Golf Club Distances

One of the leading golf rules dictates that the maximum number of golf clubs you should carry to the golf course is 14. The 14 clubs include a few hybrids, woods, irons, wedges, a driver, a putter, and a fairway wood. Each of the clubs comes with their individual qualities and distance delivery.

Golf club distances do not entirely depend on the category of the club but also the player. Distances covered vary from one player to the next. Other things that play a significant part in the golf club distances include the loft angle, weighting, and club quality. Others incorporate the kind of golf ball utilized, the state of the green, and the hindrances confronted.

However, even with all these factors affecting the distance, it is crucial to know and understand each club's effectiveness and potential and adapt them easily to your swinging style to cover the maximum distance.

Average Golf Club Distances

When it comes to golf club distances, you cannot compare the distance covered by professional golfers to that covered by amateurs or lady golfers. Professional golfers like PGA Tour golfers can cover long distances irrespective of the club they use in their bag. One explanation behind this is that they know the correct clubs to use for each hit.

The fact that professional golfers cover more distance does not indicate that the other less skilled golfers cover a wrong distance in any way. On average, available statistics show that a professional golfer can hit a shot that travels to 300 yards or thereabouts with a driver. A lady professional golfer can hit a shot to an average of around 250 yards, while a golfer playing for fun can manage an average of 200 yards.

The PGA Tour keeps an assortment of insights regarding golf club distances covered by players with each club. The Swingman Golf site of 2009 recorded the average distance covered by each player's use of different clubs for four years.

The results were as follows; - The outcomes were as per the following; - The average shot hit with a driver passed on 260 yards and arrived at the aggregate of a total of 287.3 yards, inclusive of the roll. A standard 3-wood shot gave 238 yards, and the run of the mill 5-wood passed on 223 yards.

The customary exchange for a 3-iron shot was 203 yards; for a 4-iron 189; for a 5-iron 181; for a 6-iron 169; for a 7-iron 160; for an 8-iron 149 a 9-iron 136. The normal PGA Tour pitching wedge shot passed on 122 yard, A standard 3-wood shot gave 238 yards, and the typical 5-wood conveyed 223 yards. The regular 3-iron transfer shot was 203 yards.

A 4-iron was 189, while a 5-iron was 181.  A 6-iron was 169, while for a 7-iron, it was 160. For an 8-iron, it was 149, and a 9-iron was 136. The pitching wedge average for PGA Tour shot, conveyed 122 yards. The leaderboard site further stated that PGA Tour golfers' average 4-iron traveled to 220 yards, inclusive of the roll.

The same players also hit 5-iron shots to 205 yards; 6-iron shots to 190 yards; 7-iron shots 180 yards; 8-iron shots 170 yards, and 9-iron shots to 155 yards. The pitching wedge got an average distance of 135 yards, while a sand wedge averaged 120 yards and 95 yards for a lob wedge.

As per the LPGA statistics of 2009, the professional female driver hit 220 yards and traveled 246 complete yards. LPGA professional golfers hit 4-irons to cover 180 yards, 5-irons to cover 170, 6-irons to cover 159, 7-irons to cover 147, 8-irons to cover 135, 9-irons to cover 123 yards. The standard pitching wedge covered 109 yards.

Read more: Best Golf Clubs For Seniors 

Golf Club Distance Chart

The golf distance chart below shows you the yardage differences between different skill levels and the clubs used to get to the average distances.

Club	Beginner	Average	Good	Excellent	PGA Tour
Driver	190 yards	220 yards	250 yards	280 yards	296 yards
3-wood	170 yards	210 yards	225 yards	235 yards	262 yards
5-wood	150 yards	195 yards	205 yards	220 yards	248 yards
Hybrid	145 yards	180 yards	190 yards	210 yards	242 yards
2-iron	145 yards	180 yards	190 yards	215 yards	236 yards
3-iron	135 yards	170 yards	180 yards	205 yards	228 yards
4-iron	125 yards	160 yards	170 yards	195 yards	219 yards
5-iron	120 yards	155 yards	165 yards	185 yards	209 yards
6-iron	115 yards	145 yards	160 yards	175 yards	197 yards
7-iron	105 yards	140 yards	150 yards	165 yards	185 yards
8-iron	95 yards	130 yards	140 yards	155 yards	172 yards
9-iron	80 yards	115 yards	125 yards	145 yards	159 yards
Pitching Wedge	70 yards	100 yards	110 yards	135 yards	146 yards
Gap Wedge	60 yards	90 yards	100 yards	125 yards	135 yards
Sand Wedge	55 yards	80 yards	95 yards	115 yards	124 yards
Lob Wedge	40 yards	60 yards	80 yards	105 yards	113 yards

From the above chart, it is clear that men hit their shots further than women do. Professional lady golfers, however, outdrive amateur golfers in golf club distance. From the above chart, you will not see putters because they are not distance clubs.

Today, many golfers, including professionals, use hybrids instead of the 2, 3, 4 irons. Though the average distance covered by the hybrids is similar to that covered by the irons, the former provides greater consistency, more accuracy, and better confidence at address.

In the end, a shot from the hybrid club is longer than a shot from an iron. Hybrids are the preferred lot because they come with a broader range of loft angles that impact the distance covered.

Amateur Golf Club Distances

Professional golfers have a higher average golf club distance. Again, this does not mean that amateur golfers are any less hopeless when it comes to the distance they cover with their hits. One of the things you need to consider is that professionals and amateurs' skill levels are different because pros know their clubs better than the amateurs do.

The average golf club distance for a man is between 280 and 300 yards; however, it is hard for an amateur to get that distance. USGA and R&A record the average golf club distance for an amateur to be somewhere around 215 yards.

The report further states that a player with 5 handicaps and below, averages about 240 yards, while one with 6 to 12 handicaps averages 220 yards. A player with 13 to 20 handicaps averages 204 yards, while one with 21 and above handicaps averages 187 yards. The 2018 chart below bases its results on 87% shots with a driver.

Read next: Best Beginner Golf Clubs

How to Get Accurate Golf Club Distances

It is incredibly significant to understand that mastering the perfect distance takes great effort and time. After some time and with more practice, you start to familiarize yourself with what you need to better your average distance. The fastest place to get accurate golf club distances is at the driving range, where you can explore different avenues regarding each club and monitor the outcomes.

If you hit around 50 shots with a specific club and get rid of the 5 most noticeably lousy hits with 5 good ones, you will be in a position to gauge your average golf distance using that particular club. You should repeat the same with each club if you want to be sure. If you are a beginner working on finding the accurate golf club distance, the course may not be the best place to test your prowess or practice the distance as it may take you longer to achieve what you want.

However, you can utilize both the course and the range and make sure to note down your average distances covered and each progress you make. When you are working on achieving better average distances, do not dwell so much on the chart, even though it is a great guideline. Curve your path and work on techniques and skills.

Remember to keep a scorecard of your progress during the practice on the driving range and the course. Another way of achieving accurate golf club distances is by using color-coded yardage markers. The markers differ from one course to the next, but they all serve the same purpose: determining the distance covered.

Some golf courses chart diagrams that help provide you with the correct distances between the holes. Besides the diagrams, you can also use innovation that gives you with rangefinders accessibility.

Another way you can improve golf club distance is by having knowing your lofts. Golf is a profoundly serious game, yet manufacturers of golf equipment are similarly serious, each attempting to get a more significant cut of the market.

Distance is one of the most critical parts of the sport, explaining why manufacturers create new clubs to hit beyond what many would consider possible. One way they accomplish this is by lessening the loft because the lower the loft, the further the club hits.

What Are Typical Golf Club Distances

The distance clubs cover after a hit varies from one club to the other. If you are using woods, you will hit the ball further than you would with the irons. A low numbered iron will hit the ball further than a high-numbered iron. On the other hand, wedges can only send the ball high, but they do not provide distance. Below are the typical golf club distances by each club.

Woods are popular with long shots. A driver or one wood comes with a clubface that maintains the lowest loft of all the clubs. The loft is the primary determinant of the club's distance. Professional golfers can use the drive to hit a distance of 300 yards.

An average male gofer can shoot between 230 and 290 yards with a driver, while a lady golfer can hit the same for a distance of 230 yards or less. 3 and 5 wood can cover a distance of 265 yards for professional men and 240 yards for the average man golfer. Ladies will cover 170 yards with this type of driver.

When using the irons, professional golfers will cover an average of 230 yards, while an average male golfer will cover around 200 yards. Irons come in numbers 1 to 9, but 1 and 2 are not common among many players.

Wedges are very similar to irons, but they come with more lifting. The wedges' main work is to lift the ball off the ground into the air, especially in sand traps and hazard areas. Professional golfers can hit 130 yards with a wedge.

Wrapping It Up

Working out your golf club distance takes hard work, patience, and determination. It is not enough to use the best equipment in the market, but you also have to improve your skills and reduce your score to garner some distance. Many clubs have tables and charts to show you what to expect, but you should not rely on that too much.

Instead, you should use your abilities to work on swinging abilities to gain more distance Work on your distance to the best of your abilities. The first step is to know your golf clubs well, and the next will be much easier.