Each golf club is designed to perform a different function on the golf course.
While one golf club is perfect for hitting off the tee, another is ideal for getting yourself out of a sticky situation when you're caught in the sand.
Each golf club is also designed to help the ball travel different distances, depending on where you find yourself in your golf game.
But how far should each golf club hit the ball? Are there set figures for average distances?
Every player, man or woman, is different and we all strike golf balls differently, with different swing speeds. But while there is no definitive distance, each club is designed to be used within a certain distance of the pin, or for other specific situations.
Let's take a look at the average golf club distance for each club, for both men and women.
Men’s table:
|
Club |
Average (yds) |
|
Driver |
220 |
|
3-wood |
210 |
|
5-wood |
195 |
|
Hybrid |
180 |
|
2-iron |
180 |
|
3-iron |
170 |
|
4-iron |
160 |
|
5-iron |
155 |
|
6-iron |
145 |
|
7-iron |
140 |
|
8-iron |
130 |
|
9-iron |
115 |
|
Pitching Wedge |
100 |
|
Gap Wedge |
90 |
|
Sand Wedge |
80 |
|
Lob Wedge |
60 |
Women’s table:
|
Club |
Average (yds) |
|
Driver |
175 |
|
3-wood |
150 |
|
5-wood |
140 |
|
Hybrid |
135 |
|
2-iron |
135 |
|
3-iron |
125 |
|
4-iron |
120 |
|
5-iron |
110 |
|
6-iron |
100 |
|
7-iron |
90 |
|
8-iron |
80 |
|
9-iron |
70 |
|
Pitching Wedge |
60 |
|
Gap Wedge |
55 |
|
Sand Wedge |
50 |
|
Lob Wedge |
45 |
Golf club distances breakdown
DRIVER
The driver is designed to hit the golf ball furthest off the tee, hopefully giving you less work to do the closer you reach the pin with your first shot.
Its large head and lack of loft encourage the ball to travel longer distances when struck powerfully.
The average drive distance for a male player, as we can see from the table, is around 220 yards. For a female player, the average drive is around 175 yards.
WOODS
Woods have a similar purpose and design as the driver, but their slightly smaller heads make them more suitable to hit off the fairway or out of the rough.
Many golfers still opt to use them off the tee for certain holes, though, as they still offer great distance, with considerable club speed.
A male player could reliably get distances longer than 200 yards with a clean 3-wood strike. Female players could reach distances of 150 yards or higher.
A shot with a 5-wood would be around 10 to 15 yards shorter.
HYBRIDS
A cross between a wood and an iron, the appropriately-titled hybrids offer golfers solid distance and more forgiveness than long irons on mishit shots.
They were originally known as ‘rescue clubs' thanks to their popularity amongst players who landed in the rough and offer approximately the same swing speed as their fairway wood counterparts on-average.
It depends on the lie, but male players average around 180 yards with a hybrid club, while women average 135 yards.
LONG IRONS (2, 3, 4)
Designed to travel the furthest distance of the irons, long irons feature longer shafts and offer far less loft than their lower counterparts, to create maximum distance.
The 2-iron, the longest of the long irons, can reach distances of around 180 yards for men, and 135 yards for women.
MID IRONS (5, 6, 7)
Some of the more commonly-used irons, mid irons offer more loft than long irons and are designed for middle-length shots off the fairway.
They can, however, be used off the tee on some holes. Usually shorter Par 3s.
The longest of the mid irons is the 5-iron, which male players average a distance of 155 yards. Women average a distance of 110 yards.
SHORT IRONS (8, 9, PITCHING WEDGE)
The loftiest of the irons, these clubs are designed for much shorter distances. Perfect for reaching the green or getting out of a patch of rough.
The pitching wedge is also a great choice for chipping, too.
Don't expect huge distances from an 8-iron. Men average around 130 yards with a full strike, while women average around 80 yards.
SAND WEDGE
The golf club that does what it says on the tin. The sand wedge is designed to help golfers get out of the bunker, giving enough loft to help the club cut through the sand and give the golf ball enough height to get out of trouble.
Distance-wise, they're usually reserved for getting out of bunkers. But they can also be used in the final few yards before reaching the green.
LOB WEDGE
Offering more loft than any other wedge, the lob wedge is perfect for much shorter shots when beside the green. Or for getting out of the rough or bunkers surrounding the green.
As we can see above, there's clearly a difference in distances between men and women.
But what other factors, aside from sex, affect golf club distance?
Other key factors in golf club distance
SWING SPEED
The general rule is: The faster you swing your golf club, the further the ball will go.
The same is true for any golf club. From the driver, all the way down to your wedges.
Trackman® is a clever tool the PGA has used to track the swing speed of its players.
According toTrackman® data, the average swing speed of a male pro driving off the tee in 2007 was 112.37 mph. This swing speed resulted in an average distance of 288.6 yards.
Fast forward to data from 2022 and the average swing speed of a male pro driving off the tee increased slightly to 114.60 mph.
As expected, this swing speed resulted in an increased drive distance average of 299.8 yards.
Logically, the same will be true for all other clubs.
IMPACT & CLUBFACE
We all know what the perfect shot feels like.
When you swing the club and strike the ball precisely as you intended.
Naturally, when we hit the ball in the centre of the clubface with a solid amount of force (assuming all other factors in our swing are in place) the ball has the best chance of flying not just straight, but far.
If the clubface is open or closed, or simply angled poorly, it could significantly affect golf club distance.
WIND
If you assume you'd hit the ball further with the wind behind you, you'd be right.
The same principle applies when the wind is against you: You lose distance.
If you're wondering exactly how much impact the wind will have on your shot, here's a good rule of thumb to follow:
When the wind is with you, add 1% of distance for every 1 mph of wind speed.
This means if you're planning on hitting the ball 100 yards, with a wind speed of 5 mph, account for an extra 5 yards on your shot.
In a downwind, though, it's around a 0.5% decrease in distance per every 1 mile per hour.
PLAYER AGE
Player age also affects the distance each golf club hits the ball.
Until the age of 30, players are generally able to hit the ball at a consistent length.
It's only after the age of 30 that golf club distance begins to decline - approximately a ten-yard drop for every ten years of age.
PLAYER SKILL LEVEL
Like every other sport, the more you play golf the better you will become.
And the better your shot distance will be.
A good gauge to judge shot distance based on skill level is to look at a player's handicap.
Male golfers with a handicap of below 5 tend to drive the ball around 250 yards or above.
Whereas players with a handicap between 10 and 19 average a drive distance of around 215 yards. A significant drop.
So if you want to hit the ball further with every golf club, get some holes in the bank as often as you can. Especially if you're new to the game.
Professionals vs average players
Professional players tend to hit the golf ball further than the average golfer.
A male pro is usually able to reach between 270 and 300 yards with the driver, compared to around 220 yards for an average amateur player.
Female players follow suit, with female pros hitting an average driving distance of 255 yards off the tee, compared to 175 to 200 yards for the average female player.
This is important to know because if you're going to judge your club distance you need to use a comparative distance.
There'd be no point comparing your driver distance to a professional player for example, especially considering most professional players can hit a longer shot with a3-wood than a beginner player could hit with a driver.
Experience is everything.
Golf clubs at Clarkes Golf
If you're worried your current golf clubs aren't doing you any favours in the distance department, maybe it's time to upgrade.
At Clarkes Golf we have a massive range of brand-new golf clubs from the very best brands, including Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade and many more.
Or if you're in the area, why not swing by our driving range and really put your clubs to the test?