As golf club technology advances, players are driving the ball straighter, farther and with more consistency off the tee. Often, players on the PGA Tour, such as Tiger Woods, build their game around long drives to create short approach shots, sometimes sacrificing trajectory for a few dozen extra yards off the tee. So with the advent of bigger, more advanced drivers, who has the longest recorded shot in the history of the sport? The answer might surprise you.
The longest drive was recorded more than 30 years ago.
Longest modern shot
The PGA Tour has a list of longest drives since 1992. Woods, often thought of as one of the longest drivers on tour, ranks ninth with a drive of 425 yards, but that doesn't even come close to surpassing the leader. Davis Love III bombed one 476 yards in 2004 at the Mercedes Championships, giving him 28 yards on the runner-up. Still, Love's drive only measures as the second-longest recorded shot in history.
Longest recorded PGA Tour drive
In Sept. 25, 1974, Mike Austin rocketed a drive 515 yards while competing in the U.S. National Senior Open Championship at Desert Rose, Las Vegas. What's even more amazing was that Austin, now deceased, was 64 at the time he set the record.
An otherwordly drive
Still, if you want to be literal about the longest drive ever recorded, you'd have to give it to Russian astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, although he did have an unfair advantage. Using a six-iron, Lopez-Alegria struck a ball one-handed while tethered to the International Space Station in 2004. NASA predicts the ball will fly approximately 1 million miles before disintegrating into Earth's atmosphere, according to SPACE.com.
Ideal conditions
The best conditions for long hitters are hot, dry areas. The air thickens in cooler temperatures, creating more resistance to ball flight.
Austin's unconventional swing
Austin's secret, as he said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, is his use of physics. Austin applied his undergraduate degree in physics and his doctoral in kinesiology to his swing. The result, Austin said, was something you wouldn't see PGA pros emulate today because his swing relied more on the uniformity of muscle movement rather than raw strength and power.
About The Author
Aaron Wein has been a professional writer since 2004, focusing on sports journalism. He obtained a degree in journalism from Western Washington University in 2008. He's written and edited for Northwest Washington based publications, such as the "Bellingham Herald," "Western Athletics," "GNAC Sports" and Next Season Sports.
Photo Credits
"striatic does golf ~ drive" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: striatic (hobvias sudoneighm) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
"striatic does golf ~ drive" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: striatic (hobvias sudoneighm) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
