Hybrid distance at age 70
A golfer of 70 carries a hybrid about 148 yards on the age model, at 69 mph of club head speed, and totals 157 yards on a fairway landing. That is 27 yards behind the peak of 175 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 hybrid 69 mph, a smash factor of 1.40, 96 mph of ball speed and 148 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.
Hybrid carry by age
| Age | Club head speed | Carry | Total | Behind the peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 80 mph | 175 yards | 185 yards | 0 yards |
| 30 | 81 mph | 178 yards | 189 yards | -3 yards |
| 40 | 78 mph | 170 yards | 181 yards | 4 yards |
| 50 | 75 mph | 163 yards | 173 yards | 12 yards |
| 60 | 72 mph | 156 yards | 165 yards | 19 yards |
| 70 (this page) | 69 mph | 148 yards | 157 yards | 27 yards |
What the yards cost
Being 27 yards shorter with a hybrid 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.
From 148 yards in the fairway the tour average needs 2.94 strokes to hole out and 3.18 from the rough, so a hybrid approach that finishes 25 feet from the hole is worth +0.01 against the tour average for a golfer of 70, and one that finishes 40 feet away -0.12.
The bag at 70
Every club at the same age, so the hybrid reads against the rest of the set.
Every club for a golfer of 70
Driver speed 78 mph on the age model.
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 78 mph | 180 yards | 195 yards |
| 3 wood | 74 mph | 160 yards | 169 yards |
| 5 wood | 71 mph | 151 yards | 160 yards |
| Hybrid | 69 mph | 148 yards | 157 yards |
| 3 iron | 67 mph | 140 yards | 145 yards |
| 4 iron | 66 mph | 134 yards | 139 yards |
| 5 iron | 65 mph | 128 yards | 133 yards |
| 6 iron | 63 mph | 121 yards | 126 yards |
| 7 iron | 62 mph | 113 yards | 118 yards |
| 8 iron | 60 mph | 106 yards | 110 yards |
| 9 iron | 58 mph | 98 yards | 102 yards |
| Pitching wedge | 57 mph | 90 yards | 91 yards |
| Gap wedge (modeled) | 56 mph | 82 yards | 83 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 hybrid 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 hybrid 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 hybrid?
How much hybrid distance is lost by 70?
What club head speed does the age model give at 70?
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 hybrid 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.