Becoming a scratch player is the pinnacle of golfing achievements for most handicap golfers.
Getting to this kind of level requires a player to be pretty sharp in every department - and it helps to be long off the tee, too.
On the PGA Tour, we're used to seeing players average around 300 yards (it was actually 300.2 yards in 2024), with the best female players in the game averaging approximately 270 yards.
It's often said that there is a huge difference in ability between a scratch golfer and a tour professional - so what does this look like in terms of driving distance?
We asked our official data partner, Shot Scope, to run some numbers - and these are displayed in the table below.
'Performance Average' removes outliers, such as a significant mishits that don't travel very far, so it gives a true representation of the distance a well struck golf shot travels.
Fifteen yards might not sound like a big difference (closer to 20 for female scratch players), but we're still talking at least one club less into a lot of greens.
And the reality is that when a tour pro needs to find a few extra yards - maybe to set up a better eagle opportunity on a par 5 or a short par 4 - they generally have an extra gear or two in the locker.
What this data doesn't give us is a breakdown of distances by age. For example, a 60-something scratch golfer (they do exist!) might 'only' average 250 yards off the tee, whereas a 30-year-old zero-handicapper might average 290 yards.
Still, it gives us an interesting idea of how far scratch golfers drive the ball compared to tour players.
How Far Do Average Golfers Hit Their Drives?
If this has got you wondering how you, the average club golfer, compare, then here are some further statistics, which have also been supplied by Shot Scope.
For clarity, the 'Performance Average' has been listed for both male and female golfers.
Getting to scratch isn't a simple matter of hitting longer drives, although if you feel this area of the game is preventing you from lowering your handicap, we can offer you lots of driving tips.
And although equipment can only help you so much, it might be worth reviewing the best drivers for distance to help you add a few extra yards off the tee.
