Driving Distance
Driving distance is the total distance a tee shot travels with a driver, measured from the teeing ground to where the ball comes to rest. It is also the standard statistic professional tours use to track how far players hit the ball off the tee.
What is driving distance?
In golf, driving distance refers to how far a player hits a tee shot with a driver, the longest club in the bag. The measurement runs from the teeing ground to wherever the ball finally stops, and it includes both the airborne portion of the shot and the roll along the ground after landing.
The term has two related meanings. On any single hole, a drive can be measured directly: a 250-yard drive means the ball traveled 250 yards from tee to rest. As a tracked statistic, driving distance is the average of those individual measurements across many drives, showing how far a player typically hits the ball off the tee.
Driving distance matters because it shapes the rest of the hole. A longer tee shot leaves a shorter approach to the green, which usually means an easier club into the putting surface and a better chance of scoring well. According to Arccos data published by Golf Digest, the connection between driving distance and handicap is one of the clearest in the recreational game.
How driving distance is measured
The official definition used by the USGA and R&A is straightforward. The 2023 USGA/R&A Distance Report defines driving distance as the total distance from the teeing ground to where the ball comes to rest, regardless of where the ball ends up, whether fairway, rough, bunker, or putting green.
The PGA Tour collects its driving distance stat in a specific way. Per the PGA Tour’s published methodology, the average comes from two measured drives per round, taken on two holes chosen to face opposite directions so the effect of wind cancels out. About 40,000 shots are measured this way over the course of a PGA Tour season, according to the same USGA report.
A few details follow from this method. Drives are counted whether or not they land in the fairway, so a 280-yard tee shot that ends up in the rough still counts as a 280-yard drive. About 97% of PGA Tour players use driver on the holes selected for measurement, according to the USGA report.
Other tracking systems, including Arccos and Shot Scope, use sensors or apps to capture every drive a player hits, not just two per round. These have produced large public data sets on how far recreational golfers actually drive the ball.
Driving distance vs. carry distance
These two terms are often used as if they mean the same thing, but they measure different things. Driving distance is the total: carry plus roll. Carry distance is just the carry, the airborne portion of the shot, from impact until the ball first touches the ground.
The difference is meaningful. According to Trackman data published by Golf Monthly, PGA Tour players carry their drives an average of 282 yards but reach a total of 300.2 yards once roll is included. That is roughly an 18-yard gap between what the ball flies and what the ball travels.
| Metric | What it measures | PGA Tour average | Average male amateur |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving distance (total) | Tee to where ball stops | 300.2 yards | ~225 yards |
| Carry distance | Tee to first bounce | 282 yards | ~198 yards |
Sources: PGA Tour figures from Trackman 2023 via Golf Monthly. Amateur total from Arccos 2022 via Golf Digest. Amateur carry estimate based on MyGolfDistance.com’s finding that average carry runs about 12% shorter than total.
Carry distance is the more useful number when a hazard sits between the tee and the landing area. If a creek runs across the fairway at 220 yards, what counts is whether the ball can fly that far in the air. Total driving distance, by contrast, is more useful for understanding scoring potential and for comparing players.
Average driving distance by skill level
Driving distance varies widely across skill levels, and most amateur golfers hit the ball less far than they think.
| Player type | Average driving distance |
|---|---|
| 2025 PGA Tour leader (Aldrich Potgieter) | 325.0 yards |
| 2025 PGA Tour overall average | 302.8 yards |
| 2025 LPGA Tour leader (Julia Lopez Ramirez) | 285.4 yards |
| LPGA Tour recent average | ~256 yards |
| Scratch male amateur | ~250 yards |
| Average male amateur (Arccos 2022) | 225.9 yards |
| Average female amateur (Arccos 2022) | 177 yards |
| Average male handicap 28+ | 177 yards |
Sources: PGA Tour data via MyGolfSpy and Golf Compendium, LPGA stats via Golf Compendium and Golf Monthly, Arccos 2022 distance report via Golf Digest.
Two patterns hold across most studies. Distance correlates with handicap, with lower handicaps hitting it farther on average. Distance also drops with age. According to Arccos data published by Golf Digest, the average male golfer loses about 23% of his driving distance between his 20s and his 70s.
Records and notable distances
Two records stand out in the long-drive record books. The 515-yard mark has been hit twice in golf, decades apart and under different conditions. Mike Austin first reached that distance in 1974 at the Senior National Open Qualifier at Winterwood Golf Course in Las Vegas, when he was 64 years old and used a persimmon wood driver, according to Wikipedia. Rob Tinkler hit the same 515-yard mark at Burstead Golf Club in 2025.
On the PGA Tour, John Daly was the first player to average more than 300 yards in a season, hitting 302 yards in 1997, according to PGA.com. The longest single-season tour average belongs to Rory McIlroy, who averaged 326.3 yards in 2023, per Golf Compendium. The 2025 PGA Tour driving distance leader was Aldrich Potgieter at 325.0 yards.
Related Golf Terms
- Carry distance — The distance the ball travels through the air before landing.
- Driving accuracy — The percentage of tee shots that land in the fairway.
- Drive — The first shot on a hole, usually hit with a driver from the tee.
- Driver — The longest club in the bag, used primarily for tee shots on long holes.
- Dress code — Rules about appropriate clothing on a golf course.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does driving distance include roll?
Yes. Driving distance is the total distance, measured from the teeing ground to where the ball finally comes to rest. Roll is part of the number.
Is driving distance the same as carry distance?
No. Carry is the distance the ball travels in the air before its first bounce. Driving distance is carry plus roll. PGA Tour pros average about 282 yards of carry and 300 yards of total distance.
What is a good driving distance?
For an average male amateur, anything around 225 yards is on par with the data, according to Arccos. Single-digit handicaps tend to hit it 240 yards or more, and scratch golfers average around 250.
How is driving distance measured on the PGA Tour?
The PGA Tour averages two measured drives per round, taken on two holes that face opposite directions to cancel out wind. The ball is measured to the point where it comes to rest, regardless of fairway or rough.
What is the longest drive ever recorded?
The longest drive on record is 515 yards, set by Mike Austin in 1974 at the U.S. Senior National Open Qualifier and matched by Rob Tinkler at Burstead Golf Club in 2025, according to Wikipedia.
Sources
- USGA/R&A. “2023 Distance Report.” usga.org. Accessed 2026.
- PGA Tour. “Driving Distance Stats.” pgatour.com. Accessed 2026.
- LPGA. “Driving Stats.” lpga.com. Accessed 2026.
- Wikipedia. “Drive (golf).” Accessed 2026.
- Golf Digest. Stachura, Mike. “What the latest data reveals about average golfers’ driving distances.” (Arccos 2022 data.) Accessed 2026.
- Golf Monthly. “How Far PGA Tour Players Carry Their Drives.” (Trackman 2023 data.) Accessed 2026.
- MyGolfSpy. “PGA Tour Driving Distance Leaders: 2025 Versus 2015.” Accessed 2026.
- Golf Compendium. “PGA Tour Driving Distance Leaders By Year.” Accessed 2026.
