How far golfers *really* hit their drives, according to data

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

Driving distance is a hot topic in golf. Whether it’s discussing the impact distance has on the professional game or learning how amateurs can pack on more distance, hitting bombs off the tee is a constant talking point.

During the 2024 campaign, Cameron Champ was the longest hitter on the PGA Tour, averaging just over 323 yards per poke. Rory McIlroy lagged just behind at 320 yards while Kevin Dougherty, Ben An and Alejandro Tosti rounded out the top five. Tour average was 301 yards, marking the first time in history the average driving distance has cracked the 300-yard mark.

If you hope to make a living playing golf, you’re going to have to hit the ball a long ways. The bad news is that the average driving distance in the recreational game is nowhere close to that of those on the PGA Tour. So, how far do average golfers really hit the ball? Stat-tracking company Arccos recently released their Driver Distance Report and broke it all down.

How far do golfers hit their drives?

Arccos’ shot-tracking system has over a billion data points from golfers of all skill levels in the recreational game. This data is used to glean insights that help weekend warriors lower their scores, but it can also tell us a lot about the state of the game in general. Like, how far average golfers hit the ball.

In their recently released Driver Distance Report (which you can read here), Arccos reports that the average men’s golfer — across all handicaps — drove the ball 225 yards in 2023. For female golfers, the average was 178.1 yards.

That might seem a little shorter than you’d expect, but for the most part recreational golfers far overestimate their distance off the tee. In reality, their drives fly much shorter than they think.

Arccos also broke down the average driving distance data based on age and handicap. As you would expect, the younger golfers are and the lower their handicap, the further they tend to hit it.

For example, among golfers in their 20s with a scratch handicap or lower, average driving distance is 271 yards. But as age increases in that same age range, average driving distance decreases. In the scratch or better among golfers in their 40s, average driving distance drops to 259 yards.

You can check out a full breakdown of driving distance across age and handicap in the graphs below.

Men

Women

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Arccos Driver Tracker

$9.98

The Arccos Driver Performance Tracker is golf’s first driver-only performance tracker and the newest addition to the Arccos Golf platform. Allowing you to play and compete like never before, Arccos Driver automatically records every drive, capturing distance and location without any interruption to your game. With each drive automatically recorded, Arccos’ proprietary Tour Analytics Platform provides in-depth stats and analytics into your driving performance. With Arccos Driver, golfers can capture and share their best drives with friends and the Arccos Community while competing against playing partners and friends worldwide. Battle for position on the worldwide leaderboard while playing Crowns, the Arccos Platform’s driver-only virtual game. Arccos Driver works seamlessly. Simply attach the sensor to the grip end of your driving club and pair just once to your smartphone using the free Arccos Driver app. Then, play as you normally do and watch as Arccos Driver does all the work. No a

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