Rory McIlroy says how far a ‘good’ golfer should be able to hit their driver off the tee

Rory McIlroy is unquestionably the best driver of the golf ball on the planet.

It is an absolute joy to watch McIlroy pound 330-yard missiles down the middle of the fairway week after week on the PGA and DP World Tours.

It’s probably fair to say that we actually take the Northern Irishman’s driving ability for granted now.

As we all know, us mere mortals cannot even dream of hitting our drivers like Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy has shared plenty of driving tips to help amateur golfers improve their games off the tee.

However, the truth of the matter is that 99.9% of golfers worldwide will never be able to hit the ball like Rory McIlroy, or anything close to it for that matter.

Rory McIlroy says how far a ‘good’ golfer should be able to hit their driver

The six-time major champion has suggested how far he believes amateurs should be looking to hit certain clubs through the air.

McIlroy spoke to Makeshift Golf and responded when asked how far a ‘good’ amateur golfer should be able to hit different clubs, starting with a driver.

“250 yards, carry,“ the six-time major champion said.

“9-iron? I’d say you should be able to hit a 9-iron 135 yards.“

When asked how far he hits his 9-iron, McIlroy said: “165.“

“A 6-iron I would say 170 yards. I would say that’s three clubs (difference between a 6-iron and a 9-iron) and you’re sort of looking between 13 and 15 yards per club.“

McIlroy flies his driver up to 330 yards through the air, while he carries his 6-iron in excess of 200 yards.

He is capable of achieving those remarkable distances because of the speed he generates (around 125 mph clubhead speed and 190 mph ball speed).

It’s like a different world to the one that the average golfer operates in.

Average driver distances for amateur golfers ranging from 0 to 30+ handicaps

Interestingly, the average driving distance for amateur golfers in the 0-5 handicap range is 261 yards.

Mid-range handicappers (10-15) average 236 yards off the tee.

Meanwhile, higher-handicap golfers hit their drives around 204 yards off the tee on average.

It’s important to note that these are not carry distances, so the carry yardages would be substantially shorter.

The average driving distance on the PGA Tour in 2026 was 306 yards.

Rory McIlroy was second in the driving distance standings, having averaged 330.1 yards off the tee in 2026.

For players at the very highest level of the game, distance is such a huge factor nowadays. However, for amateur golfers, especially mid-high handicappers, accuracy off the tee is by far the most important thing.