5 wood distance at age 70

A golfer of 70 carries a 5 wood about 151 yards on the age model, at 71 mph of club head speed, and totals 160 yards on a fairway landing. That is 27 yards behind the peak of 179 yards at 20, which the published fairway table prices at about 0.12 of a stroke per approach.

The model

The age model puts driver club head speed at 78 mph for a golfer of 70: it peaks in the twenties, eases slowly to 30 and then falls about 0.35 mph a year, anchored to a 15 handicap at 30. Every club swings at the same fraction of its tour speed, which gives the 5 wood 71 mph, a smash factor of 1.41, 100 mph of ball speed and 151 yards of carry on the published tour row.

By decade

The same club across the age bands. Distance ages slowly and then quickly: the last column is how far each decade sits behind the peak.

5 wood carry by age

5 wood carry by age
AgeClub head speedCarryTotalBehind the peak
2082 mph179 yards189 yards0 yards
3084 mph182 yards193 yards-3 yards
4080 mph174 yards185 yards4 yards
5077 mph166 yards176 yards12 yards
6074 mph159 yards168 yards20 yards
70 (this page)71 mph151 yards160 yards27 yards

What the yards cost

Being 27 yards shorter with a 5 wood costs about 0.12 of a stroke per approach on the published fairway table, because each approach starts that much further back than the 150 yard reference. Off the tee the model’s driver at 70 totals 195 yards, so a 400 yard par 4 leaves 205 yards instead of the 170 yards it leaves at 20: 3.23 strokes to hole out against 3.03. The tee that puts approaches back where the table is flat is worth more than any swing change.

On a 400 yard par 4 a 5 wood of 160 yards leaves 240 yards, which the published fairway table prices at 3.42 strokes to hole out; ten more yards would leave 230 yards and 3.37, a difference of 0.05 before the approach is struck.

The bag at 70

Every club at the same age, so the 5 wood reads against the rest of the set.

Every club for a golfer of 70

Driver speed 78 mph on the age model.

Every club for a golfer of 70
ClubClub head speedCarryTotal
Driver78 mph180 yards195 yards
3 wood74 mph160 yards169 yards
5 wood71 mph151 yards160 yards
Hybrid69 mph148 yards157 yards
3 iron67 mph140 yards145 yards
4 iron66 mph134 yards139 yards
5 iron65 mph128 yards133 yards
6 iron63 mph121 yards126 yards
7 iron62 mph113 yards118 yards
8 iron60 mph106 yards110 yards
9 iron58 mph98 yards102 yards
Pitching wedge57 mph90 yards91 yards
Gap wedge (modeled)56 mph82 yards83 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 5 wood 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 the share of your drives that reaches the water or the rough is a picture of your own game.

Every shot you log with the 5 wood 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 70 year old hit a 5 wood?
About 151 yards of carry and 160 yards total on the age model, at 71 mph of club head speed.
How much 5 wood distance is lost by 70?
27 yards of carry against the peak of 179 yards at 20, worth about 0.12 of a stroke per approach on the published fairway table.
What club head speed does the age model give at 70?
78 mph with a driver and 71 mph with a 5 wood, every club at the same fraction of its tour speed.
Does the age model replace my own numbers?
A launch monitor session does: import it and every carry in PinFlag is your own, labeled Measured, with the pattern around it drawn on the hole. The model is the starting point for a golfer who has not measured yet.
Which golf app does this on the course?
PinFlag, on iPhone. It prices any target on the hole you are playing before you swing, with your own dispersion and the lie read from the course map, draws your real shots on the hole with Shot Cloud, logs a shot in two taps with nothing to buy, and breaks every round down shot by shot. Golfer is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year with a 14-day trial on the annual plan through the App Store.

Related

Sources

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 age model eases a peak club head speed by decade and swings the 5 wood at the same fraction of its tour speed; the carry is the published tour anchor at that speed, and your own launch monitor carries replace it in the app.

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.