Golfer who can hit ball faster than speeding Porsche 911 claims fastest golf drive record

A golfer came out on top after testing his swing and realizing he could hit a ball faster than anyone else in the world.

Thomas Fliniks (Australia) was working hard on his golf drive when, one day, it dawned on him that it could be record-breaking.

“I thought a little while ago as my number started climbing, might I have a look at what the world record is,” he said.

Well, the world record for fastest golf drive at the time belonged to Ryan Winther (USA), who hit a ball at 349.38 km/h (217.1 mph) way back in 2013.

And the record stood at that for over a decade until Thomas, a professional long drive golfer, came along.

On 13 February, he hit a ball at a speed of 378.36 km/h (235.1 mph) to officially claim the record.

That’s faster than the top speed of a Porsche 911 (204 mph), faster than the CRH-3 train in China (220 mph) and not far off the diving speed of a Peregrine Falcon (242 mph).

Thomas had gathered a group of officials and experts, including a PGA Pro, together for his attempt, saying he felt “pretty confident” he could beat the record.

Limbering up, he did plenty of stretches before getting ready to swing his club.

Hitting the ball into a screen that would electronically measure the speed of his drive, Thomas got over the 200 mph-mark numerous times, but he wasn’t happy with his performance.

He kept trying and trying, and eventually hit that blistering top speed of 235.1 mph.

Read more stories like this in our dedicated Sports and Fitness section.

Thomas shares golfing tips on his Instagram account, including advice on how to increase the length of your drive.

He recently posted alongside a video of him in action: “If you’re a golfer and especially if you’re competing in long drive and you’re jumping around with your equipment, chances are your swing weight is all over the place and a major factor in your inconsistency.

“My preference is an exceptionally light head feel, which is extreme but still able to be catered to with a variety of setups and someone who knows what they’re doing.”

Check out his Instagram for more golfing tips.