Golf club distances

How far you hit each club is the most useful number in golf. It tells you which club to take for every shot, and most missed greens are simply the wrong club: usually one that's too short. This guide explains what "club distance" really means, how far golfers of different levels hit the ball, and how to find your own numbers.

Carry and total distance

Every shot has two distances:

• Carry is how far the ball flies in the air before it first lands.
• Total is carry plus the bounce and roll afterwards.

For approach shots, carry is the number that matters. A bunker or a pond in front of the green has to be carried, and on the green itself a well-struck iron or wedge doesn't roll far. Off the tee, total distance matters more, because the roll on the fairway counts too.

When you read a distance chart, check which one it shows. Many published charts mix the two, which is one reason charts disagree.

The pattern through the bag

A set of clubs is built so that each one goes a little shorter and higher than the one before:

• Driver and fairway woods (3 wood, 5 wood): the longest clubs, with the least loft.
• Hybrids: easier-to-hit replacements for long irons.
• Irons (usually 5 to 9): each number has a few more degrees of loft. For most golfers the gap between neighbouring irons is about 10 to 15 yards.
• Wedges (pitching, gap, sand and lob): the shortest full swings, for shots into the green, out of sand and around it.

What matters is less the exact yardage than having even gaps. Two clubs that go the same distance waste a place in your bag; a 30-yard hole in the middle leaves you guessing between a hard swing and a soft one.

How far do golfers really hit it?

Much shorter than most people think. Some reference points:

• Tour professionals: TrackMan's PGA Tour averages put a driver's carry at about 275 yards, a 7 iron at about 172 and a pitching wedge at about 136.
• Good amateurs: Shot Scope's data, as reported by National Club Golfer, puts a scratch golfer's 7 iron at about 157 yards, roughly 14 yards shorter than a tour player's.
• The "bogey golfer": the reference player used to rate courses (a man with a handicap of about 20) hits his tee shot about 200 yards, carry and roll together. What bogey golf means.
• Higher handicaps: the same Shot Scope data shows 25-handicap golfers averaging under 200 yards with the driver, and their 7 iron around 57 yards shorter than a scratch golfer's.

So if your 7 iron goes 130 yards, you're not short: you're normal. The golfers who score well aren't always the longest. They're the ones who know their numbers.

How to find your own distances

1. Use a range with known targets, or a launch monitor, and hit 10 balls with each club at a comfortable, full swing.
2. Ignore the best and worst few and note the typical carry, not the one perfect strike.
3. Write the numbers down and keep them in your bag or on your phone.
4. Check them on the course: a rangefinder or GPS app shows how far your shots really went. Range balls often fly shorter or longer than your own.
5. Update them once or twice a season. Distances change with fitness, technique and new clubs.

What changes the distance

• The lie: from rough, the grass gets between club and ball, so the shot flies less predictably and often shorter. From sand, you lose distance again.
• Uphill and downhill: a green above you plays longer, a green below you plays shorter.
• Wind: into the wind, take more club; downwind, less. A headwind hurts more than a tailwind helps.
• Temperature and altitude: the ball flies further in warm air and at altitude.
• The strike: a ball hit off the toe or heel loses distance and direction. This is the biggest factor of all for most golfers.

A useful habit: when in doubt between two clubs, take the longer one and make a smooth swing. Far more shots finish short of the green than long.

Club distances in One Fairway

One Fairway's free starter set has all 14 clubs, and every club's carry is fixed and shown on screen, so you can plan each shot like a golfer with a yardage book. These are the carries for a full swing on level ground with no wind, from the fairway (the driver's from the tee):

The putter is set for the length of each putt instead.

The same things that change distance on a real course change it in the game:

• The lie costs carry, and the game tells you how much. From the rough an iron loses 12% and a wood 25%; from sand an iron loses 30%. The line above the club name shows it, for example "ROUGH −12%". The driver loses 12% when it's hit off the fairway, with no tee.
• Height matters. The target tag shows the distance to your landing spot and how far it is above or below you, in feet.
• Partial swings and shot types cover the gaps: a punch flies about 70% of the club's full carry, low and running; a pitch about 40%; and chips and flops are there for shots around the green.
• A clean strike matters. A mistimed swing loses direction and, on short shots, distance.
• Better clubs never go further. Clubs you can unlock or buy are a little more forgiving and easier to time, but none of them carries further than the free club of the same type. Distance is about playing well, not paying.

Questions

How far should I hit my 7 iron?
There's no "should". A tour professional carries a 7 iron about 172 yards and a scratch golfer about 157, while many club golfers hit it 120 to 140. What matters is knowing your own distance and having even gaps between clubs.

What's the difference between carry and total distance?
Carry is how far the ball flies in the air; total adds the bounce and roll. Use carry for approach shots and anything you have to fly over, and total off the tee.

How far does each club go in One Fairway?
A full swing on level ground with no wind carries 230 yards with the driver, 150 with the 7 iron and 60 with the lob wedge, and every club's carry is shown on screen. The lie, the slope and the strike change it, as on a real course.

Try every club in a realistic golf game: it's free in your browser, and you can start as a guest. More: how to play golf · golf terms.