On the tee with Nick Hanna
On the tee with Nick Hanna
New Zealand Long Black & XDL Champion
Naming Nick Hanna as a New Zealand was an obvious choice for scouts and the founder Olna Ford. “From the first time I met Nick and saw him perform, I knew he was going to be one of our most outstanding athletes and he’s certainly proven to be that.” says Olna. Nick has been one of the most consistent competitors for the national team with a fierce drive that will keep you on the edge as his opponent. A determined athlete with unlimited passion for the sport Nick Hanna is a proud National Team player and a standout name in his division. The 2022 season has just begun given the lockdowns in Auckland pushing all 2021 events into this year’s calendar. Nick has been chosen to represent the New Zealand Long Blacks on the tee at the Catwalk Golf Charity event this October 06th and will be alongside some other well known names to sport.
We got a chance to catch up with Nick Hanna to see what drove him to Long Drive.
Nick can you tell us what got you into Long Drive?
I got into long drive in a sort of typical way, being known to hit a big ball by all my golfing mates and hearing through the grape vine about a longdrive competition. Next thing I had thrown my name in the hat and the rest is history. I love the thrill on the teebox and the atmosphere Olna has created around the teebox. My best performance winning was the 2019 North Island championship which included a personal best drive of 360m, subsequently I have followed that performance up with runner up 2 years in a row 2020 and 2021 aditionally runner up in the 2021 South Island Champs. These results and the enjoyment of the sport has kept me hungry to train and compete. It has been great having Auckland as the base of longdrive in New Zealand as it has meant my Wife has been able to watch all the competitions and support me, likewise having Olna secure Nelson as the host of the South Island championship has been great as it is my childhood home town and I had the opportunity for my family to all watch me compete and come close to victory.
Nick Hanna has been named to represent New Zealand in the travelling team for the famous Trans-Tasman Clash against the Aussie Long Ballers this December. The event is in collaboration with Survivor Golf which has Ronan Keating as Ambassador along with famous names in Golf.
Looking forward to keeping our fans updated with more chat on the tee with our champions!