Mesquite, Nevada: October 25th, 2004
Rock Hicks hits the longest ball of the 2004 Re/Max World Long Drive Championship using a 5.5degree Ashton X-1 Driver.

Ashton Team member Rock Hicks of Florence, Kentucky hit the longest drive of the 2004 Re/Max World Long Drive Championship. He logged an impressive 426-yard drive on the second day of competition.

"I know this sounds a little strange but I did not think I really caught it", says Hicks. "It was the first ball I hit in the competition. When I saw the grid workers running back and it took them a few minutes to give me a number, I knew it was going to be big."

Another impressive fact about that drive; the World Long Drive Finals have been held in October at the Palms Driving Range in Mesquite, Nevada for the past 7 years. Rocks 426yard drive was the longest ball in Finals history ever recorded at the Palm’s facility.

"I have said it all year long" says Ashton Golf President Cliff Barron. "The X-1 is simply the best head out there. The engineering that has gone into the interior of the club is second to none. The face material is more responsive and forgiving than any other driver and the interior construction transfers more pure energy to the ball. Our Vice President Dennis Martini, a mechanical engineer, used his 8 years of experience in golf club design to produce the best of the best. Time after time I hear the highest ball speed numbers or the longest balls are logged with the X-1. Launch monitors do not lie and the X-1 consistently produces higher ball speeds and more optimal spin rates than any other driver".

Another drive of note, Ashton team member Jeff Gavin of Oakville, Ontario blasted a 390-yard drive into a very slight headwind, carrying an impressive 382 yards! At the time it was over 40 yards ahead of his competition. Unfortunately for Jeff, he was the victim of what some say was the worst luck in World Finals long drive history when the wind immediately shifted to a 20 mph tail wind as soon as he had left the tee. He was subsequently beaten by 1 yard. His fellow competitors regarded his 390-yard monster drive as the hardest hit ball of the competition.