The perfect pitch will save you shots on the scorecard, so it's worth knowing your average carry distance in order to make a strategic and informed decision on club selection.
We all have to hit pitch shots in golf and while some amateurs do it a little better (or more consistently well) than others, we can all use data to give ourselves the best chance of success.
How Far Does The Average Golfer Hit Their Pitching Wedge?
The average amateur golfer hits their pitching wedge around 118 yards, but carry distance is heavily dependant on a player's handicap index (according to the data).
As expected, a scratch golfer hits their pitching wedge the furthest - at around 141 yards on average.
That is actually similar to the average carry distance of a 7-iron for a high-handicap golfer (20 or above), which in turn allows a scratch golfer to be more aggressive in attacking greens with more loft.
A 5-handicapper (126 yards), 10-handicapper (127 yards) and 15-handicapper (121 yards) all average within 6 yards of each other with a pitching wedge in hand, but as we approach the handicap indexes in the twenties there is a more severe drop in distance.
Distance isn't everything with a pitching wedge, as sometimes you will need to flight it in from closer to the green, but knowing your carry distance can help with decision making
A 20-handicapper averages just 108 yards with a pitching wedge, but a 25-handicapper is flying the ball just 90 yards with the same club.
That's a 51-yard gulf between a scratch golfer and a player with a 25-handicap, on average, which is pretty stark.
Clearly, this data provides the average of a wide range of golfers in these particular handicap index brackets, but I am keen to know how far you personally hit your pitching wedge?
Does it tally with the averages above, or are you doing something spectacular that is bucking the trend? We decided to take the question to our social media platforms in order to find out, and here is what our readers said...
How Far Do You Hit Your Pitching Wedge?
Reading the comments on our instagram post (above), responses suggested a similar spread in distances as can be seen in the averages mentioned earlier.
Some jovially discussed a typical chunk around 20-40 yards, which I can certainly relate too, and others suggested they could max out a whopping 1450-150 yards with a pitching wedge.
Clearly, we don't know the handicap index of those leaving comments, and whether this was an average or a personal best, so let's go on another little data gathering mission.
Drop us a comment in the box at the bottom of this article with your average pitching wedge carry distance, your personal best and a highlight/nightmare shot that you can recall where the pitching wedge was involved.
Some of the best might even get shared - but I'll need all the juicy details.
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