OK, I suppose I should be clear about what I mean by “history.” There is real-life history, such as PGA records on putting. And then there is APBA history–more specifically my GCRB putting data (which represents only a tiny spec in the universe of APBA Golf that’s been played over the past 60 years or so).
Let’s start with PGA records. PGA season records only go back to 2003, when ShotLink was first used to track the length of every shot. Since then, Craig Barlow holds the record for longest putt made on the PGA tour at a whopping 111 feet, 5 inches.
Before that, Jack Nicklaus is credited with a 110-foot putt at the 1964 Tournament of Champions, and Nick Price is also recognized for his 110-foot putt at the 1992 PGA Championship. Here’s a list of the Top 10 longest putts in PGA history since 2003:
The extreme length of PGA putts made puts my APBA efforts to shame. Daniel Berger (2021) is my record-holder with a “measly” 71-footer at Peachtree (East Lake). In fact, the top three longest putts in my dataset are all at Peachtree. Russell Henley and Rory McIlroy both drained 66-footers there.
The extreme pin placements and larger green sizes at Peachtree likely contribute to more long putts, in general. Notice that the list doesn’t have any entries from Yatch Club (Harbour Town), renown for its tiny greens, despite the fact that I’ve logged 4,011 putts on that course.