What Is The Farthest Golf Ball Has Ever Been Hit?
While watching another of my tee shots skewer off into the rough i was thinking about professional golfers and those swings. I have to admit my short game is way better than my driving ability ( in both senses of the word) and i thought about what was the farthest ever a golf ball was hit. Who did it, where was it, why was it and more. We take a look at those answers below. it was a surprise to me.
While the guiness World Record for the farthest a golf ball has been hit belongs to a 515 drive in 1974 by Mike Austin, the longest unofficial drive is by Carl Cooper who hit an 787 yard drive that was assisted by a bounce from a concrete golf cart track and a downward slope.
So while the farthest a golf ball has been hit is actually not on Earth is likely over a mile, the official earthy record is 515 yards, and the unofficial is 787 yards there are stories behind them which we take a look at here.
The Official World Record Longest Golf Drive
This record has stood for approaching 50 years, even with all the technological advances in clubs, balls and even during the time of Tiger Woods and his incredible driving still Mike Austin’s 515 yard drive is the world record holding golf drive and the furthest a golf ball has been ever been hit. (on this planet)
Mike Austin achieved this 515 yard drive in the 1974 US national Seniors Open in Las Vegas with both a tail wind of 27 miles an hour, and an age of 64 years! He achieved this with no new computer modeled club or wind tunnel checked golf ball, it was with a driver made of Persimmon wood and a balata ball. This was the equivalent to a 6 or 7 wood by todays standards. Now that hit the sweet spot for sure!
Like the farthest Unofficial driver of Carl Cooper in 1992, see below for details, it was another case of awesome but too far as the hole he was playing was actually also playing a par 4 455 yard hole and he had sailed past the green.
Second Longest Golf Drive
It seems to get real distance on your drives it is not about the club, the swing, or the ball its all about the golf cart track.
The second longest drive is another that has a helping kick from a cart track alongside the fairway, Louis Oosthuizens drive missed the course and hit the golf cart along side it, the ball then bounced and rolled its way to 500 yards hitting curbs, and trundling past spectators, to take second spot in the longest drive, and furthest a golf ball has been hot rankings. You can watch it on the video below.
Third Longest Golf Drive
Tiger Woods, unsurprisingly, makes an appearance in this list of the farthest hit golf balls. His 498 yard drive, with no assist from cart tracks although maybe a little from some sloping, is a monster and he achieved it in 2002 in Hawaii.
We don’t have videos of these but how about this monster 400 plus drive and eagle from Tiger woods
Longest Unofficial Golf Drive
This one was certainly not intended, and not really that accuratly measures. though it does appear at the top of a lot of longest drives we, liek the moon shot below, are keeping it in the cool, but not 100% accurate column!.
Carl Cooper was playing the third hole, a 456 par 4 hole, at the Texas Open on Oak Hills Country club when his tee shot went an incredible 787 yards from the tee box. His drive landed on a cart track, unfortunately for him, but fortunately for all of us, the cart track was both made of concrete and sloped down hill .The ball bounced and continued to travel for another 300 or so yards before coming to rest near the 12th green.
He went on two score a double bogy on the hole, but it would be interesting to ask he he could do it again would he prefer to be on the green, or in the record books as the golfer to hit a ball the furthest. (on earth at least – we will explain)
it was fortunate is was actually a tournament as there would be no way they would have found the ball if a marshal hadn’t seen it whip past them and we would have been none the wiser on far the ball had actually travelled.
The Longest a Golf Ball Has Ever Been Hit?
The longest distance a golf ball has been hit was not actually on this planet. It happened in February 1971, on the Moon, after Astronaut Alan Shepherd took a 6 iron head in his space suit and fashioned a golf club.
After 4 attempts, it’s not easy hitting a golf ball in a space suit, he made a good contact with his 4th shot and sent the ball “miles and miles” according to him. It was unable to be measured and they don’t actually know where the ball landed ( like many golfers) but estimates (and maths) have suggested the ball would have travelled about a mile ( or 1760 yards) in the low gravity and zero atmosphere of the moon. Had he had two hands on the club, it is thought it could have travelled over 2 miles!
It meant it had greatly limited resistance and even with the atrocious form on Shepards swing, still travelled further than any other golf ball in history both after being hit, and in real terms after travelling all the way to the moon. You can watch the video of the shot below.
If you are looking to maximize the distance you can get we have a golf club selection calculator on the site as well. Maybe if you can’t get the farthest drive you can get the farthest 6 iron instead!
We have a selection of articles on golf Balls here on the site. You can check out some in the list below.
- How do you know where the ball lands.
- How many dimples on a golf ball
- How far can a golf ball travel
- How fast is a golf ball
- why does my golf ball curve right
- Can you keep golf balls you find
- Why are golf balls white?
Conclusion
While the world record for the farthest hit golf ball is 515 yards by Mike Austin there is a longer drive, By Carl Cooper in the 1992 Texas Open, who hit the ball 787 yards, with the help of a slope and a bounce on concrete, it just was not measured accurately enough for inclusion as a world record. It was still playable and was still played in the Texas Open with Carl Cooper eventually double bogeying from 300 plus yards past the green.
If this website actually lasts long enough for people to be heading back to the moon, and for some reason you are one of them. Then don’t take a 6 iron, pack a 2 or 3 wood and with the advances in space suits you will beat that record for farthest distance a golf ball has been hit for sure!
As for me, i think I’m going to have to start aiming for the golf cart tracks.
