Club distances? Is there a mean and max?

**nutsnbolts** · November 6, 2008

With these clubs...

Gap Wedge
Lob Wedge
Sand Wedge
Pitching Wedge
9 Iron
8 Iron
7 Iron
6 Iron
5 Iron
4 Iron
3 Iron

What are the min/max an average person should be doing distance wise with these clubs? I’m curious as to what everyone thinks.

**jjb333** · November 6, 2008

If i had to say average I would say something like this...

Gap Wedge-80
Lob Wedge-70
Sand Wedge-90
Pitching Wedge- 110
9 Iron-120
8 Iron-130
7 Iron-140
6 Iron-150
5 Iron-160
4 Iron-170
3 Iron-180

This is pretty rough and a strong player with a good swing would be more like adding 30 yards to each.

**Borf** · November 6, 2008

Lob Wedge - please don't swing full at a lob wedge!
Sand Wedge -105
Gap Wedge - 115
Pitching Wedge - 130
9 Iron - 145
8 Iron -160
7 Iron - 175
6 Iron - 185
5 Iron - 195
4 Iron - 210
3 Iron - 220

This is roughly my distances on any any given day.

Just to point out:
100 yds - I like the SW or GW, I always club down and swing easier with short irons
150 yds - 9,8,7 depending on wind conditions
175 yds - 7 or 6 irons
200 yds - sometimes the 6, but usually 5 or 4

**cigarnut81** · November 6, 2008

There is no mean or max for any golf club. That is a product of club head speed and angle of attack on the ball.

**nutsnbolts** · November 6, 2008

There is no mean or max for any golf club. That is a product of club head speed and angle of attack on the ball.

Ok, let me rephrase this, what is the range that each club should do? I know that it all depends on the person and the club head speed and angle of attack, etc.

I'm trying to gauge what I should be doing with any given club or what I should strive to do. For instance, if a 9 iron 120-145 based on two previous posts, then I'm comfortable working it with somewhere between those two points. If I'm hitting a 9 iron only 95 yards, wouldn't that be considered something wrong? In other words, that means I'm not attaining good club head speed or my angle attack is wrong, etc. So although there is technically no mean and max, you get my point with this post.

**mirv** · November 6, 2008

here are my personal averages...

Pitching Wedge - 100-110
9 Iron - 125-135
8 Iron - 140-145
7 Iron - 150-155
6 Iron - 160-165
5 Iron - 170-175
4 Iron - 175-180
3 Iron - 180-185

i'm a big guy, but i'm not hugely flexible and i shortened my swing significantly, giving up distance to get more accuracy. a lot of my playing partners, if we're just behind the 150 marker, will pull out an 8 iron, but i have to grab a 7. *shrug*

**Eeryck** · November 6, 2008

If you look at the following link on about.com you will see a chart with one possible set of information that you are asking about.

http://golf.about.com/od/beginners/l/blclubdistance.htm

If you do a google search for "average male golf distances" you can probably find many more results similar to this answer.

There have also been many threads on The Sandtrap that have discussed this and the about.com post is a moderately fair representation of the data if you compiled it all.

Of course there are some folks that hit longer than what is listed on the chart in the link but it would scale up for each club appropriately.

Based on my limited experience golfing, but getting paired with a lot of random folks. I would say that most golfers that I have seen that shoot between the 90-110 range tend to have distances between the first and second column in the chart in the above link. Folks breaking 90, tend to be nearer the third column in distances for males. Do not read this as a direct correlation though.

At the heart of your question you seem to be asking if you are leaving distance on the table when you swing your club. Again being a beginner I have been experimenting with different mechanics for most of the summer and I have found that many minor swing changes have signifigantly changed my distance. One swing set up had my driver going 250yards but it was all over the place. Then an easier swing got me consistancy but only 200-220yards. Now my most recent change in set up and address has gotten me back to the 240-250 range with the easier swing keeping the consistancey.

I used driver as an example but my distances for all my clubs seems to scale with my swing change and driver distance, pretty close inline with the chart linked above.

Hope that helps.

-E

**nutsnbolts** · November 6, 2008

If you look at the following link on about.com you will see a chart with one possible set of information that you are asking about.

This is great, very informative. I'm about the middle tier. I see pulling out the same clubs when I'm at distances in the middle column.

**cigarnut81** · November 6, 2008

Here are my distances for you
Driver=275-310
17* Fairway=230-250
21* hybrid=206-218
5 iron=195-202
6 iron=180-192
7 iron=170-180
8 iron=165-172
9 iron=150-163
pw=130-142
52*=110-125
56*=90-105
60*=82-90
All in yards
I hope that helps
I hit it pretty far but these are normal tolerances for contact accuity

**Eeryck** · November 6, 2008

Another thing you could look at if you wanted to know what a club is capable of under ideal launch conditions (as well as toe and heal hits) is to find a copy of gold digest annual equipment review.

They set up a machine to hit each club with a center hit and record distance at several swing speeds. They then do toe hits and heal hits and chart all the data. I am sure that it all available somewhere on line by equipment manufacturer as well I just have not looked.

For example they would have the Taylormade 10.5* Burner Driver:

105 MPH Swing speed center hit 250yards
105 MPH Swing speed toe hit 220yards
105 MPH Swing speed heal hit 225 yards
95 MPH Swing speed center hit 220 yards

Distances above are just made up not actual stats but you get the point.

Regardless using the distance you hit each club is a poor way to evaluate your swing. Take lessons from a pro and work on your short game. Practicing pitching and putting with good form and consistancy will help develop your full game swing and the distances will come.

Sorry for the second long post.

-E

**Petden** · November 6, 2008

Basicly, if you have clubs that can make u hit from 0-200 yards, then you should be fine for the time being. I am still working on consistence, but when you get consistence, then you can start increasing your swing speed. Until then dont worry too much.

**nutsnbolts** · November 6, 2008

Here are my distances for you

Wow..far and accurate at these distances. I need to hit the gym!

**nutsnbolts** · November 6, 2008

Another thing you could look at if you wanted to know what a club is capable of under ideal launch conditions (as well as toe and heal hits) is to find a copy of gold digest annual equipment review.

I'm hitting the average distances based on the which club I use. I'm satisfied. I haven't really put a lot of ooomph to my swings but with my comfortable consistency and tempo, it's on "par'

**cigarnut81** · November 6, 2008

Wow..far and accurate at these distances. I need to hit the gym!

The gym will help. You also have to know I play at over 6500 feet of elevation. Learn to control your contact. Center contact is more important than anything else. Square Solid Contact Is The Goal Of The Golf Swing.

**Petden** · November 7, 2008

I ahve a question about elevation. When you say 6500 feet, does this mean that the ball is 6500 feet in the air? Im confused on this one, still learning the basic measurements of the sport.

**Chas** · November 7, 2008

If i had to say average I would say something like this...

These were pretty much my own averages until I stopped reverse-pivoting about a year ago. Now I hit it 10-15 yds further if I hit it cleanly, yet I still tend to take club for the "old" distances. As a result, I often end up in big trouble behind the blasted green ....

**Chas** · November 7, 2008

I ahve a question about elevation. When you say 6500 feet, does this mean that the ball is 6500 feet in the air? Im confused on this one, still learning the basic measurements of the sport.

I think he means, as us golfing pilots (or piloting golfers) would say, 6500 feet MSL - i.e. 6500 ft above Mean Sea Level. So, our golfer and his golf ball are over a mile above the ocean level, up where the air is thin and golf balls fly a loooooong way.

p.s. note that Cigarnut posts from Durango, CO. This is known as cheating , among golf distance competitors .....

**cigarnut81** · November 7, 2008

I think he means, as us golfing pilots (or piloting golfers) would say, 6500 feet MSL - i.e. 6500 ft above Mean Sea Level. So, our golfer and his golf ball are over a mile above the ocean level, up where the air is thin and golf balls fly a loooooong way.

Cheating????????? I am just lucky enough to live in colorado. I could hit it 300 at 0 feet of elevation. I can swing at 120 mph if I want to but a controlled swing is at 110 mph. Do the math 110 mph X 2.8 yards per mph = 308 Yards of carry for solid contact. YAHOO

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Club distances? Is there a mean and max?

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