Average Female Golfer's Drive Grew 8 Yards in 2026, Data Shows

The average female handicap golfer hit her drive 185 yards in 2026, eight yards farther than a year earlier, according to data from Shot Scope, which tracks rounds from hundreds of thousands of amateur golfers worldwide.

How does driving distance change by handicap?

Shot Scope's 2026 figures show a clear link between handicap and distance. Scratch or better players average 237 yards off the tee, while golfers in the 1-5 handicap range average 222 yards. At the other end, golfers playing off a 25-plus handicap average 167 yards, 18 yards short of the overall average.

How does that compare with the LPGA Tour?

The gap to the professional game remains wide. Julia Ramirez leads the LPGA Tour in driving distance at 288 yards, with world No. 1 Nelly Korda averaging 273 yards and Charley Hull averaging 266 yards — each more than 30 yards past the average golfer in the lowest handicap band tracked by Shot Scope.

Distance for the average female golfer now scales directly with handicap, from 167 yards in the highest band to 237 yards in the lowest.

Shot Scope's data separates golfers into six handicap bands in total, with distance dropping steadily as handicap rises across the full range.