In this age of ultra-long hitters on tour 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 a similar story among the amateur population, too, although not to quite the same extent with data via the USGA and R&A in March 2022 revealing that the average male golfer hits their total drive around 225 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 178 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. In conjunction with the latest PGA Tour data from 2024, PGA Tour pros were driving the ball a total of 300.2 yards on average.
The trackman data from the full 2023 campaign revealed PGA Tour pros' club speed was usually around 115mph with a driver and the resulting ball speed was measured at 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 were still averaging 249 yards with the latter and bettering the average distance your leading amateur can manage with the big dog.
From 3-wood down, the carry number dropped off between five and 13 yards 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 more workable hybrid.
The numbers between the two aforementioned clubs are particularly interesting to take a closer look at, as players generated 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 five yard drop off for the shorter club.
Moving into the irons, PGA Tour players averaged 218 yards carry with a 3-iron (100mph CHS/145mph BS) and 199 yards 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.
🚀 Exciting News from Trackman! ⛳️Explore the latest insights from leading professional golf tours with our newly-released Tour Averages! 🎉 Read more and see how the numbers have changed 👉 Link in bio!#TourAverages pic.twitter.com/vgvOEXIcbNMay 2, 2024
HOW FAR DO PGA TOUR PLAYERS HIT EVERY CLUB IN THE BAG?
Data: Trackman, 2024
