How far do amateur males hit their driver?

[Javs]

I found this article very interesting. They obviously aren’t following the virtual tournaments here as many of you bomb the ball!

https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/the-game/how-far-do-male-golfers-hit-their-drives-233065?utm_term=CFEB69DA-8695-406A-822D-71925C4B6E39&lrh=afabd56f8788996dec1eed39e53e29756a4fe34c1aff9fa4fdfa9f254cbb042a&utm_campaign=075440B8-601C-4440-A9B1-8A7444061AA8&utm_medium=email&utm_content=D083C0F3-CDA3-4073-85F8-43338E20901C&utm_source=SmartBrief

[Subdiver1]

Interesting article. I cannot argue, but would ask a question on "average," are we talking performance average or overall average the two are different. My last 3 years using Shot Scope show >250 "average" and >270 "performance average" which pulls the chucked shots and serious outliers out of the equation.

I fall in the 50+ age group, floating in the 4-7 handicap range.

I don't think they are "wrong," we have all (or at least many of us) seen the articles and testing that show that amateurs over estimate driver distance. I know I am sometimes...optimistic ...when choosing clubs.

Good find.

[chisag]

2 hours ago, Javs said:

I found this article very interesting. They obviously aren’t following the virtual tournaments here as many of you bomb the ball!

https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/the-game/how-far-do-male-golfers-hit-their-drives-233065?utm_term=CFEB69DA-8695-406A-822D-71925C4B6E39&lrh=afabd56f8788996dec1eed39e53e29756a4fe34c1aff9fa4fdfa9f254cbb042a&utm_campaign=075440B8-601C-4440-A9B1-8A7444061AA8&utm_medium=email&utm_content=D083C0F3-CDA3-4073-85F8-43338E20901C&utm_source=SmartBrief

 

... Thankfully I am about 40yds longer than average for my age. A very interesting stat is fairways hit. 70-79 averages 60% for 1-5 index and 20-29 averages 43%. I had this discussion with my pards yesterday. Hitting the ball on the exactt same line to the left edge of the fairway the 81 yr old in our group is in the fairway at around 190-200yds. I am in the rough and possible trouble on that same one at around 240-250. The youngest at 36yrs old in our group is definitely in the desert and big trouble on the same line driving the ball around 270-280. So it isn't really a huge surprise that older players hit more fairways. 

[funkyjudge]

3 hours ago, Javs said:

I found this article very interesting. They obviously aren’t following the virtual tournaments here as many of you bomb the ball!

https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/the-game/how-far-do-male-golfers-hit-their-drives-233065?utm_term=CFEB69DA-8695-406A-822D-71925C4B6E39&lrh=afabd56f8788996dec1eed39e53e29756a4fe34c1aff9fa4fdfa9f254cbb042a&utm_campaign=075440B8-601C-4440-A9B1-8A7444061AA8&utm_medium=email&utm_content=D083C0F3-CDA3-4073-85F8-43338E20901C&utm_source=SmartBrief

Although I have gradually been losing distance with all of my clubs, I guess that I should consider myself extremely lucky. At age 74, I am a full 53 yards longer than the “average” 70-79 year old male golfer with a 10-14 handicap.

Due to injuries, illness, and a lengthy period of no golf while recovering from a very bad infection and months-long hospitalization in late 2020 and early 2021, my driving distance average dropped to just over 235 yards (carry + roll) at age 72-73. However, thanks to an aggressive fitness and flexibility program that I adhere to religiously, plus dropping about 20-25 pounds, I have gotten my driving distance average up to 246-247 yards this year (validated on three different launch monitors). I still occasionally pop one out to 260-275 yards with my driver when I catch it just right and maybe have a bit of a tailwind or a slightly downhill fairway working for me.

[Javs]

37 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

Although I have gradually been losing distance with all of my clubs, I guess that I should consider myself extremely lucky. At age 74, I am a full 53 yards longer than the “average” 70-79 year old male golfer with a 10-14 handicap.

Due to injuries, illness, and a lengthy period of no golf while recovering from a very bad infection and months-long hospitalization in late 2020 and early 2021, my driving distance average dropped to just over 235 yards (carry + roll) at age 72-73. However, thanks to an aggressive fitness and flexibility program that I adhere to religiously, plus dropping about 20-25 pounds, I have gotten my driving distance average up to 246-247 yards this year (validated on three different launch monitors). I still occasionally pop one out to 260-275 yards with my driver when I catch it just right and maybe have a bit of a tailwind or a slightly downhill fairway working for me.

That is still very impressive for 54 or 74! You are still putting it out there!!

[funkyjudge]

3 hours ago, Javs said:

That is still very impressive for 54 or 74! You are still putting it out there!!

I really do work hard on keeping fit and specifically on flexibility for golf (and other things).

[Javs]

32 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

I really do work hard on keeping fit and specifically on flexibility for golf (and other things).

That is great and it pays off. I go to the gym six days a week. I also stretch everyday. When I was a kid and a caddie at a local country and an older member taught me a lesson. I caddied for this guy who was in his 70’s and he still moved the ball as good as any younger member. I asked him his secret. He told me to stretch everyday. I was always an athlete, but back then we didn’t stretch like we should. Listening to him and seeing the results made me incorporate stretching. 

[Hook DeLoft]

According to the table, I am right on the average for golfers of my age and handicap range. The interesting thing to me in terms of my game, is how little my scores vary with different weather conditions. We have been in a drought for months and our fairways are hard and fast. As a result, I have hit a number of tee shots in the 250 to 260 range during the drought. In the winter, when the course is soft, most of my drives are around 200 to 210 yards. Yet my scores stay pretty much the same year round. 

[jolter1]

I guess as I am closing in on 71, hitting it consistantly between 215 and 225 is pretty good for my age and handicap.