Kyle Berkshire has set a new world record for the longest drive recorded in the history of golf, and he's done it just in time for the World Long Drive World Championships.
The Maryland native, multi-time world champion and the No. 1-ranked long-driver in the world, set the record with a drive of 579.66 yards at Rochelle Ranch in Wyoming.
Wyoming is known as one of the most consistently windy places in the United States, and Berkshire teed off with a helping wind of around 20 mph. Rochelle Ranch also sits at elevation, approximately 6,700 feet above sea level. While those were contributing factors, the drive still carried in the air for a remarkable 11 seconds and went 512 yards in the air before settling out after 67 yards of roll. Originally, the carry number was thought to be 492 yards but was found to be longer after reviewing the drive and where it touched down.
The longest drive in PGA Tour history is attributed to Mike Austin, who, at age 64, hit a 515-yard drive on Sept. 25, 1974 in the National Seniors Open Championship, the pre-cursor to the U.S. Senior Open. Austin hit the drive on a 450-yard par 4 at Desert Rose Golf Club in Las Vegas. The club was at 2,000 feet above sea level and the estimated wind on the hole that day was a 35mph helping wind.
The modern record belongs to Tiger Woods, who hit the longest drive in PGA Tour history recorded by ShotLink, a 498-yard blast on the par-5 18th on the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii during the Tournament of Champions.
Berkshire's new record comes on the heels of smashing his personal ball-speed record at 241.6 mph, which is absolutely bonkers. On the PGA Tour, reaching 200 mph ball speed is an incredible, chart-busting achievement. Berkshire is going much, much further than that.
His YouTube channel is a fascinating look at how a long-driver that is also a skilled player takes on traditional golf courses, as well as his career in long drive, in which he has been competing as a pro now for six full seasons.
All of this is just in time for Berkshire to head to Atlanta and the Bobby Jones Golf Course for the World Long Drive World Championship, where he'll seek to become world champion for a third time from Oct. 18-22.
