Luke is an avid weekend-warrior golfer from the East Coast who plays golf more than he cares to admit.
Answer: 460 yards as of 2022 end of year. The longest golf drives on the PGA tour in the 2022 season was the Scottish golfer, Scott Stallings, who hit a drive with a distance of 460 yards during the U.S. Open on the PGA tour in 2022.
Whether you’re an amateur player or even a Tour player, all golfers at every level aspire to be able to hit their ball the furthest distance, especially when using the driver!
Succeeding in having a long driving shot distance can help improve your chances of reaching the green using as few shots as possible.
However, before you do so, you may be wondering how far professional golfers can hit their drivers.
Generally, this average driver distance among professional golfers will vary between men and women. Ideally, players on the PGA tour reach a distance between 285 and 320 yards.
On the other hand, LGA tour golfers are expected to be able to hit the ball using the driver at an average distance of 250 yards.
With this in mind, if you’re looking to know everything about the drive distances of professionals then you’re in the right place. Keep reading this guide to learn more.
Pro Golfer’s Average Drive Distance
After the Zurich Classic of New Orleans 2021, we saw an average driving distance of 295.6 yards on the tour.
The leader on this tour was Bryson DeChambeau who performed an impressive 321.1 yards, as well as number 68, Keegan Bradley, who shot the ball at 300.0 yards.
Since these are the average numbers, there are sure to be some incredibly big numbers and distances in the mix.
Drive Distance Records
There is bountiful controversy, confusion, and debate surrounding the longest drive distances recorded in golf – however, would you expect anything less in the game?!
During the 1992 Texas Open, Carl Cooper hit an impressive tee shot at 787 yards. Although, since it ricocheted off a paved area, this should’ve been considered a disqualification.
Similarly, during the US National Seniors Open in Las Vegas, Mike Austin drove the ball a whopping 515 yards; although, this wasn’t a PGA Tour event.
Hence, the official PGA record has been awarded to Davis Love III for driving the ball 476 yards during the 2004 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
That being said, for many people, the longest drive should have been awarded to Dustin Johnson who drove the ball 489 yards during the WGC-Dell Match Play. However, these statistics weren’t logged by the PGA.
Carry Distance
Extremely long drive distances are usually considered flukes or freaks of luck, a more consistent and reliable method of measuring this is through ‘carry distance’.
This measures how far the ball travels from the tee before it makes contact with the fairway.
In extremely rare instances the ball carries further than 330 yards, however, they do happen a few times during the season.
For instance, Dustin Johnson argues that he can carry the ball up to 330 yards in the air. Although, in 2018, his average was 301 with the longest distance of 337.9 yards.
Carries further than 340 and 350 are even rare. Plus, there are no PGA statistics for drives over 360 yards.
In 2008, Holmes was close to breaking this record with 356.9 yards before the ball made a touchdown.
Why Is This Important?
Over the years, the average carry distance during the PGA tour has been steadily increasing.
This is primarily due to improvements in golfing equipment and technological advances, as well as power training and specialized strength has increased this drive distance.
In addition to the average distance increase, so has the number of people hitting these high marks. For instance, in 2008, seven tour golfers had an average of 290 yards or higher.
Then years later, 28 players in this high-distance category with an average of 295.6 yards or higher, between them.
You may be wondering what this means to the sport. Well, if this trend continues, it could make modern championships obsolete. These powerful players can ignore the natural obstacle that tests the average player – flying over them.
How To Improve Your Drive Distance
Hit The Gym
While golf is considered a non-contact sport, you shouldn’t underestimate the power and importance of maintaining physical fitness, especially when it comes to swings.
In addition to technique, the power behind your swings comes from core muscles. Therefore, keeping these muscles strong will allow you to push more power into your shots.
Better Equipment
Golf is one of those sports where having the best fear will make a huge difference in your performance. Hence, if you’re using old golf balls and clubs, you may notice a hindrance to the speed of your performance – putting you at a disadvantage.
Investing in high-quality golfing equipment will allow you to enjoy some of the latest golfing technology while improving your shot power and accuracy – helping you to achieve your drive distance goals.
Keep Your Shots Centered
Hitting the ball using the center of the clubface will provide you with the maximum forward trajectory – improving your distance exponentially.
This is a simple trick used by many golf coaches. All you have to do is spray the clubface using some paint or foot spray before taking your shots – allowing you to practice your diving shots more effectively.
Increase Your Drive Stance
The Drivers are the clubs that are the longest and contain the largest swing arc out of all the other clubs found in your bag.
When you swing your club at a faster pace, you’ll want a wider base to counterbalance the driving force here.
Luckily, this can be simply achieved by widening your stance before going to drive a golf ball.
Final Thoughts…
From amateur players to professional players, all golfers want to increase their drive distance.
However, most of the time, these drive distance records are simply the result of luck and flukes. Although, that doesn’t make them any less impressive.
Hopefully, this guide has informed you on everything you need to know about the furthest professional drive distance.
