How Far Should I Hit My Irons? By Handicap, Age & Swingspeed

While driving distance often steals the spotlight having a clear idea of how far you hit your irons is arguably more critical for scoring well.

Of the 2.79 strokes per round Tiger Woods gained against the PGA Tour’s average in his glory days between 2004 and 2012 a whopping 46% of his gain against the field – the biggest portion by far – came from approach shots.

Tiger’s precise knowledge of his iron distances would inevitably have been a key part of that incredible stat.

But while most golfers don’t typically want to compare their yardages with the best pros everyone wants to know how the distance they hit their irons compares with the ‘average’ golfer and their peers.

The average male golfer (14.2 handicap, 93.mpg swing speed) hits a 3-iron 172 yards, a 5-iron, 159 yards, a 9-iron 121 yards and a pitching wedge 110 yards.

Simply looking at these single statistics however masks the more complex reality.

Iron distances vary dramatically based on your skill level, age, physical capabilities, the equipment you use etc etc.

And this without even considering the point that golfers also hit the same irons in different ways for different approach shots depending on lies, course conditions and the weather!

So in this comprehensive guide we analyse iron distances from multiple angles – including handicap, age and swing speed – to give you realistic benchmarks for your own game.

And we’ll also reveal why comparing iron distances has become increasingly problematic as manufacturers have strengthened lofts and lengthened shafts over the last number of years!

Golfing Focused Key takeaways for Time Pressed Golfers

• The average male golfer (14.2 handicap) hits a 3-iron 172 yards, a 5-iron 159 yards, and a 9-iron 121 yards, but actual distances vary dramatically based on handicap, age, and physical capabilities
• Manufacturers have strengthened lofts by approximately 4° since 1980, making iron distance comparisons between different sets problematic
• The average golfer loses roughly 4 yards of 7-iron distance per decade after age 30, with steeper declines after 60.
• Higher swing speed directly correlates with greater iron distance, providing clear motivation for speed training to improve distance across all clubs.

Average Iron Distances by Handicap (including Charts)

Handicaps are the most practical and common way golfers compare themselves to each other.

So when looking at how far you should hit your irons, it makes sense to start with an analysis of average iron distances by handicap.

Many golfers have heard the conventional wisdom that a ‘typical’ player hits a 7-iron 150 yards with a consistent 10-yard gap between the rest of your irons.

Indeed when I checked while writing this article, Google’s AI search response generated exactly this answer!!

This generalization, though widely repeated across the web, fails to account for the significant variations that exist across different skill levels.

According to Arccos’ analysis of millions of amateur iron shots and Shotscope’s numbers for tens of thousands of their users iron distances by handicap are as follows:

Arccos Iron Distances

Shot Scope Iron Distances

Both these companies, through their wearable tech, can provide a much more accurate picture of how far amateurs truly hit their irons.

By measuring ‘smart distances,’ these systems remove abnormal ‘outlier’ iron shots (like duffed shots or balls hitting trees) to give as accurate an average as possible of how far their users hit well-struck shots with each iron.

Looking closer at this data, the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that Shot Scope consistently reports longer distances than Arccos across all irons and handicap ranges.

Golfing Focus’ in-depth analysis also showed that:

• Arccos iron distances consistently match best with Shot Scope handicap that are 5 index strokes higher
• The iron distance gaps between the two systems are largest for better players and narrow as handicap increases.

For example the average iron distance difference between 0 handicap Shot Scope golfers was 24.7 yards more than 0 to 4.9 handicapped Arccos users.

The highest handicap categories of both platforms meanwhile recorded only an average of 0.3 yard difference between them.

The differences suggest a systematic variation in how the two platforms categorize their data though clearly we cannot confirm the exact reason without behind the scenes access.

Several additional observations however suggest that the Arccos data provides a more realistic comparison for the iron distances of regular handicapped golfers:

• Iron yardages of scratch Shot Scope user showed distances even longer than PGA Tour averages for certain clubs, particularly with 4-iron.
• Shot Scope yardages for amateur women golfers showed several player categories hitting their irons further than the LPGA Tour pros
• Wedge yardages for Shot Scope golfers varied significantly across different handicap categories.

Admittedly the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour iron distances we used from Trackman in our analysis are ‘carry’ yardages, whereas both Arccos and Shot Scope report ‘total distances.’

But given the factors outlined above, and since my own iron yardage data closely matched the Arccos numbers, Golfing Focus’ view is that comparing your distances to the Arccos data likely gives a fairer reflection of where you stand among your handicap peers.

Regardless of whether you choose Arccos or Shot Scope for comparison however, one thing is immediately obvious:

It is only when you get towards the games of single-figured golfers – who make up less than 1/3 of the golfers in the USA for example – that the average total distance for a 7-iron starts to reach the much quoted ‘standard’ 150-yard mark.

For the vast majority of amateurs the reality is different.

And most importantly it’s vital for improvement-minded golfers to have a clear understanding of their actual iron distances rather than making club selections out on the course based on untested assumptions or statistical averages.

While comparing yourself to others is fun, especially regarding distance, knowing your own iron distances accurately is crucial for playing good golf.

There’s also one more key factor to consider when comparing iron distances with other golfers.

And that is the significant changes in standard lofts and lengths of irons over the years.

The USGA’s Annual Distance report shows that average iron lofts have decreased by 4° since 1980, while iron lengths have increased at the same time.

In practical terms, this means what was labeled a 7-iron in an older set might be stamped as an 8-iron in the latest models.

Furthermore, different models of the same numbered iron, even from the same manufacturer, can have very different lofts.

For example, Titleist’s T100 7-iron (the choice of so many PGA Tour pros) has 34° of loft, while the T200 model is lofted at just 30.5°!

In addition you may be like me and have had a club fitting where the lofts of your irons were bent to create more consistent yardage gaps.

When you consider the variety of irons of different ages and brands used by amateurs worldwide, it becomes clear why comparing iron distances between amateurs is challenging.

So the next time you ask your playing partner what iron they hit for that last shot to get an idea for your own shot bear in mind that their set of irons may be very different to yours depending on who made them and when!

I don’t care if you hit your 9-iron as far as I hit my 7-iron, I’m interested in hitting my 7-iron the same number every time, within plus or minus one or two yards – that’s my goal. You want to hit your driver far, but an iron is about finding the same distance consistently.

BERNHARD LANGER, 2-time major champion and 12 time senior major champion

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Average Golf Iron Distance by Age

When it comes to how far you should hit your irons, age is also clearly a key factor.

It is no great secret that golfers lose distance as they age, although our comparable in-depth analysis of driver distances did highlight that skill is twice as impactful as age when it comes to gaining or maintaining driver distance.

But what irons distances?

Does the average golf iron distance gradually decline with age or drop off a cliff once players reach a certain stage in their golfing life?

According to Arccos the average golfer loses 4 yards of total distance with a 7-iron every decade after age 30, with a much steeper decline after 60.

Unfortunately though while shot tracking systems like Arccos and Shot Scope capture the distances millions of amateurs hit their irons no comprehensive iron-specific distance dataset exists by age group.

Both systems however have published data on how far average golfers hit their driver broken down by age.

And based on Golfing Focus’ analysis of these numbers we estimate the following ‘total’ average distances different age groups hit their irons:

IRON CLUB	20 – 29 YEARS	30 – 39 YEARS	40 – 49 YEARS	50 – 59 YEARS	60 – 69 YEARS	70+ YEARS
3-iron	196	191	186	177	163	145
4-iron	184	180	175	166	153	137
5-iron	173	169	164	156	143	131
6-iron	167	163	158	151	138	124
7-iron	157	152	148	141	129	116
8-iron	149	144	141	134	123	111
9-iron	138	133	130	123	112	100
PW	121	116	114	107	98	87

This data reveals two clear patterns:

• After 30 the average golfer’s longest hitting days are behind them, and
• After 60 years of age the most severe distance drop-offs start to happen.

It is not all bad news however for golfers as they get older.

The same research also highlights a clear link between increased age and accuracy, and that until you hit 60, your approach shots will actually improve over time.

Essentially, what older golfers sacrifice in raw distance, they often gain in precision and course management.

And although all the stats inevitably show senior golfers over 60 experiencing the biggest iron distance modern golf tech now offers ever-increasing options to help golfers maintain distance.

So simply by being aware of these age-related patterns can help you make informed decisions about iron equipment changes that might offset any natural distance declines.

And if you want to check out what the estimate total distances are for how far you should hit your irons based on your handicap and age try out our iron distance calculator.

Iron Distance Calculator

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• The Stack System
• Fit for Golf (Use discount code GOLFINGFOCUS20 for 20% off annual subscriptions!)

How Far Should You Hit Your Irons Based on Swingspeed?

In days gone by, the average golfer wouldn’t have heard the the term ‘swing speed’, let alone considered it as a way to compare how far their irons with others.

In today’s data-driven golf landscape, however, swing speed has become a crucial metric as technologies like Trackman and Shotlink have demonstrated its direct relationship to distance.

Once again comprehensive stats on how far regular golfers hit their irons broken down by swing speed remains limited by comparison to the pros who never hit a shot these days without a nearby launch monitor tracking it.

However, experts in swing speed training, including PGA pro and GolfWRX senior writer Jaacob Bowden, have been able to apply some clever algebra to estimate how far you should hit your irons based on your swing speed.

The table below shows these estimated ‘carry’ distances alongside pro benchmarks for comparisons.

SWINGSPEED	3-IRON	4-IRON	5-IRON	6-IRON	7-IRON	8-IRON	9-IRON	PW
60 mph	114	109	104	98	92	86	79	73
70 mph	133	127	121	114	108	100	93	85
80 mph	151	145	139	131	123	114	106	97
90 mph	170	163	156	147	138	129	119	109
96 mph (LPGA Tour Avg.)	–	175	166	155	143	133	123	111
100 mph	189	181	173	163	154	143	132	121
106 mph (Champions Tour Avg.)	–	–	190	178	166	155	144	129
110 mph	208	199	191	180	169	157	145	134
115 mph (PGA Tour Avg.)	218	209	199	188	176	164	152	142
120 mph	227	218	208	196	184	171	159	146
130 mph	246	236	225	212	200	186	172	158
132.2 mph (Bryson DeChambeau)	–	255	235	220	205	190	175	160
141 mph (Long Drive Final Avg.)	265	254	243	229	215	200	185	170

These figures clearly demonstrate the direct correlation between higher swing speed and increased distance.

But if we analyse these numbers alongside the handicap-based iron distances we looked at earlier we can also conclude that one key reason lower handicappers hit the ball farther is their higher average swing speed.

This connection therefore provides a compelling incentive to anyone hoping to hit the ball farther for improving swing speed.

Not only will higher swing speeds likely result in greater iron distances, but statistical evidence also shows they correlate with lower scores and reduced handicaps.

It’s no wonder therefore why swing speed has become such a focal point in the modern game!

Before you go …

The topic of how far you should hit your irons clearly involves more complexity than the question of how far you the longest clubs in your bag should go.

And that is for the simple reason that your irons are going to be used for a far greater variety of shots, requiring you to hit the same iron varying distances throughout a round.

Indeed you will also often have a choice between multiple irons for the same approach shot.

So read our next article to find out how far you should hit the biggest club in the bag when it’s almost always the case of simply trying to hit the ball as far as you can!

How Far Should You Hit a Driver? FULL GUIDE By Age, Handicap etc.

[Note – Just so you know, and we are upfront as an affiliate program participant, Golfing Focus, at no cost to you, earns from qualifying purchases made through links on this page.]

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