The Loop
World Long Drive champ Kyle Berkshire hitting a lob wedge 260 yards will make you feel like a tiny speck of dust hurtling through space
What is true power? Is it political influence? Is it unwavering confidence in self? Is it just The Rock? The question has dogged humankind from the beginning, the answer varying wildly depending on the answerer. But finally, after centuries of searching, we have reached a conclusion we can all agree on:
True power is being able to hit your lob wedge 260 yards.
That’s reigning World Long Drive champ Kyle Berkshire, who can be found swinging out of his spikes daily on Instagram. Berkshire claimed last year’s long-drive belt with a 406-yard bomb, but as it turns out, he can blast it miles past us WITH A LOB WEDGE as well. So much for that unwavering self confidence we were just talking about.
The numbers are obviously impressive on their own—115 mph clubhead speed and 158 mph ball speed—but they become even more shocking when you compare them to “real world” driving distances. According to a 2017 Golf Digest study, the median driving distance for players of all ages and handicaps is 219.55 yards. The highest average, belonging to sub-5 handicappers of any age, is 250.93, nearly 10 yards shorter than what Berkshire is doing with his (and we repeat) LOB. WEDGE.
Call it a hunch, but somewhere in this vast cosmos of exitence, Bryson is considering growing his hair out.