Tommy Fleetwood is one of the best strikers of the ball in the game, and in 2023 an incredible iron drill demonstrated how he has honed his skills over the years. However, even he couldn’t convince fans that he’d pulled off the world's greatest trick shot in a viral social media video from the DP World Tour.
The video shows Fleetwood apparently 30,000 feet in the air over Dubai on a cargo plane, from where he takes a shot which is then followed by a skydiver before the ball eventually drops into one of the holes at Dubai Creek Golf Club. It was undoubtedly an impressive and imaginative video. But how was it put together?
Attempting a hole-in-one...from 30,000ft?? 😱@TommyFleetwood1 | @DubaiCreekGolf pic.twitter.com/Y7wtP2mlSwFebruary 14, 2024
That has now been explained with a follow-up video posted on the DP World Tour’s social media platforms, where film maker Brandon Baum narrates the incredible detail that went into giving the impression Fleetwood had hit the world’s longest hole-in-one.
Not surprisingly, Fleetwood didn’t really hit the ball from an airborne cargo plane, and neither did Baum skydive out of one. Instead, a metal floor erected to resemble the floor of a cargo plane was used, with Fleetwood shown hitting an imaginary ball into a huge green screen and Baum landing safely on a crash mat.
CGI was used to build up the surrounds of the cargo plane from the metal floor, with an aerial shot of Dubai from Google Earth used for the green screen and Baum appearing to skydive out of the plane before flailing his arms and eventually landing safely on the fairway.
Drone footage was then used to follow the ball across the fairway. Finally, we see Baum’s shadow chasing after the ball before it drops into the hole, which was created from further footage he filmed at the course.
How @TommyFleetwood1 and @_brandonbaum created the greatest golf trick shot of all time…🏌️♂️@DubaiCreekGolf pic.twitter.com/ujUeOt5oSjFebruary 20, 2024
Despite the trick shot not being real, Fleetwood did achieve another impressive feat at Dubai Creek recently – he held off the challenge of Rory McIlroy to win the inaugural Dubai Invitational at the venue in January.
