How this amateur golfer went from 170-yard drives to 350 yards… in just 8 weeks!
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From air-shots to outdriving the pros, here’s how a bet with a popular YouTuber turned into a mission for monster distance – and what you can learn from it.
If you’ve ever watched the ‘BeardMeatsFood’ YouTube channel, you’ll know that the man behind the beard, Adam Moran, knows a tough challenge when he sees (and eats) it.
He has taken on – and conquered – some outrageous eating feats, from 20,000-calorie burgers to burritos the size of a small child.
But why are we talking about a man who eats meatballs for a living on a golf website?
Well, Moran recently bet his friend, Josh Gudgeon, that he’d never be able to hit a golf ball 350 yards. It seemed a pretty safe bet, when you consider:
- Gudgeon hadn’t played golf in more than a decade
- He didn’t own a driver
- His early attempts to hit a 7-iron involved numerous air-shots
- Even the biggest hitters on the PGA Tour only average around 320 yards off the tee
The pair agreed that Gudgeon could have eight weeks to go from cold tops to hot bombs, with the stakes set at £1,000.
A new driver – and a reality check
Gudgeon took it seriously. He immediately enlisted the help of James Whittaker, a PGA Professional and custom fitting expert trusted by more than 50 DP World Tour pros.
But the early signs weren’t good.
In their first session, Gudgeon’s numbers made grim reading:
Clubhead speed: 85 mph
Ball speed: 125 mph
Carry distance: 102.8 yards
Total distance: 170.8 yards
Once he got into the swing of things, it was clear he had some speed in the tank, though there were still some pretty big issues:
Clubhead speed: 107.3 mph
Ball speed: 153.7 mph
Carry distance: 206.4 yards
Total distance: 284.7 yards
A driver fitting saw Gudgeon become the proud owner of a Titleist GT2 with a Graphite Design Tour AD VF-6 X shaft, the shaft used by none other than Tiger Woods.
Help from a long drive pro
Gudgeon then paid a visit to long drive professional and personal trainer Aaron Martin, a man for whom 350 yards is barely a tickle.
With his advice, Gudgeon managed to clock 184mph ball speed and a 338-yard drive.
But the intense session also, rather less helpfully, left him with a shoulder injury.
Practice makes power?
Undeterred, Gudgeon practised hard for eight weeks, clocking up 21 range sessions and 10 lessons.
During the two months, he totalled the expenditure to see how much profit he’d make if he won the bet – or just how deep the loss would be if he didn’t.
10 lessons @ £50 each = £500
15 x 50 range balls @ £8.50 each = £127.50
6 x 100 range balls @ £12.50 = £75
Golf gloves = £46
Total spent = £748.50
That’s a hefty investment, but if the drive came off, he’d be £251.50 up – and have bragging rights for life.
24 balls to save the world
And so, the day of reckoning. Given just 24 balls to complete the challenge, Gudgeon’s efforts were a mix of near-perfect bombs and near-whiff duffs.
Did he do it? No, although he did hit some drives 330 yards and a few may have broken the 350 barrier if they hadn’t hit trees close to the fairway or found the long grass just off it.
And the following day, while shooting some B-roll footage, without the pressure of Moran watching, Gudgeon did something that seemed impossible just two months earlier.
The 3 key takeaways
The challenge was a bit of fun, but there are some useful learnings to be had from it…
1. Custom fitting makes a difference
“Turns out, most people aren’t bad at golf – they’re just using the wrong gear,” said Gudgeon after experiencing the benefits of a custom-fitted driver. “I used to think I sliced everything because I was rubbish, but my swing speed was now over 100 mph, and I needed a much stiffer shaft.”
Custom fitting won’t take someone from “rubbish” to bombing 350-yard drives down the middle, but having clubs that aren’t suited for you is making the game harder than it needs to be.
2. Trying too hard doesn’t help
When Gudgeon tried to knock the cover off the ball, he hit an array of 100-yard scutters. But when he focused on rhythm and contact, his natural speed did the rest.
That’s something every golfer can learn from. You don’t create power by swinging harder – you create it by swinging better.
The trick, as long drive coach Lee Cox once told me, is to train speed away from the course. When doing speed training on the range, don’t worry about where the ball goes – just learn to move fast and hit hard. Over time, that “speed ceiling” rises, so your normal swing on the course becomes faster, without you having to swing out of your boots.
3. Your best golf often comes when you least expect it
It was no surprise that Gudgeon fell short during the challenge itself. Cameras, crowds, and £1,000 on the line would tighten anyone’s grip.
But the very next day, relaxed and unbothered, he launched the drive of his life.
We’ve all been there – playing out of our skin in a casual knockabout, then collapsing in a comp. Pressure changes everything.
The lesson? Sometimes, the best swing thoughts are no swing thoughts. Trust the work you’ve done, breathe, and let it go.
How far can you go?
Josh Gudgeon didn’t technically win the bet, but he did gain something arguably more valuable: proof that with a plan, the right gear, and a lot of range balls, any golfer can make progress.
Even if you don’t end up outdriving the pros, you might just surprise yourself with how far you can go.
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From 170-yard drives to 350-yard bombs – here’s how one amateur used custom fitting, coaching, and practice to add huge distance in 8 weeks.
