Elite level golfers might be set to use a rolled back golf ball from 2026 to cut distance, but drives are going the other way in the amateur game according to Arccos Golf's latest distance report.
The report, with data based on more than 20 million driver shots hit on par 4s and par 5s, shows a trend that golfers, both men and women, who use the Arccos platform are actually hitting the ball ever-so-slightly shorter than they were four years previously.
The average driving distance for men in 2018 was 226.4 yards and that reduced by half a yard to 225.9 in 2022. It's similar for women. The average woman drove it 179 yards in 2018 but that was down to 177 yards in 2022. It's down four yards on the 181 yard average in 2020.
The in-depth report shows driving distances for men and women of various ages and skill levels, and lower handicappers continue to drive it longer as skill trumps age - to a degree.
The longest-hitting men are +0.1 or better golfers in their 20s, who average 273 yards, while unsurprisingly the shortest are 30+ handicappers in their 70s with an average of 157 yards.
Golfers in their 70s with a handicap of +0.1 or better can certainly keep up with the higher handicap youngsters though. The average +0.1 or better man in their 70s hits it 212 yards off the tee, which is the same length as 15-19 year-olds and golfers in their 30s who play off of 20-24.9.
They hit it longer than plenty of age/skill ranges including golfers in their 20s and 30s with a handicap higher than 25, golfers in their 40s with a handicap higher than 20, golfers in their 50s with a handicap higher than 15 and players in their 60s who play off 10 or higher.
Male golfers who use Arccos lose on average 43.6 yards between the ages of 15-19 and 70-79.
For women, it's a similar story where skill trumps age to a certain degree.
The longest-hitting women are 0-4.9 handicappers in their 20s, with an average of 244 yards. That's longer than plenty of men including golfers in the 20s with handicaps of 10 and higher.
Women who use Arccos lose an average of 32 yards between their 20s and 50s.
When it comes to driving accuracy, the older the player, the more accurate they tend to be off the tee.
Men in their 70s with handicaps between 0-4.9 find the most fairways with a driving accuracy of 60%. The least accurate golfers are men in their 20s with handicaps higher than 30. They hit just 35% of fairways.
In the women's game, golfers in their 50s with 0-4.9 handicaps are the most accurate with an accuracy of 58%. The most wayward women are 10-14.9 handicappers in their 30s and 30+ handicappers in their 20s - both with an accuracy of 44%.
That means that even the least accurate female golfers are 9% more accurate than the most wayward men.
