Tim Burke was the 2013 World Long Drive Champion and still a major threat to win it all as he is #4 in the world rankings by Longdrivetour.com. His finals record drive of 427 yards stood until it was eclipsed by Joe Miller in 2016.
Burke is a former professional baseball player, stands at least 6’5″, and is super athletic. When he’s on, it is a thing of majesty to watch. His swing is extremely powerful and exhibits many good points that are worth studying.
What I like above is how big the shoulder turn is – nearly 135 degrees! We only want this in long drive, as you can see how it compromises a steady head position. I also like how the left shoulders gets vertical coming into impact, forcing the handle up and the clubhead down. This is a huge leverage move.
The former champ can get extremely erratic at times, often in the duck hook department. The down the line view shows where Burke’s weaknesses are, and we can really learn from those:
The trouble starts in the pivot coming down. The hips push forward towards the ball, standing him up and preventing him from turning his torso around enough to keep the toe from flipping shut. The hips also push the arm path out away from the thighs, causing the butt end of the club to point to right field too deep into the downswing. This makes it harder to square up.
141 mph of clubhead speed is just cruising speed for Tim Burke. I believe he’s recorded swings over 150 mph, putting him the upper echelon of fastest of all time. But the rest of the numbers are really distant efficient.
This ball was hit slightly towards the heel, as will be common with the hips early extending.