The danger of chasing distance

Golf Digest

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Wednesday, Oct 21, 2026

Last week, the PGA Tour tweeted about a record set by Jordan Spieth that even the most diehard golf fans wouldn’t have known. Heck, Jordan Spieth himself probably isn’t aware of this feat.

As the tweet explained, Spieth “holds the record for most consecutive seasons of increasing his clubhead speed over the last decade.” And it was accompanied by a video showing Spieth hitting driver through the years, his clubhead speed starting in 2016 when he averaged 111.86 miles per hour. This past season? Spieth was all the way up to 117.42.

With each mile per hour translating to an extra 2.5 yards of carry for a PGA Tour pro, that means Spieth has increased his average carry by about 14 yards. But while the need for speed has never been more apparent in pro golf, that extra distance doesn’t always pay off. Unless you’re someone like Kyle Berkshire, who recently broke his own world long-drive record with a wind- and elevation-aided blast of 588.3 (!) yards. (More on that below.)

Spieth may have his own distance mark, but you don’t have to be a diehard golf fan to know his extra yards haven’t led to more victories. The three-time major champ has won just twice on the PGA Tour in the past nine years with his last title coming at the 2022 RBC Heritage. Even more deflating for Spieth has to be the fact that those gains haven’t helped him, well, gain on his peers. In 2016, he ranked 51st in distance on tour. This past season? Also 51st.

One could argue then that Spieth has needed to increase his speed just to keep pace with the competition. And there are plenty of examples of how important distance is to gaining strokes on the field. However, in Spieth’s case, he was 29th in strokes gained: off-the-tee in 2016 and only 79th in that same stat this past year. And, possibly related, Spieth’s other ball-striking numbers have gotten worse from when he was World No. 1.

Through my own speed training as part of this past year’s “Late Scratch?” series, sadly, I’ve experienced something similar. Swinging faster certainly has benefits, but it can also cause other issues. As the Notorious B.I.G. would say, “Mo distance, mo problems.” This is not to discourage chasing speed, but you should be aware that you still need to figure out how to harness that speed. Especially if, unlike for me, playing golf is your day job.

Finding that balance will be a crucial factor in whether the 33-year-old Spieth ever finds his top form again. In the meantime, Spieth’s FedEx points standing is one of seven things Shane Ryan is looking forward to watching for the remainder of the year on the PGA Tour.

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By Shane Ryan

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The longest drive ever hit. Kyle Berkshire has done it again. The Long Drive King set out to break his own world record and did exactly that recently at Rochelle Ranch Golf Course in Rawlins, Wyoming. Between the elevation and windy conditions, Berkshire managed to hit a golf ball that carried 540 yards before rolling out to 588.3 yards to break his previous record of 579.6 yards. Yes, you read those numbers right. Berkshire was hoping to hit the first-ever 600-yard drive, but had to settle for simply extending his world record. For now. "I have spent the last decade pushing the limits of what’s physically possible with a golf club, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon," Berkshire wrote on Instagram. "600 yards, here we come!"