NEW YORK (March 13, 2025) – World Long Drive (WLD) today announced a new partnership with Pinnacle, designating the brand as the official golf ball partner of World Long Drive tour events for the 2025 season.
In addition to providing Pinnacle Distance as the official golf ball for WLD events, the collaboration will see the birth of the Pinnacle Series and the introduction of long drive professionals serving as Pinnacle Ambassadors. Pinnacle Distance will be available in golf shops beginning Saturday, March 15.
Pinnacle will serve as the presenting sponsor for three WLD tour events and the official sponsor of a fourth event in 2025. It owns the presenting naming rights to the first event of the 2025 season, Clash in the Canyon, to be contested in Mesquite, Nevada from March 21-23, as well as the Bluff City Shootout in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Rocky Mountain Rumble in LaSalle, Colorado. In addition, Pinnacle will be the official sponsor for The Fight at the Fort, at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. The Mesquite event in March will be the first time the Pinnacle Distance ball is used in competition.
The 2024 World Long Drive World Champion Sean Johnson and World No. 4 Jack Smith will serve as official Pinnacle Ambassadors for the 2025 season. Johnson and Smith will play a vital part in promoting and showcasing the incredible distance, durability, and ball-to-ball consistency of the Pinnacle Distance.
“I’ll be straightforward, I am very excited to be using the Pinnacle golf ball again,” said Johnson. “The first ball I ever played with was the Pinnacle Gold when I was 12 years old, and I appreciate the opportunity to represent the brand as I continue my long drive journey. The brand is synonymous with distance and I look forward to hitting the Pinnacle Distance in competition.”
“I’m dedicated to becoming the best long driver I can be and I know Pinnacle can help get me there,” said Smith. “I’ve watched old footage of many of the past world long drive champions - including (five-time World Long Drive champion) Jason Zuback - who were associated with the brand and now I get the opportunity to do the same. I’ve had the chance to test this product and ‘Don’t Think, Just Rip’ is the perfect tagline for this ball and this brand. I know how it is going to react when I hit it properly so that takes one element out of my process.”
"We are excited to partner with Pinnacle and its parent company, Acushnet Company, as the official golf ball for World Long Drive tour events in 2025," said World Long Drive Chief Commercial Officer David Livingston. "Pinnacle's commitment to engineering a golf ball that delivers maximum distance and consistency will elevate our sport by allowing our athletes to showcase the most impressive drives in golf."
“Pinnacle’s origin story is distance, and it will be fun to see that on the World Long Drive stage. Competitors will certainly notice the distance, but it is the quality, consistency and durability that will stand out - long drive after long drive,” added Jeremy Stone, Senior VP, Golf Ball Marketing and U.S. Sales at Acushnet.
The 2025 World Long Drive season features nine events beginning next week in Mesquite, Nevada, and culminates with the World Championship from September 24-28 at Bigfoot Turf Farm in La Salle, Colorado.
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About Pinnacle:
Pinnacle is an Acushnet Company golf ball brand that designs and produces high-quality golf balls for the value seeking golfer. Manufactured in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Pinnacle was first introduced in 1980 for golfers seeking exceptional distance, durability and value and has remained the category leader for 45 years and still counting.
About World Long Drive:
The World Long Drive Tour is the largest annual domestic professional golf event not associated with the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, or the LPGA. It was first held in 1974, and since 2000 consisted of Open, Women’s, Seniors (over-45s), and Amateur events. The Rise division, a subdivision of the Open will have its inception in the 2025 season. The World Long Drive tour is comprised of nine events domestically and over 30 events internationally all culminating for the season finale World Long Drive Championship. Additionally, World Long Drive hosts televised exhibition events benefiting The V Foundation. World Long Drive tour and championship is owned and operated by GF Sports and Entertainment based out of New York, NY.
About GF Sports and Entertainment:
GF Sports & Entertainment is a global events and operations company that elevates the experience of live sports, entertainment and interactive events. The company owns the Dallas Open, an ATP 500 level event and the only indoor professional tournament in the U.S., as well as the Ottawa Black Bears lacrosse team who competes in the National Lacrosse League. In 2021, GF Sports and Entertainment purchased World Long Drive which is the largest annual domestic professional golf event not associated with the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, or the LPGA. It was first established in 1974, and since 2000 consisted of Open, Women’s, Seniors (over-45s), and Amateur events where athletes compete by driving for distance. GF Sports & Entertainment was founded in July 2015 by New York-based private equity firm GF Capital. For additional information, please visit www.gfsportsandentertainment.com.
Contact:
Jonathan Deutsch | Tony Fay PR | 469.534.8525 | jonathan@tonyfaypr.com
Reeves Eddins | Tony Fay PR | 901.647.9697 | reeves@tonyfaypr.com
Joe Gomes | Acushnet Company | 508.979.3211 | joe_gomes@acushnetgolf.com
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