Six-time Major winner Lee Trevino once famously said “the older I get, the better I used to be”, casting an honest and realistic lens on the reality of aging in the game of golf.
Golf is a sport of lifelong participation, which is one of the many great things about the game, so it’s no surprise that Trevino also said “At 85-years-old, I’ve never been so excited about the game of golf as I am right now”.
How Far Does The Average Amateur In Their 60s Hit A Driver?
The average amateur golfer in their 60s, according to Shot Scope data, hits the ball 230 yards off the tee.
That’s farther than the driving distance average for the average 25-handicap and 20-handicap golfer.
This data is particularly useful to benchmark our own performance against that of others in similar performance, handicap or age-related bands, but perhaps your own experience doesn’t completely correlate with these trends?
Drop us a line using the comments box below and let me know how far you are hitting your driver on average and how that compares to the data above.
Driving distance is closely linked to lower handicaps, so how do you compare?
For reference, when looking at how far the average 50-year-old amateur hits their driver, the jump is 13 yards (243).
The longest age range for amateur driving distance falls in a golfer’s thirties, where they are hitting it around 256 yards on average.
So, looking at the total distance lost over time, this totals at just 26 yards – which is around eight yards per decade.
How Can I Boost My Driver Distance?
For more distance off the tee, I’d start with the setup.
Take a stance that is slightly wider than shoulder width, with your feet flared. Weight distribution should be dead even, as this creates a solid base that will help you to hit a long tee shot.
The perfect ball position would be around the inside of your lead head, with a tee height that allows you to see around half to three-quarters of the golf ball. Create a little shoulder tilt, so that your trail shoulder is slightly lower than the lead.
Hitting longer tee shots is something all amateurs can achieve, but in order to continuously hit a long ball you need to make sure you are being smart with the things you can control… like an awesome setup position.
The ball on the right, furthest from the clubface, is the perfect tee height for hitting longer drives