Dan Boever was named LDA Player of the Month for December 2008

Dan Boever was named LDA Player of the Month for December 2008.  Here is a copy of their interview with Dan-www.longdrivers.com

LDA: You're one of the most visible long drivers. How many shows and exhibitions do you do each year? How many days on the road do you spend each year?
Dan: I started with one show in 1997 and am now doing 70-80 per year. That translates into about 160-170 days on the road per year. I was on 120 American Airline planes this year. Add another 25 or so flights on United, Delta, Allegiant and Northwest and you better own a DVD player and Bose headsets. Executive Platinum and Admirals Club make life a lot easier...

LDA: Then there's TV, with your regular appearances on "The Turn" (Golf Channel) and a Golf Channel 30-minute special. You even turned up on Tori Spelling's reality show. Will we be seeing you on TV again in 2009?
Dan: I hope so. That is always the game plan. The Golf Channel sent cameras and a team to film for 3 days in December while I was into The Villages and Ocala for several different Cobra Demo Days. They shot a lot of different things and now I have to wait and see how they edit it. I have no control over that part and that can be a bit frustrating. It will be part of their Golf's Amazing Video franchise. I told them I could only guarantee my mom would watch it.

LDA: What's the funniest thing that ever happened at one of your shows?
Dan: I got a radio DJ from Nebraska to get into a big commercial dumpster while he was live on the air and I hit golf balls at the dumpster from 100 yards away.  He was doing a play by play the best he could because I warned him to keep the lid down and not to look. He thought his borrowed fireman helmet would protect him in case I hit him in the face. What he didn’t know was I had a friend hide behind a tree and after a couple hits he ran over and hit the front of the dumpster with a hammer. The DJ went crazy. He really went wild 10 seconds later when my friend hit it again. He said, "This is the most accurate long driver in the HISTORY of the world! He is amazing!" All this was live and pumping out all over the airways. We never told him otherwise. I think I am pretty famous at that radio station.

LDA: What's the story behind the hole in one at your outing at Kemper Lakes?
Dan: I started doing a bit about how to spot a bad player. Things that you could look for to help you identify someone who sucks but might mistakenly "look" like a good player. Items like a ball retriever, colored golf balls, counting beads, shoes with flaps, Velcro, etc. Anyway, I was doing a show for Muscular Dystrophy and right there in the front row during my exhibition was guy who had every one of the indicators. So I had no choice but to make fun of him. It was kinda like we were laughing "with" him and not at him. No, we were laughing at him! He was a great sport about it and not surprisingly he did have a 30+ handicap.  Later in the day I was hitting balls on the 18th hole for all the groups. It is a par 4 and it is about 325 yards to carry the water and land it on the green. I could do it with a 7 iron normally but on this day I was hitting driver. Sure enough I knock one right in the hole. There were two groups and plenty of witnesses to swarm me and touch me in very inappropriate ways for 60 year old men. Seven minutes later I hear a huge roar on the par 3, 240 yard 17th hole. I knew it had to be a hole in one and I knew they were giving away a brand new Porsche to anyone lucky enough to make a hole in one. You can imagine my surprise when several carts skidded up to my hole and guys literally fell out onto the ground laughing at who had made the hole in one. Of course, it was the guy I made fun of during the exhibition! This lucky fool wins a brand new Porsche and all I get is man loving from 8 sweaty old men. Life is not fair.  

LDA: Who is the best celebrity golfer you've played with? The worst?
Dan: The best is probably former "Eagles" band member Don Felder or "No Doubt" drummer Adrian Young. Adrian is very good and really hits it a long way. I played with Don several times this year and he really hits it very consistently. The golf though is secondary to all the incredible stories about life on the road for 25 years with the Eagles. The worst would have to be George Wendt (Norm, on Cheers). He is not in the best of shape (I've never felt skinnier) and his game has all the "indicators" of a bad player. Surprisingly though, his son, who looks like him, has an awesome swing.

LDA: What is the show-stopper during your act?
Dan: Different things hit people in different ways throughout the year but I would have to say hitting balls 800 feet straight up into the air and getting them to land 20-30 yards from the tee usually gets their attention. Hitting the ball picker from 200 yards also makes em think you are pretty special.

LDA: What makes or breaks it for a power showman such as yourself - the hitting or the entertaining?
Dan: As impressed as people are with hitting it long and hitting it hard they still need to have a variety of shots and scenarios to hold their attention. They don’t need us up there thinking were "bad" and “cool”. People love to laugh so if you can impress them with your power and make them smile for 45 minutes you have done a good job and your gonna make some new friends. I think it would be hard to have 100 people with varying handicaps sit still for 45 minutes if all you did was hit drivers.  I doubt anyone does that though. The first show I ever saw was Art Sellinger doing an exhibition for Texas Instruments in 1997. Everyone to a person had a great time for 45 minutes. He maybe hit his driver 4 times. It was lesson number 1 from Art.

LDA: People might not know about your career in pro baseball. How did you pass the time on bus rides?
Dan: Man I spent 7 long years riding in the 2nd or 3rd seat from the front on the driver side so I could sleep with my head to the left. 25 guy's ages 18-28 makes for some long disgusting days and nights riding on a greyhound. For two years in AA with the Red's I was in Burlington, VT. This was the northern most city in the league and a trip to Harrisburg, PA is just under 500 miles. I would spend a lot of time reading or doing drugs. Actually, no drugs. As I look back on it I wish I would have though. When a game ends at 10:30 pm and you load up for an all night 10 hour drive you try to sleep and dodge the tobacco spit cups that end up rolling around on the floor. I loved every minute of it and would have done it for free. Almost did. Joking about the drugs, never had an interest. 

LDA: How close did you come to the majors?
Dan: As far as leagues go I was one step from the big leagues. I played several seasons in AAA with the Nashville Sounds. If you don’t get the call though you may as well be in rookie ball. AAA is full of guys going up or coming down. One day they are making 1,500.00 a month playing for the Toledo Mud Hens and the next day they are on their way to the big time and 1.9 million reasons to be grateful. 

LDA: What kept you out of the show?
Dan: A couple of things were working against me from day one. I signed out of college at age 22 and went to Billings Montana and rookie ball. There I met lots of 18 year old guys who had just signed as well. Strike One. Then I happened to be in an organization that had a large number of prospects ahead of me who went on the have long major league careers. These were extremely talented players who were actually 2-3 years younger than I was. Strike Two. These two things made it very tough to have a chance to get a real good look from the big league level. 4 years into it I was in AA at age 26 playing with guys who were 21 and 22 years old. They will generally take a chance on the younger guy at that point (see Bull Durham for example). I worked hard and vowed when I was done I could always look in the mirror and know I gave it my all. When I finished in 1989 at age 28 I knew I could look in the mirror and feel good about my effort. I loved it and I am thrilled I had the opportunity to play. In Cedar Rapids I had 4 doubles in one game and 9 more doubles over the next 4 games so that was pretty cool. Playing in front of 50,000 people at Mile High Stadium was also a night the pucker factor was pretty high. I still miss it. My first night in AA in 1986 the pitcher who threw against us was a young Jamie Moyer. I could not wait to hit against this no-name, no-talent minor-leaguer. Little did I know that 22 years later this young lefty would win a freakin' World Series ring with the Phillies at 45 years old! I guess he did alright for himself. I still think I could rope him and would love to have the chance to do so. I put in a call…  

LDA: How to you compare the baseball swing with the power golf swing?
Dan: I think there are many similarities in the approach. Good balance, soft hands, relaxed body, solid core, speed and strength wins out. Have some guy throw a 91 mile an hour fork ball at you that drops 5 inches at the end and you’ll pray to set it up on a peg and just look at it while it stares back at you until you’re ready to hit it. 

LDA: More and more ex-baseballers seem to be moving into long drive. Surprised?
Dan: Not really, there is a natural cocking of the wrists that goes on with a baseball bat that can roll over to our world pretty quickly. The longer and higher someone plays the more skilled they will already be when they get serious about hitting a golf ball far. It might even be the reason some of those crazy Canadian hockey players may have a small chance to do something in long drive. Possibly. 

LDA: Moving on to Mesquite...you were the #2 seed in the senior division in 2006 and 2007, but didn't fare well. Were you getting frustrated about your record in match-play?
Dan: I was/am very sad indeed. I think all of us who compete want to feel like we hit it our best. We can live with losing if we hit it well and the other person just flat out beats us. Having gone 1-6 in 2006 and 0-6 in 2007 I don’t feel like I really hit it “my best”. I hit a number of balls really well both years but I could not keep them in the grid and that’s part of the deal. During match play at the RE/MAX World Championship you have to hit it your best or you are gonna lose. I don’t feel like being the #2 seed really mattered. Both men I lost to are great hitters and they could easily have been the #2 seed. 8 guys separated by a few yards doesn’t really make someone a favorite. Just like Jason Zuback has done better than anyone in history, those two guys got it done when it counted and I did not.

LDA: What made the difference in 2008, when you earned your breakthrough win?
Dan: I have always felt like for me to win I would have to have a lot of things go right. There are so many good hitters and it is a fine line for someone like me. Cobra’s elite fitting stallions Ben Schomin and JJ Van Wezenbeeck really made the difference for me. Their advice and experience gave me a different setup at address and a belief I was on the right track with my changes. Part of why I lost in 06 and 07 in match play was my inability to find the grid. This year I hit so many more balls in play throughout the whole week. More balls in the grid means more chances for something good to happen. Without Ben, JJ and Cobra’s amazing driver I don’t think I win. It didn’t hurt that Brian Pavlet graciously allowed me to use one of his drivers starting on Tuesday. Thanks Brian, you’re not getting it back!

LDA: Your opponent in the finals was Mike Gorton, who already had won SS division and was gunning for a double. Did facing a Hall of Famer and a legend in the sport create additional pressure?
Dan: No question hitting against Mike is stressful. I have watched him hit it great since my first event in 1996. I expect him to hit it hard and hit it down the middle every time. Hitting against Mike was fun though because if I lose to him I can be happy for his win. Very few, if any, in our sport have done what he has done and yet he has been a class act every time I have ever been around him. I have always thought it takes more than winning to be a champion. Mike Gorton is truly a Champion.

LDA: What were your impressions of the new facility (Mesquite Regional Park) for the finals?
Dan: It was what I expect out of the LDA. From day one in 1996 at my first RE/MAX Championship I have seen the LDA consistently surpass all my expectations of what I think a world class event should be like. I am thrilled for the city of Mesquite and all those who have worked to make it happen. I see lots of smiles for years to come from athletes and families as they benefit from this remarkable facility. The only thing I was a bit disappointed in was the potato chip selection in the player’s tent. It seemed to be down this year. Too many guys working out and being healthy have screwed it up for the rest of us. 

LDA: What do you do when you're home in Missouri? What fills up the hours?   Do some volunteer coaching?
Dan: When I am home my time is filled with family activities. My boy plays basketball and baseball while my daughter does barrel racing so we are pretty busy most of the time like anyone else who is running from event to event to root for their children. When the kids are in school I am in the office working on all the things that have to be done to make sure I can pay the bills. Things like filling out this questionnaire. I am glad I am getting paid for that…not.

LDA: Any shout-outs? Any hugs and kisses to extend?
Dan: There are so many magnificent people involved in the world of long drive. It has been wonderful getting to know so many of them. I would like to say again how grateful I am to everyone at the LDA. The hard work and commitment to excellence provides people with an opportunity to not only make money but to showcase some pretty unique talents. And lastly, I am so very thankful to God for blessing my family through golf like he has. We know He is the source and we have seen over and over for 13 years how He opens certain doors and closes others. We continue to learn His choices are best and it’s an exciting ride everyday.