“How far do you hit it?”
This is a question that pretty much every golfer who has ever played the game has uttered countless times. When it comes to things golfers say to one and other, distance is inevitably one of the first talking points.
And now, distance is more prevalent than ever before.
While Tiger Woods stirred the distance debate when he came out ripping his steel shaft Titleist driver in the late 90s, Bryson DeChambeau is doing it in 2021. It seems like every piece of golf news has something to do with distance.
But it kind of makes sense, distance applies to the everyday golfer as well. In general, the further you hit it, the easier the game “should” be.
You might have even thought, “How far do average golfers actually hit it anyways?”
While I wish there was a study that made it simple and easy to understand, there are just too many variables. But that didn’t stop us from coming up with some average distances for a regular golfer and Tour players. Plus, in this post we’ll break down 7 awesome strategies to help you add distance to your game.
Average Golf Club Distance
Distance matters now like never before.
Golf course designers continue to keep stretching the normal for average course length, making it more challenging for the everyday golfer. Some argue it’s a necessary evil, while others say it’s bad for the game.
We’ll let the guys on the Golf Channel debate if it’s good for the game and instead focus on giving you the information you need.
So how far should you hit each club?
Here is a breakdown for male golfers (based on swing speed, not distance by age):
Average Male Club Distances
After researching tons of different articles and studies, here is a general guideline for how far each club should travel. Please note, this is carry distance, not total distance which includes roll out.
Again, this is an educated guess as pretty much no two golfers swing exactly the same. As you continue to read this article, you’ll find there are tons of things that factor into total distance.
Average Distance for PGA Tour Players
If you’re like most golfers, you’ve probably asked yourself, “How far do the pros hit each club?”
As you probably know, PGA Tour Players are playing a different type of game that most of us everyday golfers. But they get paid a lot of money to compete, so it makes sense they’re a bit better than most of us weekend warriors.
Thanks to a recent study from Trackman and Golf.com, here is a breakdown of the carry distance for each club for PGA Tour players. Plus, this helpful chart also has other stats like ball speed, attack angle, launch angle, spin rate, and more.
Average Driving Distance for PGA Tour Players and LPGA Tour Players
It’s pretty fun to review the trackman numbers because it’s very eye-opening for a lot of golfers.
The average driver distance for a PGA Tour player is only 275 yards. I say “only” because when you watch them on TV, sometimes their driver distance is 320-360 yards. When compared to your game, you feel like you would be 80-100 yards behind them if you played together.
So why aren’t the numbers more consistent with what we see on TV?
A few different factors:
- Carry distance vs. total distance. Remember that PGA Tour players are playing the best courses in the world and usually have very firm fairways. That 275 yard driver distance can easily turn into 300 or more yards when you consider roll out. Plus, they might get wind and elevation changes in their favor as well. Not to mention, the PGA Tour schedule is played in the best weather for that time of year (like Hawaii in January, Florida in March, etc.). Better weather means longer driver distance, even for short hitters in the field.
- TV coverage is usually showing us the highlight reels to keep us entertained. They don’t show the boring 280 drives that find the fairway because they’re not as exciting as the occasional bomb. Average driving distance doesn’t keep viewers tuned in but Bryson swinging out of his shoes is quite entertaining.
Don’t get me wrong, these guys are wildly talented, but they’re also playing the best courses with the newest golf clubs available. Paired with perfect weather, swing coaches, and personal trainers, they’re inevitably going to hit it further than the everyday golfer.
What Impacts Driving Distance in Golf
Don’t live and by these numbers though, especially the average driving distance. Let’s review what actually impacts distance in each golf club.
Loft Angle
The first thing is loft. Simple rule: the lower the loft, the longer it goes.
That’s why your 8-12 degree driver goes 250+ yards, while your pitching wedge maybe only goes 100-130 yards. Less loft equals more distance.
Another thing to think about though is how much stronger the loft has gotten with standard clubs in recent years. Now, a pitching wedge might be 42-44 degrees, which is more like a 9 iron by traditional standards.
Naturally, the lower the loft the further the ball will travel.
Now that you understand the role of loft in distance, here are some other things to think about:
Shaft (Weight and Flex)
The shaft that you play has a huge impact on total distance as well. For example, if you’re a high handicap golfer and playing a stiff steel shaft, you’re making the game much harder on yourself.
Since distance comes from speed, you need to make sure that your shafts match your game. If your shaft is too heavy or too stiff, it’s nearly impossible to hit the ball the way you want. To play your best golf game, invest in shafts that match your swing and club speeds.
Swing Speed
Another important factor for every golfer, if not the most important factor, with distance is swing speed. As you can tell from the PGA Tour charts from Trackman, speed is highest with the driver and the least with a pitching wedge.
The higher the swing speed, the longer hitter you’ll become. Keep reading this article to learn some strategies to increase your speed (even if you’re a beginner). Go here for our full article on swing speed.
Clubhead
Also, don’t forget about the actual clubhead as well. One of the reasons a driver goes so long is the loft and length of the club. But the clubhead itself is also much bigger than say a 7 wood.
The clubhead you choose can definitely add some yards. For example, I was experimenting with a 19 degree hybrid vs. my 19 degree 5-wood at the driving range. Both had the same shaft and loft, but the 5 wood went 5-10 yards further every time.
Because think about it, the clubhead of a 5-wood is much larger than a hybrid. That extra size makes the golf ball go further, but also yielded bigger misses as well. This is especially important to think about when finding your higher loft woods vs. hybrids vs. long irons.
Age & Health
Your overall health and age also play a factor in total distance from pitching wedge to your driver. When you get older, you naturally lose strength and can lose flexibility (unless you’re Greg Norman). This can result in losing distance and typically not hitting as far as you’d probably like.
But with consistent exercise and stretching, amateurs of all age and skill can offset father time. Just look at Gary Player!
Despite being 85 years old at the time of this post, he’s in absolutely incredible shape. It just goes to show that with consistency and hard work, anything is possible regardless of age.
Go here to read our full article on playing great as a senior.
Weather Conditions
Weather can play a huge role in your total distance too.
One of the many reasons we love golf so much is because we have to battle the elements. Whether it’s the extreme heat and mugginess of summer or the cold, wet, rainy conditions of winter. Not to mention, gusting winds as well.
Remember, golf is rarely played in perfect weather, so it’s important to factor in weather conditions when considering your distances.
Golf Balls
Finally, the golf ball you play also impacts the total distance as well. The harder the golf ball, the longer it will go. But distance isn’t the only thing to think about when it comes to picking the right ball for your game.
Instead of just thinking about distance, you also want to pick a golf ball that has the right spin as well. Harder golf balls almost always have less spin. Unless you have enough swing speed, it’s going to be very challenging to get your approach shots to hold the green.
Plus, you also need to think about the spin around the green as well. All of these factors play a huge role in your total distance.
Golfers – Do This Next: 7 Tips to Increase Driver Distance
Now that you have some perspective on what the average golfer hits it vs. a PGA or LPGA Tour player and the average golfer, let’s talk about next steps. Even if you consider yourself a short hitter, these will help you out.
Here are seven proven strategies to help you improve your distances with any club in the bag.
1. Chart Your Yardages
The first thing should do is chart your yardages for every single club in your golf bag. Try to do this in your “normal” weather so that you have a benchmark data.
This is so important because when you know the yardage for each club, it’s so much easier to pick the right club on the course. If you’re out there guessing all day, it’s easy to end up way short or long. Then, you’ll have to scramble more around the greens to salvage a good score.
But when you know how far each club goes, you can be more aggressive and have confidence with each shot.
The easiest way to get this type of data is with a launch monitor. These small and powerful devices can help you get more comfortable with your distances so you are confident over every swing. From club speed to attack angle and all kinds of other data.
2. Improve Your Swing
The second thing to help you increaes your driver distance is to work on your swing. A few small tweaks to your tempo, takeaway, and downswing can result in big changes with any golf club.
For example, if you’re someone who comes over the top, you’re not hitting it as far as you can. An over the top, steep golf swing usually produces a pull cut (or slice) that kills distance. Plus, it doesn’t have nearly the amount of forward spin either.
Meanwhile, if you can learn how to shallow the golf club, you can almost instantly hit it further thanks to a square club face.
First, you’ll get more carry distance because you’ll hit the club with a more square face but more forward spin too. When you shallow the club and roll your hands for a draw swing, you get an extra roll-out as well.
This is just one example of how changing your swing can impact your clubhead and ball speed. But there are tons of other factors as well.
The more shots you can hit, the better course strategy you can have. Work with a coach or go through some of our most popular blog posts here to find ways to sharpen your swing:
- Golf Grip 101: How to Grip the Club
- Alignment for Beginners: How to Set Up Square
- Master the Takeaway: Everything You Need to Know
3. Hit the Gym to Increase Driving Distance
The third way to become a long hitter is with good old-fashioned strength training. Tiger Woods revolutionized working out for golf the past 20 years and now, nearly every PGA Tour player hits the gym regularly.
Before running straight to the gym though, make sure you’re healthy enough to do it. Don’t go to the gym and start throwing weights around if you haven’t been in years. Always check with a doctor and put your own health and safety first.
Once you’re good to go, start small and work your way up. Remember to build muscle, you first have to break it down so that you can build it back up.
Click here to learn more about golf workouts.
While gaining strength is important, don’t forget about stretching too.
You always want to make sure you’re flexible enough to swing the club comfortably and avoid injury. Even if it’s 5-10 minutes before you head to the course or on the driving range, it can make a huge difference in total distances.
Pretty soon your driver will be producing long distance bombs like Bryson!
4. Get Fitted For The Right Golf Clubs
If you want to increase distances to your game and become a long hitter, make sure you get properly fitted. Most golfers never do get fitted and instead, play off the rack clubs that may or may not be right for their game.
This can have a direct (and usually negative) impact on your total distances.
But if you get fitted for both clubs and shafts, you can add distance overnight. For example, switching from steel to graphite shafts. Or, playing a driver that is 10 grams lighter to increase swing speed. Or, switching from a muscle back to a cavity back iron.
Getting fitted for all your clubs has a huge impact on your ability to hit it further.
Plus, you might also find a new shaft you love that improves your ball flight as well. Make it your goal to love each golf club in your bag and I’ll bet you’ll play with more confidence too.
5. Speed Up Your Tempo
As you can tell from the images above for PGA Tour players, speed is everything. The faster the golf club moves, the longer the average distance you’ll chart every time you hit the ball.
Once you get comfortable with your swing, test out different tempos to see the results. A lot of time amateur golfers fall under this misconception that you need to “take it back nice and easy.” Or listen to other old, outdated sayings that aren’t necessarily true.
While I’m not telling you to swing out of your shoes on every single shot, test it out on the range. You can also use an app like “Tour Tempo” to test out different tempos for your swing. I bet your tee shots will thank you for it!
Click here to read our full blog post about understanding and mastering your tempo.
6. Start Speed Training
Speed is the latest buzzword in the game of golf.
Because as I mentioned, speed equals distance. One of the fastest and most efficient ways to increase your speed is to train with SuperSpeed Golf (click here to read our full review).
This product comes with three weight clubs (green = light, blue = heavy, and red = heaviest). Each one is designed to train your muscles and adapt to your new swing speed. They also give you a full practice schedule to help you train properly and avoid injury.
These weighted clubs help train your fast twitch muscles to naturally increase speed over time. According to their website, “Increase the speed and power of your golf swing by 5% to 8% in as little as 4-6 weeks of regular practice.”
While 5-8% might not sound like much, it can actually result in 10-15 yards (or more) for the average male golfer. Not to mention 5-10 yards with your irons which makes the game a lot easier.
They are trusted by over 700 Tour Players all around the world who want to get more speed. We’ve also done our own testing and have been very impressed with them as well
But please remember, speed training doesn’t happen overnight. You have to train your muscles with repetition to see the results. Paired with weight training and some of the other strategies already mentioned, I bet you’ll be impressed with your new-found distance.
7. Invest in New Equipment
Finally, investing in new equipment is an almost surefire way to get some extra distance. Thanks to so much technology in every club, you can easily pick up distance by getting the latest and greatest equipment.
You’ll see the greatest difference in distances with a new golf driver. Even though the USGA has limits on what’s allowed and what’s not, each new driver is hotter than ever.
But I saved this tip for last for a reason; I don’t want you to rely solely on new clubs for extra distance. Instead, use some other strategies to increase your flexibility, create a more consistent swing, and get into better shape. This will all help build a better foundation and when you pair it with new equipment, then you’ll be dangerous on the course.
Hopefully these golf tips will help your distances; from tee shot to wedges and hit the ball further than ever.
Go to our full article for even more tips on how to hit the golf ball far.
FAQs About Golf Club Distance
Do you have more questions about becoming a long hitter with each golf club? Then hopefully these answers will help you out.
How far should I hit my 7 iron?
As you can see from the charts above, it depends on your age, clubs, swing speed, and other factors. Some amateuer golfers might hit a 7 iron 120 yards while others can hit it 170 or more yards.
Remember, distance and becoming a long hitter isn’t everything though. You want to have a combination of both distance and accuracy to play the clubs that are right for your game.
How does tee height affect driving distance?
This is a great question because tee height does have the ability to impact total driver distance. To answer this question, let’s think back to the past when drivers were much smaller than today’s latest and greatest technology.
In the old days, drivers were about the size of the average three wood in today’s world. If they teed those up using the normal tee you’ll find on a golf course, they would have struggled! The sweet spot was in a very different place and a tee that is too high would actually hurt your game.
But now, since clubs are all around 460CC it’s vital that you tee it up enough. In general, the higher that you tee it up the more you can hit up on it and increase distance. But that doesn’t mean you should buy the biggest tees and start swinging like Bryson DeChambeau either.
When you tee it up higher, you also risk losing accuracy. The higher the ball is teed up, the longer amount of time it’s in the air which means more likely things can go wrong. While a higher tee can help with distance, it can also hurt your accuracy so choose carefully.
Here’s one more thing to think about when it comes to driver tee height, I recently watched a Golf Digest School with Tiger Woods and he explained how he uses different tee heights for different shots.
He has three main shots and three corresponding tee heights:
- Cut driver. This is his go-to shot that he often refers to as his “slap cut” that is his fairway finder. It’s not the longest but it’s the most accurate. To create this shot he tees the ball very low compared to a draw and tries to hit slightly down on it. Which is why he tees it lower, otherwise it’d be nearly impossible with the ball teed up high.
- Draw driver. To hit a draw, he tees it up slightly higher to help him get under it a little more. Since a draw has top spin, it requires more speed for the shot and also requires you to get it more airborne as well.
- Bomb driver. The final shot is the straight bomb which he swings as hard as possible (which as he said, he doesn’t do that often anymore). For this tee height, he barely puts the tee in the ground and is very high compared to a cut driver shot. This will help you catch the ball even more on the upswing and hopefully hit it further.
How far does Tiger Woods hit a 7 iron?
I’d argue that Tiger is one of the greatest ball strikers of all time. He’s one of the guys who plays a pure blade iron because he loves shaping shots with each golf club during the round. While a lot of guys play one stock approach shot, Tiger is constantly mixing it up.
Distance is the least of his worries. The truth is, Tiger can hit a 7 iron 140 yards or he can hit it 200+ yards. It all depends on the shot that he is faced with, the weather, elevation, his back stiffness, and other factors.
Final Thoughts on Golf Club Distance
As you can tell, there are a lot of factors to think about when considering the average distance per golf club. While the distance debate isn’t going anywhere, you too can become a long hitter with the tips mentioned.
Start by using the golf club distance chart to see where you stand and make adjustments as necessary.
Luckily, now that technology is evolving so quickly, it’s never been easier to hit it further with every single club in the bag. Your average driver distance and swing speeds can soar with a new club.
To see where you rank against the average golf handicap index read our full article or check out golf statistics by handicap.
But just remember, golf club distance isn’t everything (despite what the golfing population says). Sure, with courses getting longer by the day, it’s important but not everything. Nothing will ever replace a wildly good short game or a rock solid putting stroke.
While you should think about your distance, don’t obsess over it and let it ruin your swing like some golfers. Instead, play the long game in your approach and know that adding distance to your game takes work.