The average drive distance for an amateur golfer is about 200 yards. Is this the carry distance only or does it include roll? I have found it surprisingly difficult to find an definitive answer to this all important question...
You want to see if youre above average then ay?? It would include bounce and roll,any movement till stationary. What are you hitting?
Official answer: includes roll https://www.pga.com/story/how-driving-distance-has-changed-over-the-past-40-years-on-the-pga-tour
Not being sarcastic, but why do you ask? Why care? So many golfers are obsessed with the driver and the drive. When I used to play, I would go to the range and I'd see guys there that all they were hitting, or most of what they were hitting, is that silly driver. If you're just starting out, or even a few years in, imo distance should be a secondary concern to hitting the ball straight off the tee consistently. What good is a 280 yard carry if 30% of the time in any given round it's a slice or hook that lands god only knows where, and in actuality a 175 bee-line from the tee. Two extra strokes right there. Keeping it in the fairway, short irons, and putting is the key to ever breaking 80. Unless you're just on some monstrously long course. Other than that, a safe straight drive, and the 3 & 4 wood's will be your best friends. I used to luuuv my 4 wood.
Drive distance is strongly correlated to handicap.Put simply: you can probably predict how low a player’s handicap is based on how far they hit it.
There is a big difference between being able to do something some of the time and not being able to do it at all. I can hit 200/220 yards (with roll) dead straight some of the time. Not as consistently as I would like but I can do it. I have NEVER hit 200 yards carry and that is a bit frustrating.