If we could convince every golfer that distance only matters for your own game and not as a point of comparison to others playing the game, it would be amazing. However, it’s not possible. Let’s face it if your buddy hits 250; you want to hit 260. Learning the golf club distances is a great first step.
Many players are not sure how far they hit the golf ball compared to others that play the game, so we put together a guide detailing the average distances for golfers. Remember that club head speed, weather, equipment, and more will play into this, but this will give you a general idea.
Golf Club Distance Averages For Each Club
Golf club distances vary from one club to the next because of the loft and characteristics of the club. When we give you a range for the distance averages, expect this to be low swing speeds on the low end and high swing speeds on the high end.
Driver (180-260++)
Golfers tend to hit a driver around 200 yards on average. Some women golfers with slower swing speeds will be closer to 180, and that is entirely acceptable. Golfers with a lot of club head speed tend to hit more than 260, with most professionals closer to 300.
New golfers – check out our list of best drivers for beginners.
3 Wood (170-235)
The average 3 wood shot is anywhere from 170 to 235 yards. One problem with the 3 wood is its lower loft and slightly less forgiving nature; the distance tends not to be quite as consistent.
5 Wood (160-210)
The 5 wood is a great club to give the driver a break on a short par 4 or to approach a green on a par 5. Faster swing speed, golfers can get 210 and even up to 225 with a 5 wood; for slower swing speed, expect this to be a 160-170 yard club.
4 Iron (160-200)
Although some golfers still carry a 3 iron, most are moving from the fairway woods down to a 4 iron or a 4 hybrid. Most players that have high swing speeds will use their 4 iron as their 200 yard club.
However, a 4 hybrid can sometimes get a little extra kick of distance because of the increased ball speed that hybrids can be known to give.
5 Iron (150-180)
The 5 iron is another club that is getting replaced by a hybrid much more often. The slower swinging golfers may struggle to get the 5 iron over 150 yards; faster swing speeds are 180+. For many average golfers, this is a 160-165 yard club.
6 Iron (140-170)
The 6 iron is where your mid irons start to kick in. The great thing about carrying a 6 iron is that you can use it for lower lofted shots that get the ball closer to the target, even when cutting under a tree branch or out of the rough.
Average golfers tend to use their 6 iron as their 150-160 yard club. Fast swing speeds can push 170 with the 6 iron in their hands.
7 iron (130-160)
If you look at a golf club distance chart from several years ago, these numbers would be considerably lower because golf irons were made with higher lofts. As technology has changed, people are getting more distance; this isn’t necessarily because they are stronger, but because the clubs are capable of more.
High swing speed golfers can get 160 yards with their 7 iron but for most players is the 140-145 yard club.
8 iron (120-150)
By now, you should have noticed that the clubs drop down in total distance by about ten yards from one to the next. This is exactly how things should be in your golf bag, with each club having about ten yards of distance that it covers before you switch to the next.
The lower swing speed, golfers hit the 8 iron about 120, while faster swing speeds can go over 150.
9 iron (110-140)
The 140 yard 9 iron shot takes quite a bit of clubhead speed and great club and ball interaction. Players that hit their 9 iron too far should consider adding in 4 wedges to the bag. This will only help to fill in those gaps in the bag that this can create.
Pitching Wedge (100-130)
The pitching wedge is a 120 yard club for many players. The pitching wedge tends to go high and not travel very far when it hits the green.
Therefore it’s important to make sure you have enough club to carry any trouble you are going over with your pitching wedge.
Sand Wedge (60-110)
Although the sand wedge is used a ton around the greens, for full swing shots, you can expect it to go anywhere from 70 to 110 yards.
Lob Wedge (50-100)
There are very few times golfers will find it necessary to hit a full-swing lob wedge approach to a green. Depending on the type of wedge you own and your swing speed, there is a wide range of distances that a lob wedge can travel.
Golf Club Distances for Beginners: What To Expect
Beginner golfers may have no idea where they will fall within these distance ranges. It’s very important to get an idea as to how far you hit something like an 8 iron or 7 iron and then base the rest of your yardages off of that.
The hardest thing for a beginner is inconsistency. One 7-iron shot may fly 130 yards, and the next 150. Try to get an idea of the averages as soon as possible because it will help get your scoring in check.
How Do I Find Out How Far My Ball Is Going?
The best way to see how far you’re hitting each club is to go to the driving range. Most driving ranges will have colored flags to mark how far they are from where you’re hitting.
This may not give you an exact distance but it will at least give you a ballpark idea.
To get a more accurate distance, you can use a rangefinder. Hit the ball and make sure you know where it landed. Laser the spot your ball ended up and this should give you a distance within a few yards.
Golf Club Distance Chart
Here is a cheat sheet of the average golf club distances. This is great for beginners for if you’re just learning how far each club will go.
This will vary based on your level of play but is a good quick reference!
Final Thoughts
Getting more distance from your golf clubs is a lesson for another day. However, to play accurate golf, you must have an idea as to how far you hit each of your clubs.
Hopefully, this guide has laid out for you the distances that you can expect. If you notice yourself on the high side of all these yardages, you are likely a fast swing speed player and should learn to use that extra distance to your advantage.
