Long drive is a sport where players compete to hit or drive a golf ball the farthest. Top long drivers compete professionally in events and exhibitions. Distance Professional long drivers can average over in competition, compared with averages from the top PGA Tour drivers and for an average amateur. Some shots in competitions surpass . The world record recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest drive in a competition is by 64-year-old Mike Austin in 1974 at the US Senior National Open Qualifier with a 43.5" steel shafted persimmon wood driver. The record distance achieved in the European Long Drive Championship is by Allen Doyle in September 2005. The record distance achieved in the South African Long Drive Championship is by Nico Grobbelaar in September 2012. Fast swingers can swing their club heads at over , well beyond the average for an amateur. Competitors train for strength, flexibility, and speed and often perform corporate exhibitions for money, exhibiting a variety of trick shots. Ball speeds are nearly double that of an average golfer (220 mph). Jason Zuback is perhaps the best known competitor in long drive. He is one of six people to win multiple World Long Drive Championships, with four consecutive wins from 1996 to 1999 and a fifth win in 2006; the other multiple champions are Sean Fister (1995, 2001, and 2005), Jamie Sadlowski (2008 and 2009), Joe Miller (2010 and 2016), Tim Burke (2013 and 2015) and Kyle Berkshire (2019 and 2021). Equipment Long drive clubs, which are always drivers, differ in several ways from consumer clubs. Until the recent club length limitation rules, the shafts were much longer than a normal shaft, sometimes exceeding . In 2005, a limitation was introduced (measured vertically). Long drive shafts differ from standard shafts. The main difference is greater stiffness, as a flexible shaft will lag in an inconsistent manner, causing a loss of control. These shafts are almost always made of graphite, which is lighter than steel. In order to be stiff, a shaft is usually heavier and stronger than consumer clubs. The 'kick point' or 'bend point' is also higher for a lower trajectory relative to the swing, while shaft have a lower torque, meaning that long drive clubs will not twist as much, allowing the club-head to stay straighter. In November 2016, to align them with the standard rules of golf, the World Long Drive Association