How Far Can Each Golf Club Hit?

Knowing how far you hit each golf club is the cornerstone of good golf, turning wild guesses into confident swings. This guide breaks down average distances for every club and, more importantly, a simple process to find your unique numbers so you can start managing your game like a pro.

The Pro & Amateur Golfer Distance Chart (In Yards)

First, let's get you a ballpark idea. The question "how far should I hit my 7-iron?" is one of the most common in golf. The honest answer is: it depends. But, golfers love seeing charts, so let's start with a foundational look at the average carry distances for a range of players and club types. Think of these as a reference point, not a strict rule.

ClubPGA Tour ProScratch GolferAverage Male Golfer (15-20 Handicap)Beginner Male GolferLPGA Tour ProAverage Female GolferDriver300+2752201902551753-Wood2702452001702301505-Wood2502251851602101403-Iron/Hybrid2352101751501951304-Iron/Hybrid2202001651401851205-Iron2051851551301751106-Iron1901751451201651_00_7-Iron175165135110155908-Iron160150125100145809-Iron1451351159_0_13570Pitching Wedge1301201058012060Gap Wedge (A)115105957011050Sand Wedge1009080609540_Lob Wedge_857565508035

Note: These are carry distances (how far the ball travels in the air) and are estimates. Your actual distances will vary.

Why Your Distances Are Different (and That's Okay)

If you just looked at that chart and thought, "My numbers don't look anything like that!" - that is perfectly normal. In fact, it's expected. Chasing someone else's numbers is a recipe for frustration. A 16-year-old athlete will generate more clubhead speed than a 65-year-old retiree, and their distances will reflect that. The professional on tour dedicates their life to physical fitness and technique, which directly translates to power.

The goal is not to match a chart, the goal is to discover your personal distances. Knowing that your 8-iron flies 125 yards is infinitely more valuable than knowing a pro's 8-iron flies 160 yards. Knowing your own numbers is what lets you stand over a shot, pick a club with conviction, and make a confident swing.

The Main Factors That Dictate Your Club Distances

Your "stock yardage" with any club is a result of several things coming together at impact. Understanding these elements can help you make sense of why your golf ball does what it does.

عامل 1: سرعة التأرجح

This is the most significant factor. Simply put: the faster you swing the clubhead, the more energy you transfer to the ball, and the farther it goes. A PGA Tour player might swing their driver at 115+ mph, while an average amateur might be closer to 90 mph. That speed difference is the primary reason for the distance gap you see in the chart.

Factor #2: Club Loft

Every club in your bag, from driver to lob wedge, has a different amount of loft on the clubface. Loft is the angle of the clubface relative to the vertical shaft.

• Less Loft (like a driver or 3-iron): Launches the ball lower with less spin, promoting more roll and total distance.
• More Loft (like a 9-iron or sand wedge): Launches the ball higher with more spin, resulting in a steeper landing and less roll, prioritizing accuracy and control over raw distance.

The consistent gapping in loft from one club to the next is what creates predictable distance gaps (usually 10-15 yards) between your irons.

Factor #3: Quality of Strike (Sweet Spot vs. Miss-Hit)

Have you ever hit a shot that felt like butter and flew forever? And another that felt clunky and dive-bombed out of the air? That’s the difference in strike quality. Hitting the ball in the center of the clubface (the "sweet spot") maximizes energy transfer and ball speed. A shot struck on the toe or heel will lose a significant amount of distance, even if your swing speed was the same. A consistent, repeatable golf swing that finds the middle of the face more often is the most efficient way to get more distance out of your current swing speed.

Factor #4: External Conditions

Golf isn't played in a vacuum. The environment plays a huge role in how far the ball travels.

• Wind: The most obvious one. A helping wind can add 10-20% to your distance, while a headwind can penalize you by the same amount or more. Crosswinds are trickier and affect both distance and direction.
• Temperature: Cold air is denser than warm air. A ball simply won't travel as far on a cold 45°F (7°C) morning as it will on a hot 90°F (32°C) afternoon. You can lose about one yard of carry for every 10-degree drop in temperature.
• Altitude: Air is thinner at higher elevations. This means less resistance, allowing the ball to fly farther. A shot hit in Denver (at ~5,000 feet) will travel roughly 10% farther than the same shot hit at sea level.
• Fairway Conditions: Are the fairways hard and dry, promoting lots of roll? Or are they soft and wet, stopping the ball almost exactly where it lands? This impacts total distance but not carry.

How to Find and Chart Your True Club Distances

Now for the most important part: finding your numbers. This is a simple but game-changing exercise. Set aside 45-60 minutes at a driving range or simulator - it will be the most productive practice session you have all year.

Step 1: Get to the Range (or a Simulator)

A driving range with accurate yardage markers is perfect. A simulator or launch monitor like a TrackMan or FlightScope is even better, as it gives you precise "carry" distance data.

Step 2: Warm Up Thoroughly

Don’t just jump in and start swinging your driver. Go through your normal warm-up routine. Start with some light wedges, move into the mid-irons, and hit a few shots with every club you plan to chart. You want to be making your "normal" golf swing, not your first-swing-of-the-day swing.

Step 3: Work Through Your Bag Systematically

Start with your highest lofted club (like a sand wedge) and work your way down to the driver. Hit 10 balls with each club. Focus on making a good, smooth, B+ swing - not a wild, all-out effort to hit it as far as possible. We're looking for an average, repeatable distance.

Step 4: Record Your Carry Distance

As you hit your 10 shots with each club, make a note of the carry distance. This is the yardage the ball flies in the air before it first hits the ground. This is the most important number for course management, as it tells you what you need to fly over bunkers and water hazards.

• On a range: Estimate where the ball is landing.
• On a launch monitor: Simply write down the carry number it provides.

After hitting 10 balls, discard the one-or-two absolute worst miss-hits (the thin one that never got airborne or the big slice into the next county) and the one miraculous perfect shot. Find the average of the remaining 7-8 shots. That is your stock yardage for that club.

Step 5: Create Your Yardage Chart

Grab a notecard, the notes app on your phone, or create a small spreadsheet. List every club in your bag and the corresponding stock yardage you just discovered. It should look something like this:


Driver: 225 yds
3-Wood: 205 yds
5-Iron: 160 yds
6-Iron: 150 yds
7-Iron: 140 yds
8-Iron: 130 yds
9-Iron: 120 yds
PW: 110 yds
GW: 100 yds
SW: 85 yds


Put this chart in your golf bag. It's now your most powerful tool on the course.

Final Thoughts

Knowing your club distances is about moving from hoping to knowing. By understanding the factors that influence your yardages and taking the time to chart your personal numbers, you remove guesswork,build confidence, and empower yourself to make smarter strategic decisions on every single shot.

It's this process of building smarter, more confident golfers that gets us excited. Once you know your baseline distances, situations on the course - like an uphill approach shot into the wind - still require a judgment call. For those moments when you're stuck between two clubs or unsure how to adjust for the conditions, having instant, Caddie AI in a player’s pocket to provide the kind of strategoy used on Tour can be the difference between a good shot and a great one!