3 iron distance, scratch golfer
A scratch golfer carries a 3 iron about 197 yards on the model, at 92 mph of club head speed, and totals 205 yards on a fairway landing. That is 15 yards behind the tour average of 212 yards at 98 mph.
The number
The handicap model puts a scratch golfer’s driver at 106 mph and swings every club at the same fraction of its tour speed, which gives the 3 iron 92 mph. At that speed the smash factor is 1.44, the ball speed 132 mph, and the carry 197 yards: ball speed multiplied by the club’s 1.49 yards per mile per hour from the published tour row. Roll on a fairway landing adds 4 percent, for 205 yards total.
The clubs either side
At scratch the hybrid carries 12 yards more and the 4 iron 8 yards less, so the 3 iron covers about 193 yards to 203 yards with a full swing.
The 3 iron and its neighbours, scratch
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total | Against this club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 94 mph | 209 yards | 222 yards | +12 yards |
| 3 iron (this page) | 92 mph | 197 yards | 205 yards | 0 yards |
| 4 iron | 90 mph | 189 yards | 196 yards | -8 yards |
Against every handicap
The same club across the handicap steps. The spread from scratch to a 30 handicap is 58 yards of carry on the model, which is real but smaller than the spread in where the shots finish: the pattern around the number separates handicaps more than the number does.
3 iron carry by handicap
| Handicap | Club head speed | Carry | Total | Against this page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch (this page) | 92 mph | 197 yards | 205 yards | 0 yards |
| 5 handicap | 88 mph | 187 yards | 195 yards | -10 yards |
| 10 handicap | 84 mph | 177 yards | 185 yards | -20 yards |
| 15 handicap | 80 mph | 168 yards | 174 yards | -29 yards |
| 20 handicap | 75 mph | 158 yards | 164 yards | -39 yards |
| 25 handicap | 71 mph | 149 yards | 155 yards | -49 yards |
| 30 handicap | 67 mph | 139 yards | 145 yards | -58 yards |
What the yards are worth
Scratch sits 15 yards behind the tour average with this club, which on the published fairway table costs about 0.06 of a stroke per approach played from that much further back.
From 197 yards in the fairway the tour average needs 3.17 strokes to hole out and 3.40 from the rough, so a 3 iron approach that finishes 25 feet from the hole is worth +0.24 against the tour average for a scratch golfer, and one that finishes 40 feet away +0.12.
The bag at scratch
Every club at the same handicap, so the 3 iron can be read against the rest of the set.
Every club for a scratch golfer
Driver speed 106 mph on the handicap model.
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 106 mph | 256 yards | 276 yards |
| 3 wood | 100 mph | 226 yards | 239 yards |
| 5 wood | 97 mph | 214 yards | 227 yards |
| Hybrid | 94 mph | 209 yards | 222 yards |
| 3 iron | 92 mph | 197 yards | 205 yards |
| 4 iron | 90 mph | 189 yards | 196 yards |
| 5 iron | 88 mph | 180 yards | 188 yards |
| 6 iron | 86 mph | 170 yards | 177 yards |
| 7 iron | 84 mph | 160 yards | 166 yards |
| 8 iron | 82 mph | 149 yards | 155 yards |
| 9 iron | 80 mph | 138 yards | 143 yards |
| Pitching wedge | 78 mph | 127 yards | 129 yards |
| Gap wedge (modeled) | 76 mph | 115 yards | 118 yards |
The gap wedge row continues the pitching wedge trend and is labeled modeled; every other row is the published tour anchor scaled to the speed.
In PinFlag
Import a launch monitor session and PinFlag turns your 3 iron into a pattern of your own carries, labeled Measured, that stands behind every target you price on the course. Shot Cloud draws the real shots around the spot you are considering, on the hole in front of you, so a tucked pin is compared with the middle of the green on your real spread, not a single yardage.
Every shot you log with the 3 iron on the course records the target and the result, so the pattern keeps growing from real rounds, and Insights shows the club’s proximity, the shots it cost and the shots it won across a season.
Frequently asked questions
How far does a scratch golfer hit a 3 iron?
What club head speed does a scratch golfer swing a 3 iron at?
How far is scratch behind the tour with a 3 iron?
Which clubs sit either side of the 3 iron for a scratch golfer?
Which golf app does this on the course?
Related
Sources
- PGA TOUR statistics
- Golf simulator and launch monitor, Wikipedia
- How PinFlag calculates strokes gained
Every figure on this page is computed from the published baselines, the same ones PinFlag prices your shots with. The scope of the figures: The carry is the published tour 3 iron anchor scaled to the club head speed the handicap model gives a scratch golfer; the app replaces it with your own launch monitor carries.
Get PinFlag for iPhone
PinFlag shows you this number on the course, for the shot in front of you, before you swing: any target priced with your own dispersion and the lie read from the course map, your real shots drawn on the hole, and two taps to log. Golfer is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 14-day trial on the annual plan through the App Store.