Stock Yardages

How Far Should Kids Be Hitting the Ball?

One of the most common questions we get is: “How far should a kid be hitting the ball?” And the honest answer is — it depends. Every junior golfer develops at a different pace, so distance varies widely based on age, height, strength, and swing speed.

That said, having a general idea of how far each club goes is helpful. While consistent distances are ideal, a rough estimate works just fine — for example, your junior’s driver might go around 100 yards, while their pitching wedge may go about 30 yards.

Why Kids Don’t Have Every Club

At younger ages, kids typically only carry a few clubs — and there’s a good reason for that. Their swing speeds aren’t yet fast enough to create meaningful distance gaps between every club. A 7-iron and 8-iron might only differ by 2 yards, making one of them redundant. However, the gap between a 7-iron and a 9-iron might be 8 yards, which justifies including both in the bag.

Ideally, you want about a 7–10 yard gap between clubs. If two clubs are too similar in distance, you can skip one — it won’t help the player at this stage.

Real-World Yardages from our Junior Golfers

Here’s a snapshot of how far our junior golfers are hitting. These are not benchmarks — just helpful reference points.

Oldest Child

• Age: 9
• Height: 54″
• Clubs: Ping Prodigy (54″), regular flex
• Total Distance (carry + roll)
  • Driver (15°): 140 yds
  • Fairway Wood (22°): 120 yds
  • 6 Iron: 100 yds
  • 7 Iron: 90 yds
  • 8 Iron: 80 yds
  • 9 Iron: 70 yds
  • Pitching Wedge: 60 yds
  • Sand Wedge: 50 yds

Middle Child

• Age: 8
• Height: 46″
• Clubs: U.S. Kids
• Total Distance
  • Driver (17°): 100 yds
  • Hybrid: 80 yds
  • 7 Iron: 60 yds (on a good day)
  • Pitching Wedge: 50 yds
  • Sand Wedge: 30 yds

Course Yardages: What Tournaments Expect

A great way to estimate how far a junior golfer should hit is by looking at the course setups for junior tournaments like U.S. Kids Golf or the Illinois Junior Golf Association (IJGA).

For example, the 8–9 age division usually plays from around 1,500 yards for 9 holes. Here’s how that typically breaks down:

• Par 4s (5 holes): ~180 yards each → 900 yards
• Par 5s (2 holes): ~230 yards each → 460 yards
• Par 3s (2 holes): ~70 yards each → 140 yards
• Total: ~1,500 yards

Courses are designed so junior players can reach the green in regulation — ideally with a chance to putt for birdie. For example, on a 180-yard par 4, a junior golfer might hit a 100-yard drive, followed by an 80-yard approach shot.