6 iron distance at age 60
A golfer of 60 carries a 6 iron about 127 yards on the age model, at 66 mph of club head speed, and totals 132 yards on a fairway landing. That is 16 yards behind the peak of 142 yards at 20, which the published fairway table prices at about 0.06 of a stroke per approach.
The model
The age model puts driver club head speed at 81 mph for a golfer of 60: 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 6 iron 66 mph, a smash factor of 1.33, 88 mph of ball speed and 127 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.
6 iron carry by age
| Age | Club head speed | Carry | Total | Behind the peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 73 mph | 142 yards | 148 yards | 0 yards |
| 30 | 75 mph | 145 yards | 151 yards | -3 yards |
| 40 | 72 mph | 139 yards | 144 yards | 3 yards |
| 50 | 69 mph | 133 yards | 138 yards | 10 yards |
| 60 (this page) | 66 mph | 127 yards | 132 yards | 16 yards |
| 70 | 63 mph | 121 yards | 126 yards | 22 yards |
What the yards cost
Being 16 yards shorter with a 6 iron costs about 0.06 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 60 totals 204 yards, so a 400 yard par 4 leaves 196 yards instead of the 170 yards it leaves at 20: 3.17 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.
From 127 yards in the fairway the tour average needs 2.87 strokes to hole out and 3.10 from the rough, so a 6 iron approach that finishes 25 feet from the hole is worth -0.06 against the tour average for a golfer of 60, and one that finishes 40 feet away -0.19.
The bag at 60
Every club at the same age, so the 6 iron reads against the rest of the set.
Every club for a golfer of 60
Driver speed 81 mph on the age model.
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 81 mph | 189 yards | 204 yards |
| 3 wood | 77 mph | 168 yards | 178 yards |
| 5 wood | 74 mph | 159 yards | 168 yards |
| Hybrid | 72 mph | 156 yards | 165 yards |
| 3 iron | 70 mph | 147 yards | 153 yards |
| 4 iron | 69 mph | 140 yards | 146 yards |
| 5 iron | 68 mph | 134 yards | 140 yards |
| 6 iron | 66 mph | 127 yards | 132 yards |
| 7 iron | 65 mph | 119 yards | 124 yards |
| 8 iron | 63 mph | 111 yards | 115 yards |
| 9 iron | 61 mph | 102 yards | 107 yards |
| Pitching wedge | 60 mph | 94 yards | 96 yards |
| Gap wedge (modeled) | 58 mph | 86 yards | 87 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 6 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 6 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 60 year old hit a 6 iron?
How much 6 iron distance is lost by 60?
What club head speed does the age model give at 60?
Does the age model replace my own numbers?
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 age model eases a peak club head speed by decade and swings the 6 iron 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.