WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Air traffic controllers at Palm Beach International Airport might have noticed some blips on their radar recently, but not to worry.
It was just World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire and his buddies launching some bombs 4½ miles away at Bear Lakes Country Club. Berkshire and his pals can hit it high (250 feet) and hit it long.
How long? Berkshire broke the world record last month when he hit a 579-yard drive in favorable weather conditions at Rochelle Ranch Golf Course in Rawlins, Wyoming, about two weeks before he won his third world long driving title.
Think about that … Five hundred and seventy-nine yards, with a carry of 512. That’s twice as far as most pros hit it and three times as far as most amateurs. Who cares if the ball was helped by a tailwind of 17-22-mph with 6,700 feet of elevation (though the temperature was in the low 50s)? That would be long enough to drive almost every par-5 in the U.S.
“Oh, that’s it!” Berkshire screamed on video after his world-record drive. “That’s it!”
While having lunch in Bear Lakes’ new clubhouse last week, Berkshire reflected on that moment.
“When I caught that ball, I knew it was the hardest ball I hit,” said Berkshire, a 27-year-old Orlando resident who is known for his long dark hair. “It was also spinning enough to stay in the air with a tailwind. With the wind coming off the right, I had a 10-yard-wide window where the ball would carry into the fairway. It felt amazing.”
Berkshire understands most golf fans focus on the yardage of his drives, but he and his peers use the ball speed coming off their extended drivers as the true barometer of their talent. Berkshire set a world record with a ball speed of 241.6 mph.
When asked what means more to him, the world record or the championship belts he received for the three world titles, his answer was quicker than his swing.
“As an athlete, I care about that belt more than anything,” Berkshire said. “When my career is over, I want to leave a legacy of being the greatest. You have to have the belts. Like in basketball, you have to have the rings. If you want the belt, you have to be clutch.”
Berkshire had aspirations of someday playing on the PGA Tour when he was competing collegiately at North Texas, but that changed during a practice round his sophomore year. A backup on the course allowed his entire team and coaches to watch as he pumped…
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