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Two-time World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire has smashed his ball speed record by notching an incredible 236mph ball speed – and he did it alongside his pal and former US Open champ Bryson DeChambeau.
In Dallas yesterday, at the home of LIV Golf defector Dechambeau, Berkshire yet again seemed to push boundaries achieving a new ball speed world record.
Although it is not an ‘official’ world record, it is believed there are only two people in golf capable of producing such numbers. One is Berkshire and the other is Martin Borgmeier from Germany, who has hit 232mph in the past.
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Neither Berkshire or Borgmeier had ever reached 236mph. Until yesterday.
Shooting content for golf practice company The Net Return, in the hot summer heat, it was clear Berkshire was in the zone warming up. With warm-up balls speeds in the high 220mph region – and his first couple of shots coming in at 232mph and carrying 402 yards – the world’s longest driver of a golf ball was about to scratch the itch.
The numbers on the Foresight GCQuad were impressive, with some of his mishits coming in at 230mph. It was inevitable that he had something special in the tank and was on track to chase down his previous ball speed record of 234.4mph.
The big moment was also broadcast live by the long.drivers Instagram account to its 191,000 followers, with Berkshire saying he was confident he could reach 235mph.
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“100% I can do it” he said.
With the cameras rolling and energy levels through the roof, the world champion stepped up with a 5.5˚ Cobra LTDx LS driver in hand, and delivered a monster blow.
Berkshire, DeChambeau and everyone filming celebrated in unison as he hadn’t just beaten his 232mph record, he’d beaten his 235mph target and reached 236mph. The shot only carried 291 yards, but that was due to a misread on spin, which Berkshire later explained on Instagram.
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“At these speeds, spin is very hard to pick up when the ball only travels a short distance,” he said.
Berkshire, who has flirted with the idea of trying for a PGA Tour card, said he has dedicated his life to long driving and said that this was a “special feeling”.
“The fact is when you spend your life doing what you’re passionate about, it brings about a special feeling of happiness and satisfaction with life,” he said. “This is how I feel about the sport of long drive (and breaking speed records/pushing limits) and I hope everybody reading this finds their passion in life and takes it as far as they can.”
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To put it in to perspective on how impressive this achievement is, the PGA Tour ball speed average is 171mph and Berkshire is 65mph faster.
His ‘stock’ 6-iron goes 240 yards. But Berkshire has hit, on camera, an 8-iron over 300 yards.
His longest drive in competition remains 492 yards.
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