Costa Mesa producing heavy metal

Bryce Alderton

Mary Beth Arnold and Kyle Wilson occasionally cross paths at Costa

Mesa Golf & Country Club, where they both work.

But next month the two will congregate, along with hundreds of

other golfers, at the Palms Golf Club in Mesquite, Nev., for the

ReMax World Long-Drive championships.

Both Arnold, who teaches three days a week at Costa Mesa, and

Wilson, a starter four days a week at the club, reached the finals of

the women’s and open divisions, respectively, for their longest

blasts at district qualifying sites.

The championships will take place Oct. 19-23, where both Wilson,

making his first world final appearance, and Arnold must advance

through more qualifying rounds to reach the semifinals and final of

their respective divisions. Wilson is one of 128 golfers entered into

the world final.

“It would be cool to have the men’s and women’s [long-drive

champion] from the same course,” said Wilson, 30, a Costa Mesa

resident.

Both come into the competition on the heels of strong outings in

the district qualifiers.

Arnold’s 268-yard blast placed her second to Sheila Kelliher of

Pasadena (313 yards) in the District 2 qualifying at the Palms Golf

Club Sept. 19, where three of the final 12 golfers earned a spot in

the women’s world final. Arnold, who attended Edison High in

Huntington Beach and played basketball for two seasons at Orange

Coast College, will make her third straight trip to the world

championships.

Wilson qualified for the world open final with a 358-yard drive,

good for second to Andy Davis (362) of Tampa, Fla., at the District 8

qualifier Sept. 4 at Hank Haney’s City Pointe Driving Range in

Dallas.

Wilson, 30, a Costa Mesa resident, earned one of three spots into

the world championships from a final field of 12 golfers at the

district qualifier where, a year earlier, his bid to reach the

pinnacle of long driving came up just short.

“Relief, finally,” said Wilson when asked to describe his emotions

after qualifying for the world final. “Last year I made it to the

shootout round and just missed.”

Arnold, who lives in Huntington Beach with husband Tom, assistant

pro at El Niguel Country Club in Laguna Niguel, daughter, Kayla and

son, Jake, finished sixth overall in the world championships two

years ago and missed making the final round in last year’s event by

12 inches.

Both Arnold, 38, who played on the Players West mini-tour from

1988-93, and Wilson come into this year’s championships in better

physical shape than prior years, giving them added confidence.

Arnold has lost 63 pounds since December 2002 while Wilson, who

stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 205 pounds, has added 15 to 20 yards on

his drives compared to a year ago. He attributes the added distance

to a more rigorous strength and flexibility training regimen.

Wilson also cut his driver two inches shorter, to its current

50-inch length, from a year ago.

“I thought [the reduced length] would take distance off, but it

hasn’t and I’ve gained a little more accuracy with the shorter club,”

Wilson said.

Accuracy becomes a premium in long-drive competitions, where

golfers need to land drives within a 40-yard wide swath in order for

the shot to count.

The 40 yards can seem even more narrow once one steps to the tee,

in front of a gallery, Arnold said.

“Your hands are shaking on the tee,” Arnold said. “But it’s cool

to have that adrenaline going again.”

Arnold said she is hitting the ball as far as she did a few years

ago. She swims, performing resistance training in the water, which

has helped strengthen her lower back.

But she said the training is not long-drive specific.

“For me, [long driving] is a fun, recreational way of competing

again,” said Arnold, who began playing golf regularly when she

started teaching at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club in 1987.

In a year she was playing on the mini-tour with visions of

qualifying for the LPGA Tour.

“I love the game and decided that [golf] is how I would make my

living. At the time I thought I would make living by playing,” Arnold

said with a chuckle.

She tried to earn her LPGA Tour card four times, but in the fall

of 1992, decided it was time to move on.

She got a job as an assistant at Mile Square Golf Course in

Fountain Valley, worked for a time at Mesa Verde Country Club and

started teaching again at Costa Mesa in 1999.

“It doesn’t pay to be a streaky putter,” Arnold said.

Come the week of Oct. 19 in Mesquite, Wilson or Arnold won’t need

to concentrate on putting.

Wilson will compete in open division qualifying Oct. 19 and 20

while the quarterfinals, semifinals and final will be held Oct. 23.

ESPN has traditionally televised the finals, scheduled for 7:30 to

8:15 p.m. Oct. 23 for the open division and 5 to 5:45 p.m. for the

women’s division.

Wilson is primed for a powerful performance.

“I think I’m at the top of my game,” Wilson said. “There are a lot

of guys out there. If you make it to the final six or seven guys, you

are a big deal. I just have to go out there and see what happens.”