A 170 yard drive
A drive that totals 170 yards on a fairway landing carries about 157 yards and takes 69 mph of club head speed on the published tour table, with 96 mph of ball speed. That speed is about a 39 handicap on the handicap model and beyond the oldest band on the age model. On a 400 yard par 4 it leaves 230 yards, from where the fairway table needs 3.370 strokes to hole out.
The speed behind it
Total distance is carry plus roll, and the model adds 8 percent for a driver on a fairway landing, so 170 yards total is 157 yards of carry. Carry is ball speed multiplied by the driver’s yards per mile per hour from the published tour row, and ball speed is club head speed multiplied by smash factor, which the model puts at 1.39 for 69 mph. The tour average is 113 mph and 275 yards of carry, 297 yards total.
Where it sits
69 mph is about a 39 handicap on the handicap model and beyond the oldest band on the age model. Both models describe an average; the tee shot that decides a score is the spread around the distance, which is why the number to know is the pattern, not the longest drive of the year.
What it leaves
The approach a 170 yard drive leaves on three hole lengths, priced from the fairway and the rough on the published tables. On a 400 yard hole that is a mid or long iron, so the drive is worth every yard it can safely add.
The approach after a 170 yard drive
| Hole | Approach | From the fairway | From the rough |
|---|---|---|---|
| 360 yards | 190 yards | 3.135 | 3.365 |
| 400 yards | 230 yards | 3.370 | 3.585 |
| 440 yards | 270 yards | 3.575 | 3.785 |
Distance against accuracy
The tee shot model prices a 170 yard driver with a 15 yards side spread against a 3 wood and a long iron scaled from it, on a 400 yard hole open and with water 32 yards from the line. On the open hole the driver’s distance is worth more than the fairways it misses; beside the water the penalty rate decides it.
A 170 yard driver on a 400 yard hole
| Hole | Club | Fairways hit | Penalty rate | Expected strokes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Driver | 76% | 0% | 4.421 |
| Open | 3 wood | 81% | 0% | 4.515 |
| Open | Long iron | 88% | 0% | 4.605 |
| Water 32 yards out | Driver | 69% | 2% | 4.453 |
| Water 32 yards out | 3 wood | 76% | 1% | 4.533 |
| Water 32 yards out | Long iron | 81% | 0% | 4.620 |
Ten more yards
Ten more yards moves every approach ten yards closer, which the published fairway table prices at about 0.04 of a stroke per approach from the 150 yard reference: on a 400 yard par 4 the approach becomes 220 yards instead of 230 yards, 3.320 against 3.370. A drive into the rough costs about 0.25 at 150 yards, roughly what fifteen yards buys, and a penalty costs two strokes.
In PinFlag
On the tee PinFlag prices any target with your own driver dispersion around the aim and the lie read from the course map, so distance, spread and the hole are priced together. Shot Cloud draws your real drives around the target, and landing zones in Insights show where they actually finish across a season.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 170 yard drive good?
What swing speed hits a 170 yard drive?
What does a 170 yard drive leave on a 400 yard hole?
How much are ten more yards worth?
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 speed is the published tour driver anchor inverted for 170 yards of total distance with a modeled 8 percent roll; the tee shot rows use the site’s dispersion model with a spread scaled to the distance.
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.