Which Country Tops The Amateur Driving Distance Stats? (It’s Not Who You Might Think)

For amateur golfers, knowing how you compare to other players of a similar ability is a great way to measure your progress, understand the strengths and weaknesses of your game, or simply have some fun with your mates in the clubhouse after the round.

Whether you are interested in how far the average amateur golfer hits their 3-wood or how many golf balls they lose on average per round, data can tell you a lot about your journey and the path you are taking to find progress in your game.

Driving distance is typically a favourite for most golfers when making comparisons, as we would all like to be the biggest hitter among our playing partners, but... what if we wanted to look a little further afield?

Thanks to the latest Shot Scope data, we can now reveal which country has the longest amateur driving distance - including a top-10 leaderboard that might surprise a few of you!

Which Country Has The Longest Amateur Driving Distance Average?

First things first, it's important to set out the parameters for this comparison.

Statistics were collated for any nation with more than 200 registered users and the driving distance was then calculated based on the performance average of that data set.

According to the latest Shot Scope data, the country with the longest average driving distance for amateur golfers is Australia - measuring a whopping 251 yards.

The United States, who I incorrectly predicted would top the table, came in second with an average of 248 yards, while Canada rounded out the top-3 with their score of 246 yards.

The remainder of the top-5 includes New Zealand (243 yards) and the highest ranked European country, Sweden (242 yards).

Perhaps surprisingly (and a little deflating) to a proud Englishman, the United Kingdom actually finished dead last in the table, ranking 10th with an average of just 234 yards.

Denmark (239 yards), Ireland (237 yards), Japan (236 yards) and Spain (235 yards) all ranked above the UK, but how does that driving distance average correlate to the average handicap of users in those countries?

What is the average handicap for amateur golfers in each country?

Before everyone outside of Australia, The USA and Canada heads off for an emergency driving range session, let's look at how the average handicap index of Shot Scope users compares across the same set of countries - and how that correlates to driving distance.

Golfers in the USA will be pleased to hear they have emerged victorious in this one, with an average handicap index of just 10.7 - which is very impressive and suggests a strong player pool overall.

Sweden followed closely in second, with an average handicap of 11.3, and Canada once again rounded out the top-3 at 11.7.

Interestingly, however, the big-hitting Australia fell some way short, recording an average of 13.2.

That's actually the same handicap index as 10th place United Kingdom, who also recorded an average of 13.2, perhaps highlighting a gulf in quality between the best players and those who are in pursuit of progress.

Japan had the highest average handicap index (16.0), followed by Spain (15.3) and Denmark (13.9), while Ireland (12.7) and New Zealand (12.3) found themselves in the middle of the pack.

The Tables

Below are the full standings for both driving distance average and handicap index average, based on the latest Shot Scope data.