Is Travel The Real Secret To Hitting The Ball Farther?

All golfers love to hit a good drive. And that feeling that comes with crushing a great tee shot is only made better when it goes a long way.

But if you’ve ever noticed that your drives seem to go farther in some places than others you’re not imagining things.

The location where you golf can play a big role in how far you hit the ball.

So where do golf ball fly farthest in the US? And most importantly – why?

In this post we take a fun look at how you could be only the price of a plane ticket away from unleashing your longest drive ever!

Golfing Focused Takeaways For Time Pressed Golfers

• Golf balls travel up to 25 yards farther in high-altitude states like Utah and Colorado compared to sea-level locations
• The top 3 longest-hitting states are Utah (267 yards – 244 metres), Colorado (264 yards – 241 metres), and Nevada (263 yards – 240 metres)
• At 5,000 feet altitude, the average male amateur hits the ball 6% further than at sea level
• Higher altitudes not only increase distance but also make shots fly lower and straighter with less curve

Breaking Down The States Where Golfers Hit The Ball The Farthest

Golfing Focus has already taken a deep dive into how regular players tee shots stack up by age, handicap and swing speed but it’s worth bearing in mind that ‘where’ you play your golf matters too.

Regular golfers from Denver for example may find their golf balls not travelling as far on golfing trips to Florida and thanks to a fun study by golf stats guru Lou Stagner of Arccos Golf there is data on which states produce the longest and shortest hitters

And according to Stagner the top 3 longest hitting states are as follows:

• 🥇 1. Utah – 267 yards (244 metres)
• 🥈 2. Colorado – 264 yards (241 metres)
• 🥉 3. Nevada – 263 yards (240 metres)

But by comparison he found the following states to be the shortest hitters:

• 50. Florida – 242 yards (221 metres)
• 49. Delaware – 243 yards (222 metres)
• 48. South Carolina – 245 yards (224 metres)

Comparing driving distances across States like this is all good fun and for sure generates some entertaining exchanges between friends from different parts of the country.

But but given Stagner’s study was is restricted to the summer months between May and September and only low handicappers does it actually tell us anything?

And a closer look at the numbers together with other data does offer some interesting insights into what elements affect golf ball distance and how they could be relevant to your driving yardages.

WHERE have you hit your longest drive? Let us know in the comments!

The Secret To Gaining Instant Distance Off The Tee On Your Golfing Travels!

3 factors – ball speed, launch angle and spin rate – determine driver distance and are entirely ‘controlled’ by you or any golfer for that matter.

But what if we told you that exactly the same numbers of each of these three ‘controllable’ elements produce different results depending on location because of elements you can’t ‘control’.

Conditions are another and sometimes forgotten factor that affect how far a golf ball travels but they can have a big impact.

Golfing Focus takes a very deep dive into all the elements of weather and location than affect golf ball distance in another article but in short:

✅ Higher altitude = longer carry → Less air resistance = ball flies farther
✅ Warmer temperatures = less air density → Ball travels slightly further
✅ Firm, dry fairways = extra rollout → Harder ground = more distance after landing

Put all these three factors and the data from Arccos starts to make more sense, explaining why states in the western U.S. tending to hit it longer, while states along the East Coast and in the South see shorter drives.

The places that dominate the leaderboard all have high elevation and, next to wind, this is the factor that affects golf ball distance the most as the thinner air means less ‘drag’ on the golf ball.

States like Florida, South Carolina, and Delaware meanwhile all sit at, or near sea level, where the greater density of the air creates more resistance on the ball leading to more lift and drag and drives flying higher, landing more steeply and carrying shorter distances.

The other elements do a play a part but the simplified message is this – if you want to feel like a long-drive champion without changing your swing book your next golf trip with your buddies to Colorado or Utah.

But if you do find yourself teeing it up in places like Florida or South Carolina instead and notice your normal distances shrink don’t worry – it’s not your swing, it’s just physics!

How Much Farther Do Golf Balls Go at High Altitudes?

Now let’s get more specific.

Just how much farther will your drives fly on your next golf trip to Denver or Arizona compared to Florida or South Carolina?

According to Trackman the average male amateur golfers hit shots 6% further at an altitude of 5000 feet. 

Arccos’ detailed study of the millions of drives hit by their users also highlights that altitude helps longer golfers more than shorter players.

The have further produced this table graphic of average driver distance broken down by altitude and handicap.

So if you find yourself playing at the higher altitudes of Albuquerque, NM (5,312 feet above sea level) or Salt Lake City, UT (4,226 feet above sea level) in the same season as playing a few games in Phoenix, AZ (1,058 feet above sea level) and Dallas, TX (430 feet above sea level) you can use this to get a better idea of whether your drives should go farther or shorter compared to normal.

And if are lucky enough to play at various altitudes, it’s important to understand that’s it is not just your distances that are impacted.

Ball flight dynamics are also affected with shots flying lower and straighter, rolling more after landing and curving less.

“When you go to high altitude, you’re going to hit the ball lower in the air. That’s kind of a weird thing.”

Marty Jertson, Ping Vice President of fitting and performance

The good news about the ball curving less at altitude of course is that the fairways will play wider.

But if you do play at various altitudes, it’s important to understand the role of trajectory and spin to maximize distance.

Or to put it another way, the ideal launch conditions of launch angle + spin rate at sea level in San Diego, CA likely aren’t the same as in Denver, CO (5,280 ft).

Remember too that you can also use different clubs to help increase the distance you hit the ball at higher altitudes.

For example hybrid golf clubs are designed to launch the ball higher than their iron counterparts.

Therefore simply by playing a hybrid rather than an iron players can launch the ball higher which has the double benefit of making it carry a bit more and also making it easier to stop the ball on the green.

USA vs. Europe: Who Has the Driving Edge?

So, we know certain U.S. states help golfers hit it farther, but what happens when we compare American golfers to European golfers?

Well, according to Arccos Golf, U.S. amateurs outdrive European amateurs at every handicap level.

The reasons why this is are unlikely to be explainable by altitude differences however.

European courses tend to be softer and wind can often play much more of a factor especially on the links courses which dominate the UK’s coast line for example.

Nevertheless while our US readers may find themselves debating the state to state numbers it seems you have the advantage if you are planing any Ryder Cup style golfing trips in the future!

But given the base level altitude of Bethpage Black (80 to 180 feet above sea level) it appears this is not going to a big factor for the pros at the 2025 Ryder Cup!

Before You Go …

As we’ve seen altitude is just one of the elemenst affecting the distance a golf ball travels. For a full breakdown on them all including wind, temperature, humidity, slopes and more check out our next article.

What Affects Golf Ball Distance? Beware ALL The Uncontrollables!

More great posts related to this topic:

• A Look At What Is a ‘Good’ Drive, What’s Bad and What’s Average
• Why Don’t Your Drives Go Far? Slow and Steady Loses the Race
• 10 Ways to Get More Distance off The Tee With & Without Speed!
• Ideal Spin Rate and Launch Angle for Driver? That’s Personal!
• How Far Should Your Ball Speed Go? 100mph All the Way to 210mph!
• How Far Should Your Driver Swingspeed Go? 60 to 120 mph Guide
• What Should Your Driver Attack Angle Be? Try Not to Be Negative
• How Much Does Driver Loft Affect Distance? Loft is Dynamic Too!
• Where is the Sweet Spot on the Driver Face? Take the High Road
• Are Driving Range Distances Accurate? Golf Balls are a Problem
• Should Beginners & High Handicappers Use a Driver? Yes & Yes
• How Far Should You Hit Your Wedges? Be Sure to Fill the Gaps!
• How Far Should I Hit My Irons? By Handicap, Age & Swingspeed
• How Far Should I Hit My Hybrids? 2 vs 3 vs 4 Hybrid Distances
• How Far Does a 3 Wood vs 5 Wood Go? Tee and Approach Shots!
• Do Distance Balls Go Further? Marketing Matters
• What is Considered a Long Golf Course? The Long and Short of It