I have an 18 handicap. How far should I be hitting my 6-iron? How far do most people hit a lob wedge? How far does a pro hit a 3-iron? I’m in my late fifties, how far should I be driving the ball?

Questions about yardage expectations are among those we receive most at GCR - from our own testers as well as everyone else. Almost every player wants to know how he compares to others. In response, we have devised the master chart seen below.

Human beings cannot be placed into easy and convenient groupings, but we have attempted to do it, nonetheless. Please remember that the distance categories listed below are just for general reference. They represent only the ranges of yardages that various segments of the playing population might reasonably expect to generate – on average.

In reality, performance levels vary endlessly for all age groups and sexes. Senior standout, Jim Dent, can knock the ball well past strong players who are thirty years his junior. Nick Faldo hits a 4-iron about the same distance as Charles Howell III hits an easy 7-iron, though Nick is a much larger and stronger man. Some part-time hackers can hit for great distances while some highly skilled low-handicappers of the same age and physical type hit for much shorter distances.

When a player calculates his (or her) own hitting averages, he will need to use his range of average hits, not his very best hits. Very best and very worst results should be thrown out of the equation. Most people, especially males, tend to ignore their poor shots and just recall their finest efforts. Consequently, they pull a six-iron from their bag when they should be pulling their five- or four-iron. The shot comes up short and they say, "But I can hit my six-iron 170 yards!". That is just what they can do – two times out of ten attempts. The other eight times, the shot will be ten to twenty yards shorter. For every ten hits with a particular club, the two worst and the two best hits should be tossed out.

A final note: Six elements combine to create maximum distance: 1.) Proper Technique 2.) Fine Athleticism 3.) Good Conditioning 4.) Appropriate Equipment 5.) Gender/Hormones and 6.) Youth. If you don't like where your own, personal averages appear on this chart, you can always improve upon three, maybe four, of the six elements listed above.