And all of these things helped Brown, at age 48, whack a ball 380 yards last weekend to win a sanctioned long-drive event, just two years removed from breaking a bone in his back.

Brown's golf-ball wallops draw crowds on weekday afternoons. He doesn't solicit these hoards. He's just there to practice. But it starts with an "Ooh," followed by a "Did you see that?" Before long, a pack of duffers will gather behind his regular tee-mat at Lakeside Golf Center in Salem, watching him pummel pills past the protective netting and into the trees more than 300 yards away.

"Sometimes you don't know what to say," Brown said Thursday, after crushing another shot into the woods. "You try to explain why yours flew 125 yards past their good shot, and then you tell them you haven't played much golf. They think you're a shyster or something."

more.

Make sure you clear the water!

Permanent weekly panel writer in the Roanoke Times new 'Voices of the Valleys' feature every Sunday, and on line @ Roanoke.com