How Far Does The Average Amateur Golfer Hit Their 3-Wood?

Neil Tappin in the setup position with a 3-wood, with inset images of Neil hitting a 3-wood and Conor Keenan in the finish position with a 3-wood.

We love the chance to compare ourselves to others on the golf course, adding a little spice to the competition and some friendly banter in the clubhouse.

Whether it's how far the average amateur hits their irons or how many birdies they make per round, there is always a desire to outhit or outscore your playing partners.

In this article, we are focusing on one of the most versatile clubs in the bag... specifically how far the average amateur hits their 3-wood.

Clearly, having one of the best fairway woods on the market will undoubtedly help with distance, but a solid technique is also crucial.

After all, according to the latest Shot Scope data, flushing your fairway woods will help to reduce your handicap...

How Far Does The Average Amateur Golfer Hit Their 3-Wood?

According to the latest 2025 Shot Scope data, the average amateur golfer hits their 3-wood 218 yards.

Unsurprisingly, a scratch golfers average is significantly higher (261 yards) and a 25-handicappers average distance is significantly lower (178 yards) than that figure.

The correlation between the distance you can hit your fairway woods and your handicap index is clear to see, with a player's handicap consistently decreasing as the average distance increases.

The smallest distance discrepancy between bands is between a 5- and 10-handicapper, measuring just 7 yards (as you can see in the table below).

3-wood average distance by handicap index

	0hcp	5hcp	10hcp	15hcp	20hcp	25hcp
3-wood	261y	234y	227y	215y	195y	178y

Those figures are significantly lower than the average driving distance for male amateurs, measuring at 245 yards, but taking the 3-wood more often off the tee is a great way to balance distance with accuracy.

In fact, taking a 3-wood provides around a two or three percent increase to the average fairways hit for most amateur golfers - so definitely worth considering on those tighter or trickier holes at your golf club.

Taking a 3-wood off the tee might be the sensible play on the trickier holes on the course (Image credit: Future)

How Can I Increase My Distance With 3-Wood?

There are a number of factors that contribute to success, such as the 3-wood ball position as well as other key fundamentals like the perfect golf grip or getting a straight left arm in the golf swing.

Two excellent tips from PGA professional Peter Finch is to keep your sternum over the ball at impact, as this will help to prevent topped shots, and control your low point by aiming to 'bruise' the turf with a caressing blow rather than a big divot.

Spending some time on the driving range learning how to hit fairway woods and hybrids is a great investment of your time, as the results on the course could see you shooting lower scores more consistently.