How Far Should Novice Golfers Hit Their Clubs?

Distance. That seems to be the reason play golf, to see how far you can hit the ball. There's the part about getting the ball into the hole, too, but if you asked any golfer if they wanted to hit the ball farther or score lower, the answer would likely be father, every time. We can take care of scoring later.

This is a question that new golfers face, and it's a mistake to look at the professionals for the answer. Male professional golfers routinely hit their 5-iron 200 yards. Heck, it was reported that Dustin Johnson recently hit his 7-iron 240 yards. Let's not concern ourselves with those numbers. What can golfers new to the game expect?

The answer depends on you. Most novices don't hit the ball very far. Men might hit a 9-iron 120 yards, a driver 200. A woman new to the game might get 90 and 150, respectively. Whoever you are, much of it depends on your athleticism and your prior experience with ball-and-stick sports.

Every golfer has to realize there is a limit to the distance they can hit the ball. Hitting the golf ball a long way is a talent. Some baseball players hit home runs, others don't, and you can't tell who's who by looking. Some people can just hit the golf ball a long way.

The matter to concern yourself with is carry distance, not total distance. How far the ball flies in the air is the most accurate measure of how far you hit a particular club, especially with the driver. If you drive 225 yards most of the time and have to carry a hazard that is 220 yards away, you won't make it because you fly the ball 210 and it gets an extra 15 yards of roll.

The final caveat is that you can't measure your length by the once-a-month moon shot that you hit. The distance you normally get when you make clean contact is the distance you hit that club.

So, O.K. How far should a novice be able to hit a golf ball? Look at the Trackman data for professional golfers. Go the LPGA Tour Averages chart, second column from the right. Make sure the Select Units button says Yards. For male novices, take 85 percent of these distances, female novices, 75 percent.

Those are the distances you'll get until you learn how to hit the ball on the center of the clubface, with a square and in-line clubhead, and hitting the ball first, ground second.

And you know what? Even if you never hit the ball farther than that, if it goes straight, you can get a good score.

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