AI Caddy › Club distances › 7-iron
How far should you hit a 7-iron?
The 7-iron is the club golfers compare most, because almost everyone carries one and hits it full. Here's how far it goes for golfers of every handicap and age, and what the tour players get out of it.
In short: a 15-handicap man averages 154 yards with a 7-iron on the course (Shot Scope). By age, Arccos measured men's 7-irons from 143 yards (aged 15–19) down to 115 (in their 70s). PGA Tour players carry it 176, LPGA players 143.
7-iron distance by handicap
| Handicap | Scratch | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 178 | 164 | 161 | 154 | 146 | 132 | – |
| Women | 156 | 138 | 126 | 119 | 107 | 103 | 98 |
Shot Scope's men's data stops at a 25 handicap. Its averages come from tracked rounds and it doesn't say whether they're carry or total.
Source: Shot Scope on-course data for men, published by MyGolfSpy (7 Jan 2025, updated 6 Jul 2026); Shot Scope on-course data for women, published by MyGolfSpy (8 Apr 2026).
7-iron distance by age
Arccos measures total distance (carry and roll) from sensors on the club, across a full year of rounds.
| Age | Men (total yd) | Women (total yd) |
|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | 143 | – |
| 20s | 139 | 119 |
| 30s | 139 | 110 |
| 40s | 136 | 104 |
| 50s | 132 | 98 |
| 60s | 126 | 94 |
| 70s | 115 | – |
Men, by age and handicap
Age and handicap together explain more than either alone. Total yards; a dash means Arccos didn't publish that group:
| Age / handicap | 0–4.9 | 5–9.9 | 10–14.9 | 15–19.9 | 20–24.9 | 25–29.9 | 30+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20s | 161 | 154 | 147 | 140 | 132 | – | – |
| 30s | 159 | 150 | 144 | 138 | 129 | 122 | 112 |
| 40s | 155 | 148 | 140 | 133 | 126 | 123 | 108 |
| 50s | 150 | 143 | 136 | 128 | 122 | 113 | 108 |
| 60s | 143 | 137 | 130 | 123 | 115 | 109 | – |
| 70s | – | 128 | 124 | 118 | 108 | – | – |
Source: Arccos on-course data by age, published by MyGolfSpy (29 Oct 2026).
The tour 7-iron
A tour 7-iron launches higher and spins more than a driver, which is what makes it stop on the green:
| 7-iron | Club speed | Ball speed | Launch | Spin | Carry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PGA Tour | 92 mph | 123 mph | 16.1° | 7,124 rpm | 176 yd |
| LPGA Tour | 78 mph | 106 mph | 18.5° | 6,630 rpm | 143 yd |
Source: TrackMan tour averages, 2023 season, published 2 May 2024.
Why your 7-iron may not match
- Lofts differ. The number on the sole isn't a standard: iron sets differ in loft, so one maker's 7-iron flies like another's 6.
- Strike matters more than speed. A thin or heavy contact loses more distance than a few mph of swing speed.
- On-course averages include part shots, punch-outs and knock-downs, so they come in shorter than range numbers.
Use the 7-iron to set your gaps
On the PGA Tour, the 6-, 7- and 8-iron carry 188, 176 and 164 yards: steps of 12 and 12. On the LPGA Tour (155, 143 and 133) the steps are 12 and 10 yards. Measure your 7-iron carry, then the clubs either side. If two clubs go the same distance, you're carrying one you don't need. How to measure your own distances.
More: the full club distance chart, carry from your swing speed.