Driver distance at 115 mph
A driver swung at 115 mph carries about 280 yards and totals 302 yards on the published tour table, with a smash factor of 1.48 and 170 mph of ball speed. The tour average for the club is 113 mph and 275 yards of carry, so 115 mph sits +2 mph and +5 yards from it.
The number
Ball speed is club head speed multiplied by smash factor: 115 multiplied by 1.48 is 170 mph. Carry is ball speed multiplied by the club’s 1.65 yards per mile per hour from the published tour row: 280 yards. Roll adds 8 percent on a fairway landing, for 302 yards total. At or above the tour speed the model keeps the tour smash factor of 1.48.
Speeds either side
The same club 5 and 10 mph either side, which is the range a golfer moves through across a season.
Driver carry around 115 mph
| Club head speed | Smash factor | Ball speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 105 mph | 1.46 | 153 mph | 253 yards | 273 yards |
| 110 mph | 1.47 | 162 mph | 267 yards | 288 yards |
| 115 mph (this page) | 1.48 | 170 mph | 280 yards | 302 yards |
| 120 mph | 1.48 | 177 mph | 292 yards | 315 yards |
| 125 mph | 1.48 | 185 mph | 304 yards | 329 yards |
What strike is worth
At 115 mph a strike that moves smash factor by 0.02 moves ball speed by 2 mph and carry by about 4 yards with a driver. Speed is the expensive way to add distance; strike is the cheap one, and a launch monitor session shows which of the two is limiting yours.
The rest of the bag
A golfer who swings a driver at 115 mph swings a driver at about 115 mph on the model, since every club runs at the same fraction of its tour speed. That driver speed maps to faster than the scratch anchor of 106 mph, into plus handicap territory on the handicap model and above the peak the age model gives a golfer in their twenties. The bag below is every club at that fraction.
Every club at a 115 mph driver
Each club at 102 percent of its tour speed.
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 115 mph | 280 yards | 302 yards |
| 3 wood | 109 mph | 247 yards | 262 yards |
| 5 wood | 105 mph | 234 yards | 248 yards |
| Hybrid | 102 mph | 229 yards | 243 yards |
| 3 iron | 100 mph | 216 yards | 224 yards |
| 4 iron | 98 mph | 207 yards | 215 yards |
| 5 iron | 96 mph | 197 yards | 205 yards |
| 6 iron | 94 mph | 186 yards | 194 yards |
| 7 iron | 92 mph | 175 yards | 182 yards |
| 8 iron | 89 mph | 163 yards | 169 yards |
| 9 iron | 87 mph | 151 yards | 157 yards |
| Pitching wedge | 84 mph | 138 yards | 141 yards |
| Gap wedge (modeled) | 82 mph | 126 yards | 129 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 driver 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 driver 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 driver go at 115 mph?
What ball speed does 115 mph produce with a driver?
What driver speed goes with a 115 mph driver?
How much more does a driver go at 120 mph?
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 driver anchor scaled to 115 mph with smash factor easing below the tour speed; the driver, handicap and age mappings follow the models stated on the page.
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.