Learn · Golf data
Golf club distance chart
How far you "should" hit each club depends on who you compare yourself with. I put tour data and real amateur data side by side, and labelled how each was measured, because carry and total distance are very different numbers.
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The quick answer
A PGA Tour player carries a 7-iron 176 yards on average and a driver 282 yards (Trackman 2023 tour averages). A typical amateur man is nowhere near that: Shot Scope's on-course data puts a 15-handicap at about 154 yards total with a 7-iron, and Arccos puts the average male driver at 224 yards total. If your numbers sit between those two, you're normal.
Tour carry distance by club
Trackman's 2023 tour averages, published May 2024: carry in yards, measured on Trackman during tour events.
Source: Trackman 2023 Tour Averages. Carry only, no roll.
| Club | PGA Tour carry (yds) | LPGA Tour carry (yds) |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | 282 | 223 |
| 3-wood | 249 | 200 |
| 5-wood | 236 | 189 |
| Hybrid | 231 | 178 |
| 3-iron | 218 | — |
| 4-iron | 209 | 175 |
| 5-iron | 199 | 166 |
| 6-iron | 188 | 155 |
| 7-iron | 176 | 143 |
| 8-iron | 164 | 133 |
| 9-iron | 152 | 123 |
| PW | 142 | 111 |
Amateur distances by handicap (men)
Shot Scope on-course data, as published by Golf Monthly (updated March 2025). These are total distances with outliers removed. In this data the 10-handicaps sometimes beat the 5-handicaps; I've left it as published.
| Club | 0 hcp | 5 hcp | 10 hcp | 15 hcp | 20 hcp | 25 hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 285 | 261 | 259 | 236 | 225 | 204 |
| 3-wood | 261 | 234 | 227 | 215 | 195 | 178 |
| Hybrid | 237 | 216 | 214 | 197 | 180 | 162 |
| 4-iron | 223 | 201 | 199 | 186 | 169 | 151 |
| 5-iron | 200 | 183 | 187 | 169 | 162 | 143 |
| 6-iron | 185 | 172 | 171 | 162 | 151 | 137 |
| 7-iron | 178 | 164 | 161 | 154 | 146 | 132 |
| 8-iron | 166 | 153 | 150 | 146 | 138 | 122 |
| 9-iron | 155 | 139 | 140 | 136 | 129 | 108 |
| PW | 141 | 126 | 127 | 121 | 108 | 90 |
| GW | 126 | 109 | 110 | 104 | 94 | 79 |
| SW | 105 | 86 | 98 | 84 | 85 | 80 |
| LW | 86 | 71 | 79 | 75 | 78 | 49 |
Women (driver, 3-wood, 7-iron)
| Club | Scratch+ | 1–5 | 6–10 | 11–15 | 16–20 | 21–25 | 26+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 252 | 235 | 226 | 199 | 188 | 178 | 166 |
| 3-wood | 232 | 224 | 212 | 183 | 173 | 166 | 155 |
| 7-iron | 160 | 152 | 154 | 141 | 133 | 125 | 122 |
Driver distance by handicap
Arccos's 2026 report covers 2025 rounds from 37,000+ golfers and 9.7 million driver tee shots, total distance on par 4s and 5s.
Source: Arccos 2026 Driving Distance Report (2025 data). Total distance, not carry.
| Handicap | Men (yds) | Women (yds) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4.9 | 244 | 220 |
| 5–9.9 | 234 | 206 |
| 10–14.9 | 223 | 195 |
| 15–19.9 | 212 | 178 |
| 20–24.9 | 199 | 167 |
| 25–29.9 | 194 | 154 |
| 30+ | 181 | 145 |
Arccos also found altitude matters: a 10-handicap averages 220.5 yards at sea level and 239.7 yards above 5,000 ft.
Build your own distance chart
Averages are only a starting point. The most useful chart is your own, and this is where a launch monitor earns its money. Hit 10 shots with each club, drop the obvious mishits and note the average carry. Research on TrackMan reliability found most numbers settle after about 7 driver swings or 10 6-iron swings, so 10 per club is a sensible sample.
Carry is what to gap
Gap your clubs on carry, not total. A launch monitor indoors can't measure roll, and roll changes with every course anyway.Don't have a launch monitor yet? My picks under $1,000 are a good place to start.
Questions people ask
How far does the average golfer hit a 7-iron?
Shot Scope's on-course data puts a 15-handicap man at about 154 yards total and a 10-handicap at 161 yards. PGA Tour players carry it 176 yards on average (Trackman).
How far does the average golfer hit a driver?
Arccos's 2025 data (37,000+ golfers, 9.7 million drives) puts the average man at 224.1 yards and the average woman at 175.7 yards, total distance on course.
What's the difference between carry and total distance?
Carry is how far the ball flies in the air; total adds the roll. Launch monitor and tour tables usually report carry, while on-course trackers like Arccos and Shot Scope report total.
Keep reading
Sources
Every number on this page comes from one of these 8 pages. We checked them on Oct 27, 2026. Prices change often, so confirm before you buy.
- 1.Trackman: Tour Averages (May 2, 2024) · trackman.com
- 2.Trackman media kit: Tour Averages · trackman.media
- 3.Golf Monthly / Shot Scope: how far average golfers hit it · golfmonthly.com
- 4.Arccos Driving Distance Report 2026 (PDF) · uploads.mygolfspy.com
- 5.Arccos: report announcement · arccosgolf.com
- 6.Shot Scope LM1 data release (Oct 15, 2026) · firstcallgolf.com
- 7.Golf Business News: Shot Scope LM1 insights · golfbusinessnews.com
- 8.Trackman: What is club speed? (Combine averages) · trackman.com
About the author
Nouman SabirFounder & Editor
Nouman Sabir founded Carry & Spin and edits every page. Nouman reads the makers' manuals and plan pages, retailer listings and owner forums, works out what each setup really costs, and keeps every claim linked to its source. Nouman is a researcher, not a golf pro, and says so.
Expert review panel: PGA professionals and launch monitor testers who advise on the technical side of these guides.
