Terry Wayne Forcum (May 4, 1942 – July 26, 2022[1]) was an American golfer who competed as a professional long drive athlete, winning the World Championship in 1983.[2][3]
| Terry Forcum | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Terry Wayne Forcum | ||
| Born | May 4, 1942 Downey, California, United States of America | ||
| Died | July 26, 2022 (aged 80) Wichita, Kansas, United States of America | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215–230 lb (98–104 kg) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||
| Career | |||
| Turned professional | 1975 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Personal life edit
Forcum was born in Downey, California, and attended high school in Ponca City, Oklahoma, graduating in 1960.[2] After high school he competed on the rodeo circuit as a bull rider for four years.[2] In 1964 he was drafted into the United States Army and served two years in Wurzburg, Germany.[2] While serving overseas, Forcum competed in football, baseball, boxing and golf.[2] After returning to the States, he attended the University of Houston[4] and opened a welding shop in Ponca City, Oklahoma, but continued playing sports recreationally.[5]
Long drive career edit
Forcum first picked up a golf club when he was 10 years old.[2] By age 14-15 he realized that he could hit a golf ball an exceptionally long distance.[2] He played on the junior high golf team in Ponca City, but opted to play baseball instead in high school.[2] He played in amateur golf tournaments in the 1960s[3][3] and became a professional golfer in 1975.[1][2] Competing in the US National Long Drive Championship,[6] he won 6th place in 1976, 2nd place in 1982, 1st place in 1983 (becoming at age 41 the oldest to do so[3]), and 3rd place in 1988.[2][7] His 1983 1st place win at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California earned him the title of World Long Drive Champion for that year – see World Long Drive Championship Winners. By 1990, he had finished in the top 10 in long drive competitions in eight of the 10 previous years.[6] He competed in his last National Long Drive Championship in 2008 at the age of 66.[2]
His longest competition drive was 369 yards at a competition held in Tokyo, Japan.[2] He hit a 427-yard drive at a Professional Golfers Association clinic, and his longest recorded drive ever was 547 yards at the Lakeside Golf Course in Ponca City.[2][3] He could hit a ball up to 300 yards out of a tee box with a 4 wood, 257 yards with a 7 iron, and once hit a 361-yard drive while on his knees.[2] He was also known for hitting "stunt shots" that included driving a ball through a piece of plywood, and hitting a ball out of a person's mouth.[2][3][6]
A founding member of the 350 Club, the original group of long drivers who toured the world putting on exhibitions and clinics, the Pro Long Drive Association lists him as a pioneer of the long drive sport.[2]
Forcum died in Wichita, Kansas at the age of 80.
References edit
- ^ a b "Official Obituary of Terry W Forcum," Wulf-Ast Mortuary, https://www.wulfastmortuary.com/obituary/terry-forcum#obituary, as of 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Terry Forcum (Obituary)" in The Ponca City News, https://www.poncacitynews.com/obituaries/terry-forcum, 08/06/2022, as of 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Jerry McConnell: "Forcum Hopes to Hit It Big as PGA Senior" in The Oklahoman, https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1991/07/14/forcum-hopes-to-hit-it-big-as-pga-senior/62522569007/, Published July 14, 1991, as of 5 May 2024.
- ^ Pro Long Drive: "Pioneers of Long Drive," https://prolongdrive.com/history_of_long_drive/pioneers_of_the_sport/, as of 5 May 2024.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Long-Driving Winner" in The New York Times in print on Aug. 4, 1983, Section B, Page 12 of the National edition with the headline: SPORTS PEOPLE; Long-Driving Winner, https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/04/sports/sports-people-long-driving-winner.html, as of 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Long-driver Forcum to give exhibition at center," Tampa Bay Times, https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/03/31/long-driver-forcum-to-give-exhibition-at-center/, published March 31, 1990|updated Oct. 16, 2005; as of 5 May 2024.
- ^ History of Pro Long Drive, Men's Open Division, https://prolongdrive.com/history_of_long_drive/, as of 5 May 2024.