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William Hinson
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18-year old professional long-drive golfer
Watch this amazing golf swing. And, he's only 18.
WILLIAM HINSON
AGE: 18
OCCUPATION: Professional long-drive golfer; Blythewood High School senior
LONGEST DRIVE IN COMPETITION: 406 yards
FAVORITE MUSIC TO HIT BY: Shinedown. The band’s energetic sound gets his adrenaline pumping.
CO-OP CONNECTION: Proud parents Edward and Jennifer Hinson are Fairfield Electric Cooperative members.
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He’s not out of high school yet, but 18-yearold William Hinson already has his ideal job.
Since 2012, Hinson has been a rising star on the Long Drivers of America tour, a series of professional competitions some call “the home run derby of golf.” Matches are set to rock music, and players have just two minutes and 45 seconds to hit six balls as far as they can. The longest in-bounds drive wins.
“I guess the best way to describe it is I’m living the dream,” Hinson says modestly. “I get to do what I love every day.”
A championship win and three top-eight finishes in his first six months of competition earned Hinson a sponsorship from Callaway Golf and a coveted spot on the company’s X-Hot Long Drive Team. This month, he’ll make his second appearance at the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, and he will be featured in a Golf Channel miniseries leading up to the Oct. 30 live broadcast of the final round.
Juggling the demands of school and a professional golf career doesn’t seem to stress Hinson one bit. After he graduates from Blythewood High, Hinson plans to continue competing while he attends college (“Carolina would be ideal,” says the avid Gamecocks fan). He’s undecided on a major, but his ultimate career field will come as no surprise.
“I’d really like to do something in the golf industry,” he says. “I like working with people on their swing. I like building golf clubs. I like telling people about golf clubs. And I certainly enjoy hitting golf balls.”