In the recent British Open at Portrush we saw the like of Brooks Koepka driving the green on a hole 425 yards long and we regularly see tour professionals hit the ball in excess of 320 yards.
In a recent golf article in the Golf Monthly and based on statistics issued by the R&A and USGA it is considered my many that a GOOD DRIVE for an amateur male player is 280-300 yards BUT the reality is that the average is only 215 yards.
I hear many amateur golfers complaining about the distance they hit the ball or how much distance they have lost but perhaps the following statistics will put it all into respective:
Handicap 5 and below average 240 yards
Handicaps 6-12 average 220 yards
Handicaps 13-20 average 204 yards
Handicaps 21 and above average 187 yards
The above statistics are based on 87% of shots being played with a driver
Interestingly this average is up 15 yards since the year 2000 BUT 2 yards down on 2005 so the impact of using the large 460cc driver is questionable.
For our lady golfers the average drive is 148 yards or 196 yards for 5 handicap and below.
So in the cold light of day based on the facts you may just be a better golfer than you think you are or not getting as old and weak as you think!