The FULL Guide To What Is a Good Ball Speed For A Driver (Benchmarks By Handicap + Age)

When I got fitted for a new driver recently the expert club fitter taking the session was delighted with the additional 5mph of driver ball speed that resulted.

There was no mention of terms like ‘ball speed’ when I started playing but given we now know it is the single biggest factor in determining the distance a drive actually goes it was obviously a good outcome.

However I was unsure whether the 150 mph ball speed I ended up with is any good for a driver or not?

So let’s dive straight into the data to find out not only what is a good ball speed for a driver for both men and women as well as see what we can find out what average ball speed numbers broken down by handicap and age tell us.

Golfing Focused Key Takeaways For Time Pressed Golfers

• For male amateurs anything above 133 mph ball with a driver is ‘good’. For women a good driver ball speed is over 100 mph.
• Ball Speed by Handicap: Lower handicaps produce higher driver ball speeds. Scratch golfers average 161 mph, while the average male amateur (14.2 handicap) sits at 133 mph.
• Gaining 1 mph of driver ball speed can add up to 2 yards (1.8 metres) of distance according to Trackman data. Stats also show that increased distance directly correlates to lower scores
• Age and Ball Speed: Ball speed peaks in your 20s (139 mph for men, 119 mph for women) and declines by about 20 mph by age 60.
• PGA Tour players average driver ball speed is 173.6 mph with long drive specialist Sam Attanasio achieving a staggering 245 mph.

a Good Average Driver Ball Speed Is Less Than You Think!

If you follow golf content on social media at all you will be forgiven for thinking that the vast majority of golfers are all driving the ball over 300 yards regularly.

You would therefore anticipate that almost everyone is getting over the 160mph ball speed needed to drive the ball that far and if you are not reaching that number yourself you are not doing very well.

No matter what you see on YouTube or read on social media however you can be assured this is not the case!

Because this is how the real ball speed numbers stack up according to Trackman – the world leader in 3D ball flight measurement:

• A ‘good’ ball speed for a driver is 133 mph or more as it is above the average ball for a male golfer of 132.6 mph.
• A high driver ball speed is 145 mph+ while less than 120 mph is considered low.
• Elite driver ball speeds reach 170 mph and over.

Women amateurs of course don’t hit the ball as far as men, therefore the benchmarks for what is considered a ‘good’ driver ball speed for a women golfer is obviously different.

And based on the stats we’ve collected from both Trackman, Arccos and Foresight Sports – another world leader in launch monitor technology – we can conclude:

• The average ball speed for a female golfer hitting driver is around 100 mph.
• A driver ball speed over 100 mph is ‘good’ for a women player as it above average
• A high driver ball speed for a female golfer is over 120 mph based on this ball speed being produced by the average single figure handicapped lady amateur.

These raw numbers don’t tell the whole story of course because although driver distance is principally impacted by ball speed it is not the only factor that determines how far you hit the ball.

According to Trackman for example the average driver ball speed for a male golfer of 132.6 mph is still 7.5 mph less than the 140.1 mph the average male amateur could achieve by hitting the ball at an optimal launch angle and spin rate.

The ‘launch conditions’ a golfer adds to their ball speed to get the maximum distance they are capable of is different for each golfer and is dictated by their driver swing speed and ‘attack angle’ at impact.

But if we do focus on purely driver ball speed for a moment, we can see from the following charts where various ball speeds sit in the spectrum compared to other regular amateur golfers of different handicaps.

As you can see from our ball speed charts therefore, if you find yourself recording a driver ball speed of 135mph for a man and over 100 mph for a woman, the stats would say that is ‘good’.

And if you find yourself reaching the 150mph or even 160mph marks those are definitely high driver ball speeds for male amateur players.

Because if you are hitting those sorts of ball speeds the 300-yard driving distance may be a reality rather than a dream for you one day.

Just remember though.

No matter what you hear or read on the Internet only 0.1% of amateurs drive the ball over 300 yards (274.2 metres) on average so if you’re not reaching the high driver ball speeds needed to produce that distance you are in good, and a lot of, company!

Average Driver Ball Speed By Handicap and Age. Strike it Better to Lower Scores.

While terms like ‘ball speed’ have become a standard part of golf discussions these days the most common way regular players compare themselves remains by handicap.

So having looked at what’s a good ball speed for a driver generally for both men and women we wanted to see how average driver ball speeds for a driver varied across different handicap categories.

As a general rule lower handicapped golfers have higher average ball speeds than higher handicapped players and according to Trackman the average speeds of a ball hit by a driver by handicap are as follows:

• Scratch or better: 161 mph
• 5 handicap: 147 mph
• 10 handicap: 138 mph
• 14.2 handicap: 133 mph (Average male amateur)
• 20 handicap: 131 mph (Bogey golfer)

As we have already noted ball speed is the biggest factor in how far a golf ball ‘actually’ carries.

Trackman estimates that gaining 1 mph of ball speed can increase driver distance by up to 2 yards or 1.8 meters.

And as their data clearly shows for male amateurs lower handicapped golfers consistently produce higher ball speeds on average – a pattern that is repeated when we look at the estimated average driver ball speeds for women by handicap:

• Scratch or better: 131 mph
• 5 handicap: 125 mph
• 10 handicap: 119 mph
• 15 handicap: 111 mph
• 20 handicap: 105 mph (Bogey golfer)
• 25 handicap: 100 mph (Average women amateur)

There are of course exceptions to every rule and you won’t have to spend long on the Internet to find golfers queuing up to provide single examples of playing partners who don’t confirm to the averages.

Irrespective of this however the link between higher average driver ball speeds and lower handicaps is very clear and beyond dispute.

What do we mean when we talk about ball speed and why does it matter so much?

In technical terms ‘ball speed’ is the speed of the golf ball immediately after impact but in more useful practical terms it is a measure of how well a golfer strikes the golf ball. In short good contact with the ball will translate to increased ball speed.

When we previously looked at how average driver swing speeds compared by handicap we also analysed how they compared by age.

Unfortunately when it comes to driver ball speeds however none of the big launch monitor or golf stats companies produce equivalent numbers by age.

Golfing Focus likes a challenge though.

And based on a combination of data from Arccos, golf’s first AI platform’s analysis of tens of millions of amateur drives combined with Foresight’s optimal driver launch condition stats here are our estimated average ball speeds for a driver by age for both men and women.

AGE	MEN AVERAGE DRIVER BALL SPEED	WOMEN AVERAGE DRIVER BALL SPEED (mph)
15 to 19 years	135 mph	–
20 to 29 years	139 mph	119 mph
30 to 39 years	137 mph	115 mph
40 to 49 years	133 mph	109 mph
50 to 59 years	127 mph	99 mph
60 to 69 years	119 mph	–
70 to 79 years	109 mph	–

The Pro Perspective – Pro vs. Amateur Driver Ball Speeds

To put these all these average speed numbers of a ball hit by driver into a bit more context the average ball speed on the PGA Tour in 2024 was 173.63 mph.

As we show in our deep dive into driver ball speeds on Tour this number has been steadily rising since Shotlink started tracking this stat on the PGA Tour in 2007.

It has risen almost every year since then and the logic for it increasing the 8.35 mph it has since 2007 is very simple.

More driver ball speed means more distance and more distance in turn means lower scores and therefore ultimately more success on Tour.

As Professor Mark Broadie, the pioneer of modern golf stats and the strokes gained metric, notes: “Golfers who can’t hit it long and straight never even make it to the Tour.”

A similar trend, albeit not as big, has been seen on the LPGA Tour where the average driver ball speed has risen 3 mph to 143 mph in recent years.

Padraig Harrington meanwhile, the longest driver and 3-time winner on the Champions Tour this year, regularly posting ball speeds close to 180 mph in tournament play which exceed the speeds he reached when in his prime on the main Tour.

World long drive specialists Sam Attanasio and Kyle Berkshire have meanwhile been trading driver ball speed records in recent years with Attanasio recently matching his own ball speed world record of a staggering 245 mph.

These Tour and long driver ball speed figures are of course ones that the average golfer should not be overly concerned about as they are ones achieved by golfers whose full-time job it is to hit the ball a long way.

But understanding the reasons why those who make golf their career are focusing on increasing their average ball speeds with driver certainly is!

Before You Go …

Driver ball speed is the biggest factor in determining the distance your drives actually go but your driver swing speed is the key factor for determining a golfer’s ‘potential’ distance.

So check out how far you ‘should’ be hitting the ball with your driver club speed in our next article.

How Far Should Your Driver Swingspeed Go? 60 To 120 Mph Guide

Or to see what your driver distance should be based on the ball speed you generate check out this post.

How Far Should Your Ball Speed Go? 100mph All the Way to 210mph!

Other great posts related to this topic:

• A Look At What Is A ‘Good’ Drive, What’s Bad And What’s Average
• How Far Should You Hit a Driver? FULL GUIDE By Age, Handicap etc.
• Average Driver Swingspeeds – COMPLETE GUIDE By Age, Handicap Etc.
• The Complete Guide To How Far Should A Woman Hit A Driver
• Breaking Down The Average Driver Swing Speed For Women
• What Should Your Driver Attack Angle Be? Try Not to Be Negative
• Why Don’t Your Drives Go Far? Slow and Steady Loses the Race
• What Determines Driver Distance? Skill Triumphs Over All!
• 10 Ways to Get More Distance off The Tee With & Without Speed!
• Ideal Spin Rate and Launch Angle for Driver? That’s Personal!
• 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
• How Far Does a 3 Wood vs 5 Wood Go? Tee and Approach Shots!
• How Far Should I Hit My Hybrids? 2 vs 3 vs 4 Hybrid Distances
• How Far Should I Hit My Irons? By Handicap, Age & Swingspeed
• How Far Should You Hit Your Wedges? Be Sure to Fill the Gaps!
• Going The Distance? How Far Should Beginners Hit A Golf Ball?
• Do All Golf Balls Go the Same Distance? Physics First
• Are Driving Range Distances Accurate? Golf Balls are a Problem
• What is Considered a Long Golf Course? The Long and Short of It