'Golf on steroids': Ultimate Long Drive competition tees off in Leduc County

The Kevin Blenkhorn Memorial Shootout brought together amateurs and professionals to celebrate Ultimate Long Drive and help raise money for the Kids with Cancer Society. (John Hanson/CTV News Edmonton)

Amateur and professional athletes from across Canada are in Leduc County, looking to outdrive the competition.

The first annual Kevin Blenkhorn Memorial Shootout is also the first Ultimate Long Drive (ULD) competition held in Canada, and it teed off in Thorsby on Saturday.

In ULD, it's all about distance. Competitors get two-and-a-half minutes to hit six balls as far as they can without going out of bounds. The longest drive wins.

"It's golf on steroids essentially," said Bob Dailey, a golf coach and long-time ULD competitor.

"[There's] all kinds of terms you can use, but people would call it the greatest show on earth, because everybody wants to see the ball go far," he said.

Kevin Blenkhorn was the second-best ULD competitor in the world when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022. He died that fall.

"[He] was a great guy, through and through," said Dailey, Blenkhorn's friend and coach. "Obviously passionate about the sport, was one of the best in the world."

ULD was more popular in Alberta 25 years ago, Dailey said, adding he and Blenkhorn spoke often about an event bringing together amateurs and professionals to help rekindle the sport.

"We want to continue that legacy, because we kind of saw that that was dying off," he added.

The memorial brings together ULD competitors between 10 and 70 years old. Saturday the amateurs hit the grass, and Sunday the pros will tee up to compete for a cash purse and a spot at the ULD World Championships in the fall.

"Unfortunately, with his passing, he doesn't see it," Dailey said. "But we want to see that, what we talked about – see it through."

Beyond a ULD comeback, Dailey said there's another more important driver behind the event.

"What drove Kevin, and was the premise of the event that we dreamed of back then, was [making] it a charity event."

All the money raised Saturday and Sunday will go to the Kids with Cancer Society of Edmonton.

While it's the first year for the event, Dailey said support from Blenkhorn's family and the ULD community has been amazing.

"We've had so much support from local businesses, the competitors have been great. Spectators coming out supporting the cause, building the sport," he added. "I expect it will be great and a great starting point."