For any amateur golfer trying to improve their game, adding distance is usually high on the priority list.
How far you hit your clubs is usually directly correlated to your handicap index, and despite golf being an individual sport… It's hard not to compare yourself to other players.
Understanding where you sit in the overall picture can help to pinpoint areas of strength and weakness in your game, with shot tracking playing a crucial role in providing key insights to help you improve. In this article, we use the latest Arccos data to share how far golfers hit their irons on average...
How Does Distance Differ Between The Highest And Lowest Handicap Indexes?
Unsurprisingly, the biggest disparity in distance between all handicap indexes comes with long-irons. The gulf between a 0- to 5-handicapper and a 20- to 25-handicapper is over 52 yards with a 3-iron, and 40 yards with a 4-iron (as demonstrated in the graph below)
This trend continues when comparing average distance gained with a 5-iron in comparison to a 6-iron, with a gap of more than 32 yards and 26 yards for a 5- and 6-iron respectively.
As you move through the bag to a 7- and 8-iron, the disparity between the index range shortens further. The average distance that a 0- to 5-handicapper hits an 8-iron is around 25 yards longer than a 20- to 25-handicapper, while the gap with a 9-iron between the same ranges is 20 yards.
Interestingly, the average distance disparity between a high and low handicapper using a 9-iron and pitching wedge bucks the trend. A 0- to 5-handicapper hits a 9-iron around 20 yards further than a 20- to 25-handicapper, while a pitching wedge increases further to 24 yards.
The biggest gap in club distance for the majority of golfers is actually between the pitching wedge and 9-iron, perhaps emphasising the importance of working on short game to improve your handicap index.
0 to 5 Handicappers Average Distance With Irons
The graph below shows the difference in average yardage hit for each iron by players with a 0- to 5-handicap. The data shows that the biggest gap in club distance occurs between the 4- and 5-iron, measuring at 14.1 yards.
5 to 10 Handicappers Average Distance With Irons
The graph below shows the difference in average yardage hit for each iron by players with a 5- to 10-handicap. This graph shows that the biggest gap in club distance occurs between a pitching wedge and 9-iron, measuring at 14.7 yards.
10 to 15 Handicappers Average Distance With Irons
The graph below shows the difference in average yardage hit for each iron by players with a 10- to 15-handicap. The data shows that the biggest gap in club distance occurs between a pitching wedge and 9-iron, measuring at 15.8 yards.
Compared to the average yardages of a 0- to 5-handicapper, this index range are more than a club behind in terms of distance.
15 to 20 Handicappers Average Distance With Irons
The graph below shows the difference in average yardage hit for each iron by players with a 15- to 20-handicap. The data shows that the biggest gap in club distance occurs between a pitching wedge and 9-iron, measuring at 17 yards.
20 to 25 Handicappers Average Distance With Irons
The graph below shows the difference in average yardage hit for each iron by players with a 20- to 25-handicap. The data shows that the biggest gap in club distance occurs between a pitching wedge and 9-iron, measuring at 18.5 yards.
As an interesting point of reference, a 0- to 5-handicapper hit an 8-iron 144 yards on average, just two less than the average 4-iron for this range measuring 146.9 yards, representing a four-club difference.
How Accurate Should I Be With My Irons?
A scratch golfer hits the green-in-regulation (GIR) around 70 percent of the time from 100-124 yards. That number decreases substantially as handicap indexes increase, with a 5-handicapper hitting 60 percent. A 20-handicapper is significantly less successful from this distance, hitting the GIR around 40 percent of the time.
As you can see from the graph, as the distance increases the GIR percentage for all golfers decreases, with all golfers hitting less than 20 percent of GIR from 200+ yards.
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