Maurice Allen
The most unique and amazing characteristic of the first and only African-American world long drive champion is not the color of his skin, but rather it is the fact that he was twenty-eight years of age before he ever even took up the game of golf.
Maurice Allen’s incredible dedication to his craft has been overshadowed by his flamboyant personality and his determination to build his own brand, which has been exhibited in televised interviews where he either transitioned into a wrestler Ric Flair-style rant or where he proclaimed that long drivers were the “best athletes on the planet…” or possibly it could have been his wardrobe changes (between sets) where he not only changed his shirt and his hat, he also changed his glove, his pants, his socks, and even his shoes in order to achieve a complete and different wardrobe for his next visit to the tee box. In that regard it has been reported that Maurice changed shaft companies to one that had a wider variety of shaft colors that could match his many wardrobes.
Beneath all the flash and his branding strategy, there lies a man who demands the most of himself, and who is whole-heartedly determined to not just win, but also to make a statement. A former star in many sports at Maynard Evans High School in Pine Hills, Florida a subdivision of West Orlando, Maurice obtained a dual degree in Biology and Chemistry at Florida Atlantic University. When his track and field career was cut short by injuries he moved to Atlanta to work in the chiropractic field.
Maurice never cared for golf in general in large part because of the lack of diversity and the lack of opportunities for black athletes; however, he found that he could hit the golf ball a long way and he decided to enter long drive competition. Although he clearly had talent, his initial efforts were fairly dismal, because he was as wild as he was long and on more than one occasion the grid officials had to call him out for hitting practice balls out of the driving range and on to the grid during a competition.
Partly, in an attempt to fine tune his game as well as to promote the standing of black athletes in the sport. Maurice travelled to Europe to compete on the LDET Long Drivers of Europe long drive tour. This was pivotal in Maurice’s long driver development, because the European Tour features events on tight, difficult fairways where accuracy is at a premium and where the weather conditions in terms of the cold and/or the extremely strong winds challenge even the hardiest of competitors.
Maurice won three of the LDET Tour events in Europe and he was ranked number one on the LDET Tour. Most importantly, his win at the LDET Italian Open qualified him for the spot at the 2015 World Long Drive Championships where Maurice surprised a lot of people in the sport by taking a hard-earned 9th Place.
2017 was Maurice’s breakout year where he won two LDA Tour events while also winning a third major independent long drive event, and in 2018 despite numerous injuries Maurice put it all together to win the 2018 Volvik World Long Drive Championship at the Winstar Casino and resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma using a Krank driver with a Reve shaft.
Over the course of his career Maurice has been stalwart in terms of giving back to his community, as well as working hard to put both his time as well as his money into causes that benefit black youngsters to find opportunities in the game of golf, while also learning important life skills To this end Maurice has helped students at his former high school by giving $25,000.00 in scholarships. He also was promoter of a “Shark Tank” type event that offered prize money to young black entrepreneurs to help them start their own business. Maurice has also been an important figure as Ambassador for both the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association as well as The First Tee. His philanthropic efforts earned him a “Maurice Allen Day” as proclaimed by the Mayor of Orange County.
It has been a long journey for Maurice; however, it is not over as he remains one of the top ranked competitors in long drive.
2019 Hit a Ball Over Niagara Falls
2018 Volvik World Long Drive Champion
#7 Ranked Long Drive Competitor in the World
2017 WLD Tour Champion
2015 & 2016 Long Drivers European Tour Champion
Boys & Girls Club of America Ambassador of Golf
Former Guinness World Record Holder Ball Speed
2017 Catawba Classic – Champion
2017 Mile High Showdown – Champion
2017 Tennessee Shootout – Champion
2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 & 2011 – World Long Drive Finalist
2016 Volvik Long Drive European Tour – Champion
2016 Ranked #1 in Europeon Long Driver
2016 World Long Drive Championship – 9th
2016 Longest Ball Hit – 488 Yards
2016 Netherlands Long Drive Championship – 1st Place
2016 Czech Republic Long Drive Championship – 1st Place
2016 Slovenia Long Drive Championship – 1st Place
2016 New Zealand Long Drive Championship – 1st Place
2016 Italian Long Drive Championship – 2nd Place
2016 Portugal Long Drive Championship – 2nd Place
2015 Volvik LDET European – Champion
2015 Ranked #1 in Europe
2015 World Long Drive Championship – 9th Place Tie
2015 Sweden LDET – Champion
2015 Belgium LDET – Champion
2015 Italy LDET – Champion
2015 LDET Distance Record – 423 yards
2015 22 top 10 Long Drive Finishes
2014 Conforming Club Series – #4 Champion
2014 6 top 10 Long Drive Finishes
2014 PGA Junior League National Exhibition
Highest swing speed recorded – 156 mph
Highest ball speed recorded – 228 mph
Longest competitive drive – 469 yards
WLD World Ranking - #10
Head – Krank Golf Formula X Signature MA Driver
Loft – 4 degree, Squared face
Shaft – Fujikura Groove LD 3X flex
Length – 48" USGA
Grip – Switch Grip
Dr. J. Enterprises
Px3 Sports Science
Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association
Tornado Tee
Northcrest Golf
Dubsdread Golf Course
Rivermont Country Club