Meet the man behind Joe Miller’s 423-yard drive at World Long Drive Championships

[L] Lee Cox [R] Joe Miller WLD Champion Oct

Joe Miller smashed his way to a second World Long Drive Championship title in October and here is an introduction to the man who helped make it possible, the 31-year-old’s coach Lee Cox.

Cox, a Today’s Golfer Top 50 teacher, met Miller as a family friend when he was in his late teens and Cox quickly saw something special in the youngster and has since helped him to develop his unique physique and technique as well as his legendary 9-second ‘hang time’.

Last month’s World Long Drive Championship victory in Oklahoma, where Miller nailed  a 423-yard drive in the final, making Cox’s star pupil the first European golfer in history to win two World Long Drive titles.

“On October 12th Joe gave arguably the greatest final-day performance in World Long Drive history” said Cox.

“To see him over there against all the Americans, winning under extreme pressure against a partisan crowd, was just the greatest moment. Joe is much more than a pupil, he is a close friend, and to see him dominate on that final day was one of the best feelings in my life.”

Cox specialises in giving all levels of golfer special lessons on how to hit the ball further at his Academy at The Shire London and due to Miller’s success and his work with Today’s Golfer he is fast becoming one of the UK’s most-recognised golf teachers.

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He said: “Give me any golfer, and I can help them add twenty yards by training them in club delivery, swing mechanics and biomechanics”

“Joe Miller combines massive precision with an explosive power which is beyond the reach of most golfers, but there are common factors which every golfer can learn from.”
Joe Miller’s Callaway XR driver

When competing in long drive events Miller, a plus-3 handicapper and former member both of The Shire London and its predecessor Bridgedown Golf Club, plays with a 3-degree Callaway XR driver fitted with a Fujikura Joe Miller Prototype 3X shaft.

In competition he typically generates over 150mph clubhead speed, approximately 20% higher than the fastest speeds on the 2016 US PGA Tour.

His winning drive in the 2016 World Long Drive Championship had a ‘hang time’ of around nine seconds – two seconds more than the longest hitters on Tour.

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Despite Cox’s long hitting expertise, he always reminds golfers that it is not all about big-hitting. “You have to hit the fairway, first and foremost” he emphasised, “and then you need to get it into the hole. Long hitting is seductive, but finesse will always get your handicap down faster!”

Ceri Menai-Davis, Director at the Shire London had this to say about his illustrious coach, “Spend half an hour with Lee and you will quickly realise that his expertise on the subject is unique, and exceptional. We are proud to have Lee Cox here at The Shire London, and we invite golfers from across the UK to come and learn from him.”