Driver distance, 15 handicap
A 15 handicap carries a driver about 217 yards on the model, at 92 mph of club head speed, and totals 234 yards on a fairway landing. That is 39 yards behind the scratch figure of 256 yards and 58 yards behind the tour average of 275 yards.
The number
The handicap model puts a 15 handicap’s driver at 92 mph and swings every club at the same fraction of its tour speed, which gives the driver 92 mph. At that speed the smash factor is 1.44, the ball speed 132 mph, and the carry 217 yards: ball speed multiplied by the club’s 1.65 yards per mile per hour from the published tour row. Roll on a fairway landing adds 8 percent, for 234 yards total.
The clubs either side
At 15 handicap the 3 wood carries 25 yards less than the driver; nothing in the bag is longer.
The driver and its neighbours, 15 handicap
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total | Against this club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver (this page) | 92 mph | 217 yards | 234 yards | 0 yards |
| 3 wood | 87 mph | 192 yards | 203 yards | -25 yards |
Against every handicap
The same club across the handicap steps. The spread from scratch to a 30 handicap is 76 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.
Driver carry by handicap
| Handicap | Club head speed | Carry | Total | Against this page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch | 106 mph | 256 yards | 276 yards | +39 yards |
| 5 handicap | 101 mph | 242 yards | 262 yards | +26 yards |
| 10 handicap | 97 mph | 230 yards | 248 yards | +13 yards |
| 15 handicap (this page) | 92 mph | 217 yards | 234 yards | 0 yards |
| 20 handicap | 87 mph | 204 yards | 221 yards | -13 yards |
| 25 handicap | 82 mph | 192 yards | 207 yards | -25 yards |
| 30 handicap | 78 mph | 180 yards | 194 yards | -37 yards |
What the yards are worth
Being 39 yards behind scratch costs about 0.18 of a stroke per approach on the published fairway table, because every approach starts that much further back. Over the fourteen long shots in a round the model adds it up; the fix that pays is knowing the real carry and playing tees that keep approaches where the table is flat.
On a 400 yard par 4 a driver of 234 yards leaves 166 yards, which the published fairway table prices at 3.01 strokes to hole out; ten more yards would leave 156 yards and 2.97, a difference of 0.04 before the approach is struck.
The bag at 15 handicap
Every club at the same handicap, so the driver can be read against the rest of the set.
Every club for a 15 handicap
Driver speed 92 mph on the handicap model.
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 92 mph | 217 yards | 234 yards |
| 3 wood | 87 mph | 192 yards | 203 yards |
| 5 wood | 84 mph | 182 yards | 193 yards |
| Hybrid | 81 mph | 178 yards | 189 yards |
| 3 iron | 80 mph | 168 yards | 174 yards |
| 4 iron | 78 mph | 161 yards | 167 yards |
| 5 iron | 76 mph | 154 yards | 160 yards |
| 6 iron | 75 mph | 145 yards | 151 yards |
| 7 iron | 73 mph | 136 yards | 142 yards |
| 8 iron | 71 mph | 127 yards | 132 yards |
| 9 iron | 69 mph | 117 yards | 122 yards |
| Pitching wedge | 67 mph | 108 yards | 110 yards |
| Gap wedge (modeled) | 66 mph | 98 yards | 100 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 15 handicap hit a driver?
What club head speed does a 15 handicap swing a driver at?
How far is a 15 handicap behind scratch with a driver?
Which clubs sit either side of the driver for a 15 handicap?
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 the club head speed the handicap model gives a 15 handicap; 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.