Most golfers really struggle with how far they hit each club in their bag. In fact, the majority of amateur golfers overestimate how far they actually hit their clubs. They often ask what are the golf club distances.
Many golfers, especially those new to the game, like to have a comparison of how far they are hitting shots compared to the following:
- Golfers their age
- Golfers with similar handicap
- PGA Tour Golfers
- LPGA Tour Golfers
They often wonder how what the average distances for golf clubs from the driver to the sand wedge.
I have experienced it many times: the golfer who thinks he drives it 280, but instead hits it only 250. Or the golfer who thinks he hits his 7 iron 160 yards, only to truly fly it 240 yards.
Our Process: We produced the charts you can find below on the typical percentage drop from club to club on the PGA Tour and connected with the driver data that we have from the 26 million shots collected by Arccos. For example, there is a 11% decrease from driver to 3 wood on the PGA Tour, so we used a percentage based on the average driver distance by age for each club detailed below.
Quick Note: Arccos collected 26 million driver shots and gave us a great idea of the average driving distance by age for golfers in every 10 year age span. We saw that most golfers hit the ball the furthest in their 20s and lose speed every decade between 3-10%.
Game Improvement: Below every chart is a related post linked to give you distance numbers you will need per club to reach your next level.
Finally: At the end, we provide information on SuperSpeed Golf and how it can help you improve your speed and how to map your bag to have a better idea of your actual carry distances. I was able to take my handicap from 7 to scratch and two keys were increasing swing speed and mapping my bag more accurately. Finally go through a process to identify your iron distances. It will make a difference!
Average Driver Distance By Age
The average driving distance for all age golfers is 220 yards. Golfers in their 20s typically hit the ball the longest at an average of 239.7. There is a decrease every year once a golfer reaches the age of 30. However, this decrease can be reversed with the right speed training protocols.
Here is a chart built of 26 million shots collected by Arccos and data from Trackman
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | Driver Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 275 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 218 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 234.2 |
| 20-29 | 239.7 |
| 30-39 | 233.7 |
| 40-49 | 225.9 |
| 50-59 | 215.4 |
| 60-69 | 204.5 |
| 70 | 190.4 |
| Total Average – Ages 10-70 | 220.54 |
Generally speaking, golfers see a 3% to 7% decrease in their driver distance every 10 years. Of course there will be outliers as we all know golfers in their 50s who drive it 250 plus and golfers who are in their 50s they don’t come close to 200 yard total distances.
More on average driving distance can be found here.
Average 3 Wood Distance By Age
The average 3 wood distance for all golfers is 194 yards with a range of 167 on the low end to 210 on the high end. This distance will depend on the loft of your 3 wood and the length and material of the shaft, which both can impact distance.
Most golfers will use their 3 wood off the tee on tight holes or from the fairway on a par 5 or a long par 4. Many juniors playing golf rely on the 3 wood on many 2nd shots on a hole. The slower the swing speed and the lower the driving average, the more frequently a golfer will use his or her 3 wood.
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | 3 Wood Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 243 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 195 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 206 |
| 20-29 | 210 |
| 30-39 | 205 |
| 40-49 | 198 |
| 50-59 | 189 |
| 60-69 | 179 |
| 70 | 167 |
| Average 10-70 | 194 |
Related: How far should you hit a 3 wood to play at your next level
Average Hybrid Distance By Age
The average hybrid distance for all golfers is 178 yards with a range of 154 on the low end to 189 on the high end. This distance will depend on the loft of your hybrid and the length and material of the shaft, which both can impact distance.
Most golfers will use their hybrid on longer par 3s and long approach shots into par 4s. They are typically easy to hit clubs that fly higher and further compared to long irons for the mid to high handicap player or the golfer with a slower swing speed. Most amateurs should consider carrying 2-3 hybrids in place of the 3, 4 and 5 irons in their bag.
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | Hybrid Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 225 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 185 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 189 |
| 20-29 | 194 |
| 30-39 | 189 |
| 40-49 | 182 |
| 50-59 | 174 |
| 60-69 | 165 |
| 70 | 154 |
| Average 10-70 | 178 |
Related: How far should you hit a 3 hybrid to play at your next level
Average 5 Iron Distance By Age
The average 5 iron distance for all golfers is 154 yards with a range of 133 on the low end to 167 on the high end. This distance will depend on the loft of your 5 iron and the length and material of the shaft, which both can impact distance.
Unless a golfer has a 10 handicap or less, he or she might want to consider adding a hybrid. Our experience in working with golfers is that the quality of contact produce is much better with a graphite shaft in a hybrid. The technology on hybrids benefit the golfer with the slower swing speed that might struggle to hit the center of the club face on a regular basis.
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | 5 Iron Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 194 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 161 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 163 |
| 20-29 | 167 |
| 30-39 | 163 |
| 40-49 | 158 |
| 50-59 | 150 |
| 60-69 | 143 |
| 70 | 133 |
| Average 10-70 | 154 |
Related: How far should you hit your 5 iron to play at your next level
Average 6 Iron Distance By Age
The average 6 iron distance for all golfers is 145 yards with a range of 125 on the low end to 158 on the high end. This distance will depend on the loft of your 6 iron and the length and material of the shaft, which both can impact distance.
It is interesting to see the numbers averaged out. Many golfers would benefit from speed training (see below) to not only hit their driver further, but to give themselves a better chance with the mid to short irons in their hand. Hitting a 6 iron 145 yards can make for some difficult rounds of golf.
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | 6 Iron Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 183 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 152 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 154 |
| 20-29 | 158 |
| 30-39 | 154 |
| 40-49 | 149 |
| 50-59 | 142 |
| 60-69 | 134 |
| 70 | 125 |
| Average 10-70 | 145 |
Related: How far should you hit your 6 iron to reach your next level
Average 7 Iron Distance By Age
The average 7 iron distance for all golfers is 136 yards with a range of 118 on the low end to 148 on the high end. This distance will depend on the loft of your 7 iron and the length and material of the shaft, which both can impact distance.
Unfortunately, many golfers believe they hit their 7 iron between 150 and 160, when in reality they more than likely carry it around 140-145. Understanding your true carry distance is vital to your overall success (check out our system below on mapping your bag)!
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | 7 Iron Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 172 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 141 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 145 |
| 20-29 | 148 |
| 30-39 | 145 |
| 40-49 | 140 |
| 50-59 | 133 |
| 60-69 | 126 |
| 70 | 118 |
| Average 10-70 | 136 |
Related: How far should you hit your 7 iron to reach your next level
Average 8 Iron Distance By Age
The average 8 iron distance for all golfers is 127 yards with a range of 110 on the low end to 139 on the high end. This distance will depend on the loft of your 8 iron and the length and material of the shaft, which both can impact distance.
The 8 iron is where the scoring clubs begin. For golfers to take their game to the next level, they will want to start to dial in their 8 iron in hopes of hitting it on the green to provide a chance at making a par at worse with a quality 2 putt with a chance for the golf ball to fall in the hole with a decent lag putt.
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | 8 Iron Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 160 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 130 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 135 |
| 20-29 | 139 |
| 30-39 | 135 |
| 40-49 | 131 |
| 50-59 | 124 |
| 60-69 | 118 |
| 70 | 110 |
| Average 10-70 | 127 |
Related: How far should you hit your 8 iron to reach your next level
Average 9 Iron Distance By Age
The average 9 iron distance for all golfers is 119 yards with a range of 102 on the low end to 129 on the high end. This distance will depend on the loft of your 9 iron and the length and material of the shaft, which both can impact distance.
The 9 iron is a club that all golfers should be able to hit the ball high enough to hold the green regardless of swing speed. There is enough loft to provide a quality landing angle and a chance to make a putt. Once again, any speed training (see below) that a golfer can go through will help significantly!
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | 9 Iron Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 148 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 119 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 126 |
| 20-29 | 129 |
| 30-39 | 126 |
| 40-49 | 121 |
| 50-59 | 116 |
| 60-69 | 110 |
| 70 | 102 |
| Average 10-70 | 119 |
Related: How far should you hit your 9 iron to reach your next level
Average Pitching Wedge Distance By Age
The average pitching wedge distance for all golfers is 108 yards with a range of 93 on the low end to 117 on the high end. This distance will depend on the loft of your pitching wedge and the length and material of the shaft, which both can impact distance.
Be aware of the loft of your pitching wedge. Many club manufacturers have decreased the amount of loft to help golfers think they are hitting the ball further. There might be a gap between your pitching wedge and sand wedge of close to 8 degrees that could cause difficult for shots in between those distances.
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | Pitching Wedge Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 136 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 107 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 114 |
| 20-29 | 117 |
| 30-39 | 114 |
| 40-49 | 110 |
| 50-59 | 105 |
| 60-69 | 100 |
| 70 | 93 |
| Average 10-70 | 108 |
Related: How far should you hit your pitching wedge to reach your next level
Average Sand Wedge Distance (56 Degree) By Age
The average sand wedge distance (56 degree) for all golfers is 90 yards with a range of 78 on the low end to 98 on the high end. This distance will depend on the loft of your sand wedge and the length and material of the shaft, which both can impact distance.
You will see a big jump from the 48 degree pitching jump to the 56 degree sand wedge. Most of the clubs in your set have a 3-5 degree difference from one club to the next. When a golfer goes from pitching wedge (48 degrees) to sand wedge (56 degrees) there is a 8 degree gap, which is why the gap wedge has been created.
Related: What is a gap wedge?
| Age Range (10 Year Gaps) | Sand Wedge Distance Average |
| PGA Tour Player | 112 (Carry) |
| LPGA Tour Player | 90 (Carry) |
| 10-19 | 96 |
| 20-29 | 98 |
| 30-39 | 96 |
| 40-49 | 92 |
| 50-59 | 88 |
| 60-69 | 83 |
| 70 | 78 |
| Average 10-70 | 90 |
Related: How far should you hit your sand wedge to reach your next level
What Impacts The Average Club Distance By Age
Carry and Total distance is something that all golfers want. We must understand what is impact the carry and total distance so we can have a game plan to increase these two key numbers. Here are some factors influencing average club distance:
- Swing Speed (Most Important)
- Ball Speed
- Angle of Attack
- Launch Angle
- Spin Rate
- Quality of Strike (Center of Club Face)
- The Length and Loft of the club
Swing Speed: The good news is that you can increase your swing speed. Golfers of all ages have improved swing speed and we have a solution for you!
How To Increase Average Club Distance
The golfer will want to first focus on increasing their swing speed. Even the most ideal launch conditions, the perfect club and golf ball and the perfect spin rate the golfer won’t produce enough distance if the swing speed isn’t where it can be.
The good news for golfers is that there are plenty of speed training systems on the market. I have tested and highly recommend SuperSpeed Golf (visit their website). Golfers can experience a 5-7 mph increase in their swing speed as early as the first training session. This can become more permanent after 30 days of training.
Many of the PGA Tour golfers can be seen using this training system on the driving range of PGA Tour events. Many of the big names carry and understand the need for an increase average driving distance.
My Journey: I started using SuperSpeed Golf in November of 2019. I have experienced a 10 mph increase (98-108 mph) as I am now pushing 270-280 carry distance. It was worth the investment.
Check out current SuperSpeed Products here and a potential discount
Here is a chart I have created based on golfers I have helped with SuperSpeed Golf:
| Original Swing Speed | After 4-6 Weeks | New Carry Distance | Total Distance |
| 95 | 102 | 245 | 265 |
| 100 | 108 | 259 | 279 |
| 105 | 113 | 271 | 291 |
| 110 | 118 | 283 | 303 |
How To Know Your Average Club Distances
Best Option: Use A Launch Monitor
I would highly recommend a launch monitor. These portable devices can be used at the driving range, golf course or set up in your home net or golf simulator. These devices are game changers not only on being able to map your bag and know your distances, but they also provide quality feedback after on every shot and provide the following information:
- Carry Distance
- Spin Rate
- Launch Angle
- Spin Axis
- Total Distance
- Ball Speed
This information will help you map your bag, decide on which clubs are best for your game, develop a stock shot and much more. I love using my SkyTrak 365 days a year in my golf simulator setup.
The process for mapping your bag can looking something like this:
- Hit 5 shots with each club in your bag.
- Log the carry distance and total distance for each shot.
- Eliminate any outlier numbers (poor hits or low spin rates).
- Take the average and create a map of your bag.
My mapping of my bag looks like this:
| Club | Carry Distance (100%) |
| 4 iron | 195 |
| 5 iron | 186 |
| 6 iron | 176 |
| 7 iron | 168 |
| 8 iron | 158 |
| 9 iron | 148 |
| P Club | 135 |
| PW Club | 123 |
| SW Club | 110 |
| LW Club | 95 |
If you visit any PGA Tour event you will see plenty of golfers utilizing their launch monitors. While most can’t afford a Trackman, there are some very affordable options in the 500-2000 dollar range. I own the SkyTrak and think the world of it.
