John Daly to conquer Niagara Falls

The City of Niagara Falls website has a press release for professional golfer John Daly. Daly plans on making an attempt at being the first person to hit a golf ball across the mighty Niagara. On August 3, 2005, as part of the opening of his Thundering Waters Golf Course, Daly will attempt to prove why he has won the driving distance title on the pro tour 11 times by driving a ball from the Canadian side of the Horseshoe Falls landing on American Soil.

Thundering Waters Golf Course is a 7,322 yard course designed by John Daly in collaboration with Canadian golf architect Bo Danoff.

John Daly’s Thundering Waters GC
Presents a Grand Opening
For the Ages in Niagara Falls

For Immediate Release
March 11, 2005

NIAGARA FALLS, ON – John Daly will face the roar of Niagara Falls head on in August as he attempts to become the first person to drive a golf ball across the world famous Horseshoe Falls.

Over the decades numerous people have attempted the “ultimate stunt” plunging over the falls in a barrel. Some have lived and many have died. Annie Taylor was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel and she survived back on October 24, 1901.

A little more than a century later Daly will tee it up on August 3, 2005 as part of Grand Opening celebrations for Niagara’s Falls newest world-class golf property Thundering Waters Golf Club – A John Daly Signature Course. The British Open and PGA champion will attempt to connect on a drive that would make history as it crosses from the Canadian side of the Horseshoe Falls and lands in the United States of America.

“I have hit some towering drives in my time but to try and clear Niagara Falls would be an awesome feat. I can’t wait to return to Canada for the Grand Opening of Thundering Waters. It’s going to be a historic day for many reasons,” Daly says. “Niagara Fall is one of the true Wonders of the World and one of the reasons I decided to design my first signature course in the area.”

While Daly won’t be risking life and limb like those who have taken the plunge over the falls, it’s estimated that he’ll need to carry a drive of at least 350 yards in the air to cross the watery falls. Big John can grip it and rip it like no one else, but can he land it? “We’re hoping his drive will be heard around the world” says Frank Racioppo, Thundering Waters Golf Club Vice-President of Operations, who developed the concept after Daly first suggested the idea. “We were driving by the Falls last fall and John asked how far it was to the other side. We started talking about the concept of a long drive over the Falls and John thought it was a fabulous opportunity to create some excitement. He’s not someone who will back down from a challenge, so this should be a lot of fun and a memorable day for Niagara Falls.”

Daly is one of the most recognized and popular members of the PGA Tour. “The Lion” as his friends on Tour know him is known primarily for his power on the course. Daly led the PGA Tour in driving distance for eight consecutive years and has won the title a record-setting 11 times. Heading into action this week on the PGA Tour, Daly’s longest recorded drive of the season stands at 382 yards, which has him in the top 20. In 2004 he recorded his longest drive ever on tour at 399 yards, but there’s a lot of fairway roll in those drives.

Thundering Waters GC is located in the heart of the Niagara Falls tourist district some 1,500 yards from the brink of the thundering Canadian Horseshoe Falls and only three blocks from the new Niagara Fallsview Casino. It’s the second facility planned by Daly’s firm and his first in Canada. Some holes will be lengthy even by the standards of the world’s longest hitters. The par 72 course measures 7,322 yards, including a 661-yard par 5 hole from the back tees. Thundering Waters GC is also a member of the popular Niagara Golf Trail.

Canadian golf course architect Bo Danoff has been the driving force working in tandem with John Daly throughout the design and construction process. Daly’s strategic input as a PGA Tour player consultant has added exciting risk/reward opportunities that should make the course the talk of the country. “I’ve seen a lot of architects and Bo is probably one of the greatest I’ve known,” Daly said of Danoff. “He’s a great talent and will be doing a lot of courses in the future.” The 18 hole design combines the parkland tranquility of Augusta National and the wind swept dunes of traditional British Open Championship courses. Sweeping fairways, undulated greens, sculpted bunkers and meandering creeks, all nestled between towering trees and mighty dunes that combine to create a true masterpiece.

Fallsview Golf Inc., a Niagara Falls, ON-based company with extensive real estate and hospitality holdings in Canada and the United States, including the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel & Conference Centre, is developing the project.

High-resolution images of Thundering Waters GC and John Daly are available upon request.

For PDF Poster for the Grand Opening, click here

For more information contact:
Frank Racioppo
Vice-President of Operations
Thundering Waters GC – A John Daly Signature Course
6000 Marineland Parkway
Niagara Falls, ON, Canada
905.357.6000 ext. 427
(c) 905.380.6007
(tf) 1.877.833.DALY (3259)
frank@thunderingwaters.com
www.thunderingwaters.com
www.johndaly.com

Bo Danoff
Danoff Golf Design Inc.
Golf Course Architects
design@danoffgolf.com
416.738.4653

3 thoughts on “John Daly to conquer Niagara Falls

  1. This seems pretty lame. How far is it across the gorge anyway? I didn’t notice it in the article. I would think a 380+ yard drive would clear it no problem. I would think that significantly less than that would work as well. Are we going to have people lining up on both sides of the gorge now seeing if they can do what John Daly did?
    Maybe if someone has any mapping software they can measure the distance for us…

  2. I would have thought it was shorter than that. If it really is that far, than it’s not going to be as easy as I thought, but I still think it is a stupid stunt. I can just see people lining up to do it themselves. It will be a new war between the Americans and the Canadians… we’ll bomb each other with golf balls 🙂

  3. It appears that from one edge of the Horseshoe Falls to the other is 340 yards. Even that is a long drive considering the current leader for the PGA tour has an average of 319.2 yards which is calculated to the point the ball comes to rest (including roll). John Daly will need to better that avarage by 20 yards, before the ball hits the ground the first time.

    Even shooting from other points on the gorge, it still looks like he needs to clear at least 320 yards in air without any fairway roll.

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