Although I have to practice more of my wedges cause it's driver, wedge, driver, wedge.

22:04

I'm like, you gotta be kidding me.

22:06

Another wedge like when I go and I do stupid things with my wedge.

22:10

So see, I will, I will admit one of the bad, one of the bad things about being able to hit it further.

22:17

Is it just means that you're going to be further into the woods than somebody else? That too, you have that potential.

22:25

So then it's about managing the course.

22:27

So that's when you switch your long drive mindset to your golf mindset.

22:31

And it's, it's, it's switching that in between.

22:34

So sometimes, you know, if you're in a scramble, hit away, go ahead.

22:38

But if you're doing a match player, just an event for you, then you have to be like, Oh man, I have to think about this like a smart way, can't just go for it.

22:48

Cause for sure. If you ask, even just practicing, adding speed to your swing, adding club head speed, like.

22:56

Even if you just practice it, it's gonna, it's gonna translate over.

23:00

It does. So that's, that's a huge, huge thing.

23:03

Cause your natural swing will get faster and you won't feel like that you have to really push your swing or add a little bit extra oomph into a swing just to like get it over a bunker or get it over a Creek where adding those extra three, four mile an hour club speed, it'll take care of it.

23:22

So. Yeah, for every, every mile per hour is two yards, every mile per hour is two yards.

23:29

So whatever you can do, yep.

23:32

It's huge. Well, yeah, I'm really excited to see where we go and who we get to meet and the topics we get to discuss, but I think there's a ton of opportunity to provide value to every one of our listeners and.

23:50

We want to help improve your game, enjoy the game more and it'll, it'll be fun just to kind of give a little insight into our competitive lives, me and you both.

24:01

So yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun.

24:05

Looking forward to sharing. I know lots of people have probably, I mean, they've asked me, I think they've asked you just, what are you doing? How are you doing it? So this is kind of our platform to get that information out there.

24:17

Well, sweet. Hope you guys enjoyed it.

24:21

We'll be talking to you guys real soon.