Pitching wedge distance at 85 mph
A pitching wedge swung at 85 mph carries about 139 yards and totals 142 yards on the published tour table, with a smash factor of 1.23 and 104 mph of ball speed. The tour average for the club is 83 mph and 136 yards of carry, so 85 mph sits +2 mph and +3 yards from it.
The number
Ball speed is club head speed multiplied by smash factor: 85 multiplied by 1.23 is 104 mph. Carry is ball speed multiplied by the club’s 1.33 yards per mile per hour from the published tour row: 139 yards. Roll adds 2 percent on a fairway landing, for 142 yards total. At or above the tour speed the model keeps the tour smash factor of 1.23.
Speeds either side
The same club 5 and 10 mph either side, which is the range a golfer moves through across a season.
Pitching wedge carry around 85 mph
| Club head speed | Smash factor | Ball speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 mph | 1.21 | 91 mph | 121 yards | 124 yards |
| 80 mph | 1.22 | 98 mph | 130 yards | 133 yards |
| 85 mph (this page) | 1.23 | 104 mph | 139 yards | 142 yards |
| 90 mph | 1.23 | 111 mph | 147 yards | 150 yards |
| 95 mph | 1.23 | 117 mph | 156 yards | 159 yards |
What strike is worth
At 85 mph a strike that moves smash factor by 0.02 moves ball speed by 2 mph and carry by about 2 yards with a pitching wedge. 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 pitching wedge at 85 mph swings a driver at about 116 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 116 mph driver
Each club at 102 percent of its tour speed.
| Club | Club head speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 116 mph | 282 yards | 304 yards |
| 3 wood | 110 mph | 249 yards | 264 yards |
| 5 wood | 105 mph | 236 yards | 250 yards |
| Hybrid | 102 mph | 230 yards | 244 yards |
| 3 iron | 100 mph | 217 yards | 226 yards |
| 4 iron | 98 mph | 208 yards | 216 yards |
| 5 iron | 96 mph | 199 yards | 207 yards |
| 6 iron | 94 mph | 187 yards | 195 yards |
| 7 iron | 92 mph | 176 yards | 183 yards |
| 8 iron | 89 mph | 164 yards | 170 yards |
| 9 iron | 87 mph | 152 yards | 158 yards |
| Pitching wedge | 85 mph | 139 yards | 142 yards |
| Gap wedge (modeled) | 83 mph | 127 yards | 130 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 pitching wedge go at 85 mph?
What ball speed does 85 mph produce with a pitching wedge?
What driver speed goes with a 85 mph pitching wedge?
How much more does a pitching wedge go at 90 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 pitching wedge anchor scaled to 85 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.