Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Golf Monthly
Golf Monthly
Sport
Jonny Leighfield

How Far PGA Tour Players Hit Every Club In The Bag

Rory McIlroy hits a tee shot at the 2023 BMW Championship on the PGA Tour.

In this age of ultra-long hitters and ever-increasing technology among the golf-equipment sector, the distances and speeds in the professional game continue to go one way - up.

It is not quite the same among the amateur population, however, with Arccos data via the USGA and R&A in March 2022 revealing that the average male golfer - with a handicap - hits their total drive around 215 yards, a number that has remained relatively consistent over the past five years. Meanwhile, in the women's game, the average total-driving distance for players of all abilities is just shy of 148 yards.

But the latest numbers released by Trackman show that PGA Tour professionals are sending it a long way past that, as you would expect. The average carry distance for a PGA Tour pro with a driver in hand during 2023 was 282 yards.

Their club speed was usually around 115mph with a driver and the resulting ball speed averages 171mph, reaching a max height of just 35 yards off the ground.

Despite a 33-yard drop-off between driver and 3-wood, in regard to carry, PGA Tour players are still averaging 249 yards carry with the latter and bettering the average distance your leading amateur can manage with the big dog.

Rory McIlroy is the longest average driver on the PGA Tour and is known for his high ball-flight (Image credit: Getty Images)

From 3-wood down, between 5-13 yards of carry was lost as you move through the bag. PGA Tour players typically hit a 5-wood 236 yards in 2023, while - surprisingly - the number dropped to just 231 with a hybrid.

The numbers between the two aforementioned clubs are particularly interesting to take a closer look at, with players generating 106mph club speed with a 5-wood and 102mph with a hybrid. The angle of attack was almost identical, and the smash factor for both clubs was exactly the same at 1.47 out of 1.5.

Ball speed differed by 7mph (156mph - 5w/149mph Hy) but the spin rate difference was much more noticeable at 4322rpm for the 5-wood and 4587rpm for the hybrid. Ultimately, though, the total carry resulted in just a 5mph drop off for the shorter club.

Moving into the irons, PGA Tour players averaged 218mph carry with a 3-iron (100mph CHS/145mph BS) and 199mph with a 5-iron (96mph CHS/135mph BS), and as the club becomes shorter - predictably - so do the numbers.

When looking at the 7-iron, the total carry distance on the PGA Tour was 176 yards thanks to 92mph club speed and 123mph ball speed. PGA Tour players struck their shortest club - the pitching wedge - around 142 yards (carry) in 2023, according to the Trackman data.

HOW FAR DO PGA TOUR PLAYERS HIT EVERY CLUB IN THE BAG?

Data: Trackman, 2024

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.