In our journey to improve, we often like to know what the pro golfers are doing with equipment, swing changes and the outcomes they are getting with scores and distance.
Whether we shoot 90, 80, 70 or well under par, it is always fun to compare our game to the pros.
We can watch in amazement as they hit the 320 yard driver or hit the 4 iron to 3 feet from 215 yards.
Today, we dive into club distances and look at what the pros are doing with each club.
How Far Do Pro Golfers Hit Each Club?
On average pro golfers hit their driver 275 yards, 3 wood 243 yards, 5 wood 230 yards, 3 iron 212 yards, 4 iron 203 yards, 5 iron 194 yards, 6 iron 183 yards, 7 iron 172 yards, 8 iron 160 yards, 9 iron 148 yards and a pitching wedge 136 yards.
Average Carry Distance – List
- Driver = 275 yards
- 3 Wood = 243 yards
- 5 Wood = 230 yards
- 3 Iron = 212 yards
- 4 Iron = 203 yards
- 5 Iron = 194 yards
- 6 Iron = 183 yards
- 7 Iron = 172 yards
- 8 Iron = 160 yards
- 9 Iron = 148 yards
- PW = 136 yards
How Far Do Pro Golfers Hit Each Club – Chart
| Club | Club Speed | Carry Distance |
| Driver | 113 | 275 |
| 3 Wood | 107 | 243 |
| 5 Wood | 103 | 230 |
| 3 Iron | 98 | 212 |
| 4 Iron | 96 | 203 |
| 5 Iron | 94 | 194 |
| 6 Iron | 92 | 183 |
| 7 Iron | 90 | 172 |
| 8 Iron | 87 | 160 |
| 9 Iron | 85 | 148 |
| PW | 83 | 136 |
Related: See how this compares to amateur golfers by age
Of course these numbers are only the average and there is a range that hit the ball significantly further and those that hit the ball shorter. With the driver alone the gap between the longest and shortest driver on tour is 44 yards. The range is 277.4 to 321.4 based on the 2022 PGA Tour season.
Key Takeaways:
- Speed with professionals is at an all time hight. Back when Tiger entered the Tour there was only one driver at 300 or higher and that was John Daly.
- Equipment, the golf ball and physical fitness have helped golfers hit the ball further and straighter than ever.
- Golf is a game of smashing the driver and getting a wedge close to the green.
- Professionals often over power par 5s and have 4 great birdie opprorutnites per round
Related: Average Driving Distance of Amateurs
How Far Do Pro Golfers Hit Their Driver?
Pro golfers will carry their driver 275 yards on average for a total distance average of 296 yards. The longest hitter on tour averaged 321 yards, while the shortest hitter averaged 277.4 yards.
| Golfer | # of Rounds | Average |
| Cameron Champ – Longest | 54 | 321.4 |
| Lee Hodges – Middle | 97 | 300.3 |
| Brian Straud – Shortest | 95 | 277.4 |
Here is a driver distance chart of some of the most popular golfers:
| Golfer | # of Rounds | Average |
| Rory McIlroy | 60 | 321.3 |
| Jon Rahm | 74 | 318.9 |
| Will Zalatoris | 85 | 314.7 |
| Justin Thomas | 79 | 314.3 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 95 | 311.6 |
| Rickie Fowler | 71 | 309.4 |
| Jordan Spieth | 77 | 308.4 |
| Tony Finau | 89 | 308.0 |
| Matt Fitzpatric | 73 | 303.8 |
| Kevin Kisner | 77 | 290.9 |
Key Takeaways:
- If a golfer doesn’t have elite power it is hard to win multiple times a year.
- Golfers who lack top end distance can still compete, but must be sharp with all other parts of the game. Similar to a Kevin Kisner approach to the game.
- Those that hit great approach shots and putt great often win. The distance a golfer has just puts them in contention more often.
How Far Do Pro Golfers Hit Their Irons?
The pro golfers average distance with a 3 iron 212 yards, 4 iron 203 yards, 5 iron 194 yards, 6 iron 183 yards, 7 iron 172 yards, 8 iron 160 yards, 9 iron 148 yards and a pitching wedge 136 yards.
This is going to vary once again based on the loft of their irons, the length of the shaft and how hard they are swinging.
Below, we created charts for some of the more popular professional golfers to shoot the breakdown on how far they hit each club.
| Player | 4 Iron (yards) | 5 Iron (yards) | 6 Iron (yards) | 7 Iron (yards) | 8 Iron (yards) | 9 Iron (yards) |
| Bryson DeChambeua | 255 | 235 | 220 | 205 | 190 | 175 |
| Tiger Woods | 225 | 210 | 195 | 180 | 165 | 150 |
| Justin Thomas | 228 | 212 | 200 | 185 | 172 | 160 |
| Rory McIlroy | 240 | 219 | 207 | 192 | 175 | 163 |
| Rickie Fowler | 215 | 200 | 185 | 170 | 160 | 145 |
As you can see, these golfers carry the ball further than the average professional golfer, but that is part of the reason they have all won at least 5 times. Distances matter.
Key Takeaways:
- Ultimately, carry distance is vital. When a golfer needs to hit a shot 142 yards, a 152 yard shot doesn’t help out much. Even with all of the distance in today’s game, golfers must be able to dial a short iron up and hit it close and carry distance and precision in this area is still really important.
- Golfers spend plenty of time on Trackman or similar devices making sure they have their iron distances figured out. When they want to hit a shot 112 yards, they don’t want to hit it 117 yards. They go to great lengths to practice and ensure they are sharp in this area.
So how does distance compare to amateur golfers?
Here is a detailed speed and distance chart below:
| Senior | Average | Low Handicap | Tour Pro | |
| Driver Swing Speed | 91 and Below | 91-101 | 102-112 | 113-123 |
| Driver Distance | 210 and Below | 210-235 | 235-275 | 275-300 |
| 3 Wood Distance | 200 | 220 | 230 | 243 |
| Hybrid Distance | 190 | 205 | 215 | 225 |
| 4 iron Distance | 170 | 185 | 195 | 203 |
| 5 iron Distance | 160 | 175 | 185 | 194 |
| 6 iron Distance | 150 | 163 | 173 | 183 |
| 7 iron Distance | 140 | 153 | 163 | 172 |
| 8 iron Distance | 130 | 143 | 153 | 160 |
| 9 iron Distance | 120 | 131 | 141 | 148 |
| pw Distance | 110 | 121 | 131 | 136 |
| sw Distance | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 |
| lw Distance | 70 | 80 | 90 | 105 |
How Far Do Pro Golfers Hit Each Club – Next Steps
Golf is a game of hitting it far, but then dialing in your irons. Hitting the ball long and far with the driver is helpful, but we have to be able to hit the ball the right distance with our irons.
Our two recommendations for you:
- Train for speed with SuperSpeed golf – See review below!
- Dial in those distances and create a shot chart. Check out this post.
How Far Do Pro Golfers Hit Each Club – Final Thoughts
The professional hit the ball a long way, much further than the average golfer and even a decent amount further than a scratch golfer. Speed and distance matter! Golf is a game built on speed in today’s era and the more distance you can gain, the analytics are clear the greater chance you have of scoring better.
I would highly recommend checking out our review on SuperSpeed Golf.