Pitching wedge distance, 20 handicap
A 20 handicap carries a pitching wedge about 101 yards on the model, at 64 mph of club head speed, and totals 103 yards on a fairway landing. That is 25 yards behind the scratch figure of 127 yards and 35 yards behind the tour average of 136 yards.
The number
The handicap model puts a 20 handicap’s driver at 87 mph and swings every club at the same fraction of its tour speed, which gives the pitching wedge 64 mph. At that speed the smash factor is 1.19, the ball speed 76 mph, and the carry 101 yards: ball speed multiplied by the club’s 1.33 yards per mile per hour from the published tour row. Roll on a fairway landing adds 2 percent, for 103 yards total.
The clubs either side
At 20 handicap the 9 iron carries 9 yards more and the gap wedge 9 yards less, so the pitching wedge covers about 97 yards to 106 yards with a full swing.
The pitching wedge and its neighbours, 20 handicap
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total | Against this club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 iron | 65 mph | 110 yards | 115 yards | +9 yards |
| Pitching wedge (this page) | 64 mph | 101 yards | 103 yards | 0 yards |
| Gap wedge | 62 mph | 92 yards | 94 yards | -9 yards |
Against every handicap
The same club across the handicap steps. The spread from scratch to a 30 handicap is 37 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.
Pitching wedge carry by handicap
| Handicap | Club head speed | Carry | Total | Against this page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch | 78 mph | 127 yards | 129 yards | +25 yards |
| 5 handicap | 74 mph | 120 yards | 123 yards | +19 yards |
| 10 handicap | 71 mph | 114 yards | 116 yards | +12 yards |
| 15 handicap | 67 mph | 108 yards | 110 yards | +6 yards |
| 20 handicap (this page) | 64 mph | 101 yards | 103 yards | 0 yards |
| 25 handicap | 60 mph | 95 yards | 97 yards | -6 yards |
| 30 handicap | 57 mph | 89 yards | 91 yards | -12 yards |
What the yards are worth
Being 25 yards behind scratch costs about 0.11 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.
From 101 yards in the fairway the tour average needs 2.80 strokes to hole out and 3.02 from the rough, so a pitching wedge approach that finishes 25 feet from the hole is worth -0.13 against the tour average for a 20 handicap, and one that finishes 40 feet away -0.25.
The bag at 20 handicap
Every club at the same handicap, so the pitching wedge can be read against the rest of the set.
Every club for a 20 handicap
Driver speed 87 mph on the handicap model.
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 87 mph | 204 yards | 221 yards |
| 3 wood | 82 mph | 181 yards | 192 yards |
| 5 wood | 79 mph | 171 yards | 182 yards |
| Hybrid | 77 mph | 168 yards | 178 yards |
| 3 iron | 75 mph | 158 yards | 164 yards |
| 4 iron | 74 mph | 151 yards | 158 yards |
| 5 iron | 72 mph | 145 yards | 151 yards |
| 6 iron | 71 mph | 137 yards | 142 yards |
| 7 iron | 69 mph | 128 yards | 133 yards |
| 8 iron | 67 mph | 119 yards | 124 yards |
| 9 iron | 65 mph | 110 yards | 115 yards |
| Pitching wedge | 64 mph | 101 yards | 103 yards |
| Gap wedge (modeled) | 62 mph | 92 yards | 94 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 pitching wedge 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 pitching wedge 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 20 handicap hit a pitching wedge?
What club head speed does a 20 handicap swing a pitching wedge at?
How far is a 20 handicap behind scratch with a pitching wedge?
Which clubs sit either side of the pitching wedge for a 20 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 pitching wedge anchor scaled to the club head speed the handicap model gives a 20 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.