Why It’s Almost Impossible to Drive a Golf Ball 450 Yards (ft. Dustin Johnson) | WIRED

WIRED's Robbie Gonzalez looks at carry vs. total distance, breaks down the biomechanics of the tee shot, and gets tips from Dustin Johnson, one of the top drivers on the tour, to find out why it's Almost Impossible to drive a golf ball 450 yards through the air.

Special thanks to the Lake Chabot Golf Course.

Read more of Robbie's reporting about the science of golf drives at WIRED.com:

And follow the links below to read more about the research we used in this video:

PGA Average Driving Distances (Total Distance):

Dr. Jessica Rose's Research on Pro v. Amateur Golfers:


Also, check out the free WIRED channel on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV. Here you can find your favorite WIRED shows and new episodes of our latest hit series Tradecraft.

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Why It’s Almost Impossible to Drive a Golf Ball 450 Yards (ft. Dustin Johnson) | WIRED

[PhantomFilmAustralia]

"I beg to differ. Happy Gilmore achieved that feat no more than an hour ago.

[chunghsiho]

June 2019: Impossible for a consistent 450 yard drive.

June 2020: Bryson Dechambeau - hold my bag...

[Martin-sgbp]

Why it’s almost impossible to score over 300 in bowling

[Tterragyello]

Besides the mechanical limits, there is also an exponential increase in drag on a golf ball the faster it travels

[shonuff]

I'll be looking forward to the next video in 20 years titled "Why it is almost impossible to drive a golf ball over 520 yards"

[notmenotme]

“Why’s it almost impossible to hit a golf ball over 450 yds”

I’d be happy to reach 250

[magnusfrsigandersen]

Kyle berkshire: "Hold my beer"

[jonathanpcampbell]

When I used to play golf, bouncing off the cart path was a major part of my game.

[andydecoy]

Carry distance is surely a better metric than total distance, but you still have to account for wind speed and height difference between start and land positions. That's why carry can vary quite a lot.

[johnnym]

Netflix: are you still watching?

10:28: someone’s daughter

[fulsame]

"why its almost impossible to drive a golf ball 450 yards"


Scene1 :

host: "The PGA says you're not allowed"
End scene
roll credits

[vAqeii]

Golf ball: How far can I go?

Dustin Johnson: Yes

[svndve]

If you asked Mark Rober if it was possible to drive a golf ball 450 yards, he would say, "Hold my engineering degree."

[justjames]

Mike Hoke Austin in the 1974 U.S. National Senior Open hit a 515-yard drive.
The tee shot is listed in the Guinness Book of Sports Records as the longest hit in competition. More amazing, he used a 41" Steel shafted club with a Persimmon Head, and a Titleist Balata Ball.
Oh, and one other thing, Mike Austin was 64 when he crushed his record drive.

[dangleason]

Thank you for actually using the word "Farther" properly. many people would have been saying "further" the whole time.

[ThePixelatedDonut]

You guys should do a video on why it's almost impossible to serve over 160 mph in tennis

[cruelabduhl]

I hit a golf ball 450 yards once... two lucky bounces off a cart path and a third bounce to kick it back into the fairway. One in a million shot.

[rb]

13:48 "There's almost no incentive to ever completely sacrifice control entirely in the name of distance." - John Daly

[elliot]

This is becoming one of my favourite series

[christiansobczak]

"Happy Gilmore accomplished that feat no more than an hour ago."