Berkshire Sets Long-Drive World Record at 588 Yards

On a high-desert course in Wyoming, Kyle Berkshire struck a golf ball 588.1 yards, the longest professionally measured drive in history. The two-time World Long Drive champion broke his own record by nearly nine yards, returning to the same windswept tee box where he had first pushed the mark past 579 yards three years earlier.

Three days, two hundred attempts

The record fell on a Wednesday at Rochelle Ranch Golf Course outside Rawlins, after Berkshire had worked through roughly 200 balls across three days. A small crowd of about 25 people watched as the 29-year-old from Maryland found the swing he needed. The wind blew from the west-southwest at a steady 12 to 13 mph, following almost exactly the line the team wanted.

Temperatures climbed into the 80s as the landing area waited far down the fairway, marked and measured at 500, 550 and 600 yards. Rochelle Ranch sits at roughly 6,800 feet of elevation, where thinner air reduces drag and lets a ball travel farther than at sea level.

Rewriting the record books twice

Berkshire set his previous world record of 579.66 yards at the same course in October 2023, a drive that stayed airborne for 11 seconds. Before his arrival, the marks to beat belonged to Mike Dobbin at 551 yards and Scott Smith at 539 yards. Mike Austin's 515-yard drive with a persimmon club had stood as the official record for decades.

Throughout the week, Berkshire's club head speed stayed consistent in the 160-mph range, nearly 50 mph faster than a typical tour professional. He uses a regular-flex shaft for a whip-like effect, though the precision required is extreme. Less than one-tenth of a degree off and the ball sails out of bounds.

"I thought, 'I'm going to hit the longest drive in the history of golf right here at Rochelle someday,'" Berkshire told reporters, recalling the mindset that brought him back to Wyoming.

The record now stands at 588.1 yards. The number 600 sits on the horizon, and the Wyoming wind will be waiting when he returns.