Published: October 24, 2009 11:42 pm      

MARK MAYNARD: Area long hitter competing against best

If chicks dig the long ball, then they must really dig Steve Thacker.

The Huntington firefighter is preparing to compete with some of golf’s longest hitters. He’s right there with them, with five drives of 389 yards or more in competition – the longest being one at 404 yards in Columbus, Ohio in 2008.

Thacker, a lefty, will be one of 144 long hitters who are gathered in Mesquite, Nev., this week to see who can drive a ball the farthest in the national Re/Max World Long Drive competition, where the winner pockets $250,000.

“There’s some guys that can bring it,” Thacker said. “The longest I’ve seen is 432 yards.”

The 29-year-old Thacker has only been playing golf for five years. He was a standout baseball player at Spring Valley High School, where he was good enough to go on and play in college for West Virginia State.

Naturally, Thacker, a center fielder, was a power hitter.

When he first started playing golf, he took the power baseball swing with him.

“I’d step and take a baseball swing,” he said.

But he’s since learned to hone the golf swing. Thacker is 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, which is small compared to the long drivers he’s competing against this week.

“I’ve hit against a guy who was 6-10, 260 pounds – pure muscle,” he said.

The key, Thacker said, is the club-head speed. He trains at the HIT Center in Huntington who is one of his sponsors. His club-head speed averages around 135 to 138 mph.

“You also have to be accurate,” Thacker said of keeping the ball within a 50-foot grid. “Like hitting a ball on the golf course and going down the fairway.”

Thacker is a three-handicap golfer but understands there’s more to golf than long drives.

“Honestly, if I had a short game, it would be incredible,” he said.

At Twin Silos in Lavalette, where he practices and plays, he shot five over on the front twice and came back with 7-unders on the backside, each time shooting 30s.

A buddy actually talked Thacker into competing in his first long drive competition in Columbus last year.

“I’ve always been longer than everybody,” Thacker said. “He actually signed me up for it and drove me up to Columbus.”

Thacker said he had only a regular driver and it had a pink shaft on it. Nobody was giving him much of a second look.

Then he stepped up for his first drive. Bam! The ball carried 404 yards and Thacker suddenly had everybody’s attention.

“The guy running the competition, he looked at me and said ‘I was getting ready to make fun of you.’ After that, all these guys talked to me. That got me to the regional competition,” he said.

The Columbus competition was a last-chance local qualifier and the regional was the next day. He made it far enough to get into the national competition.

This year, Thacker won the Region 2 local qualifier in Chesapeake, Va. He competed in three regionals: St. Louis, Rockford, Ill., and Browns Summit, N.C. The clincher came in St. Louis with a drive of 381 yards. At Browns Summit, he went out in the semifinals despite a best of 379 yards. At Rockford, his best was 362 yards, leaving him three yards short of advancing.

Thacker has enjoyed some notoriety for his driving skills.

“I go out on No. 1 (at Twin Silos) and people gather around me,” he said. “There will be 30 people watching me hit. It’s kind of funny because people anticipate so much. If I don’t hit it good, they’re disappointed.

“It’s neat the reaction I’ve gotten from this. People who blew you off before want to be your best friend.”

Thacker’s buddies at the fire station have supported him by trading off schedules so he can compete around the country.

Sponsors have come calling, too. Bang Golf has signed him and recently sent six drivers. When he started competing, he had only one driver in the bag. Now he’s got several drivers and a bag that also came from Bang.

“I’m starting to figure out my equipment,” he said.

Bang drivers were used by six national long drive champions. Scott Smith set the world record for longest drive of 539 yards with a Bang club.

He’s got a clothing deal with Knockout Golf Apparel. The Hit Center and Silo Towers also have him signed to sponsorships.

Thacker has had help from some good golfers in the area, too. Jared Jones, who golfed at Ohio State and is from Kenova, has helped him along with Steve Ross, who went to Vegas with him and encouraged him to compete in the driving competition in the first place.

“This year it’s been wet and windy in my face,” Thacker said. “I’m looking forward to being where it’s dry.”

Thacker, who is single, doesn’t have much time in his life for anything but firefighting and golf.

“I play so much golf, it’s not good for relationships,” he said. “During the summer I work 10 days a month and played at least 15 of the other days. It makes me wish I’d played younger. I might not be a firefighter.”

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.