Background:
The object of long driving, as the name implies, is to hit a golf ball as far as possible. Each competitor gets up to six balls, which must be hit within a specified time limit (usually 2 minutes and 45 seconds). Long driving is not just about simply blasting away - there is an accuracy element, too. For a drive to count, the ball must land and remain in the boundaries of a 30-40 yard wide competition 'grid' that extends the length of the drive. The competitor with the longest drive (carry plus roll) that lands and remains in the grid is the winner.

Rules & Regulations:
For more information about long driving, competition rules, and driver regulations, please follow the hyperlinks.

Performance Comparisons:
Third parties unfamiliar with the sport of long driving are always keen to establish how long professional long drivers are in comparison with PGA tour golf professionals. As atmospheric conditions and surface compliance play such a massive role in how far professional long drivers and PGA tour golf professionals hit, it is impossible to make any comparisons based on yardage, unless, of course, professional long drivers and PGA tour golf professionals hit off against one another on the same grid at the same time. A better comparison of their relative performance levels is the differences in clubhead speed and ball speed. They are as follows:

Jamie Sadlowski (2008 RE/MAX World Long Drive Champion) - Clubhead speed = 145 mph, Ball speed = 217 mph
Jason Zuback (5-time RE/MAX World Long Drive Champion) - Clubhead speed = 144 mph, Ball speed = 215 mph
Dan Boever (2008 RE/MAX World Long Drive Senior Champion) - Clubhead speed = 134 mph, Ball speed = 200 mph
Bubba Watson (#1 for driving distance on 2006 & 2007 PGA Tour) - Clubhead speed = 126 mph, Ball speed = 189 mph
Tiger Woods (World No.1, 14-time Major Champion) - Clubhead speed = 124 mph, Ball speed = 185 mph

Scientific research has shown that there is a significant positive correlation between ball speed and carry distance, so it's easy to see the performance differences between professional long drivers and PGA tour golf professionals.