It’s no secret that golfers are hitting the ball further than ever before, with driving distance averages on the PGA Tour soaring over the last 30 years – with a 40-yard increase since 1996.
If you also consider how far the average amateur golfer drives the ball in 2026, A similar picture is emerging at the club level of the game.
According to the latest Shot Scope data, the average amateur golfer now drives the golf ball 245 yards, which is a whopping 32 yards up on the 2016 average reported by the USGA.
This is a trend that is dividing opinion, with the golf ball rollback becoming one of the most debated issues in the sport over the last few years.
To better understand the magnitude and depth of changes in distance over time, I compared the driving distance average on the PGA Tour over the last 30 years… and the results are staggering!
PGA Tour Driving Distance Average: 30-Year Data Comparison
Let’s start in 1996. Tom Lehman won the Tour Championship and topped the money list, while a certain Tiger Woods had just won his first PGA Tour event at the Las Vegas Invitational.
For many, this period of top tier tour golf is looked upon fondly. The purses were exceptional, but modest in relation to today’s ludicrous prize money pots, and driving distance was something to be impressed by rather than overly scrutinised.
John Daly topped the charts when it came to driving distance on tour that season, registering an average of 288 yards.
That was a whopping 33 yards longer than the PGA Tour average that year, but Daly was one of only ten players who hit the ball further than 280 yards on average.
John Daly was the biggest hitter 30 years ago, but those numbers never had a chance of standing the test of time
(Image credit: Getty Images)
If we fast forward ten years, to the 2006 season that saw Tiger Woods record eight wins and top the money list (obviously) ahead of Jim Furyk, it probably won’t surprise you to hear that there was a fairly significant spike in the data.
Bubba Watson led the way off the tee that year, with an average of 319 yards – with the tour average now matching the performance of biggest-hitter John Daly 10 years previously.
Daly himself had…
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