Golf by the Numbers
Every number from the HYTON Golf video series and our Ball Flight designs, in one place. Each one comes from a published source, linked beside it, and each episode section links to the article and the episode that explain it. We add rows as new episodes come out.
Last updated November 1, 2026.
The golf ball
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1.680 in | Smallest diameter a golf ball may have under the Rules of Golf | R&A Rules of Equipment, Part 4 |
| 1.620 oz | Most a golf ball may weigh | R&A Rules of Equipment, Part 4 |
| 300 to 500 | Dimples on most golf balls | Scientific American |
| About 0.010 in | Typical dimple depth | Scientific American |
| About half | How far a smooth ball would fly compared with a dimpled one | Scientific American |
| About 400 µs | How long a driver stays in contact with the ball | Roberts, Jones and Rothberg (2001) |
Explained in episode 1: What's Inside a Golf Ball? A 3D Cutaway, Layer by Layer · Watch on YouTube
The slice
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| About 12 yd | Curve from 1 degree of face to path on a 300-yard drive | TrackMan |
| About 44 yd | Curve from 5 degrees of face to path, PGA TOUR driver with a 275-yard carry | TrackMan |
| About 400 µs | How long the ball stays on the driver face | Roberts, Jones and Rothberg (2001) |
Explained in episode 2: Why Does Your Golf Ball Slice? Face Angle vs. Club Path · Watch on YouTube
The putting green
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 12 in | Depth of the sand-based root zone, plus or minus 1 inch | USGA putting green recommendations (2018) |
| At least 4 in | Depth of the gravel layer under the root zone | USGA putting green recommendations (2018) |
| 15 ft | Most space allowed between lateral drain pipes | USGA putting green recommendations (2018) |
| At least 4 in | Drain pipe diameter | USGA putting green recommendations (2018) |
| 7 to 28 days | How often most courses topdress greens with sand | USGA (2017) |
Explained in episode 3: What's Under a Putting Green? The Layers That Make It Drain · Watch on YouTube
The driver head
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 460 cm³ | Largest driver head volume allowed, plus a 10 cm³ tolerance | USGA Equipment Rules, Part 2 |
| About 200 g | Mass of a standard driver head | Tucker, Kenny, Byrne and Anderson (2009) |
| About 2 kg | What a 460 cm³ head would weigh in solid titanium alloy (our calculation from 4.43 g/cm³) | UPMET Ti-6Al-4V data sheet |
| 5,900 g·cm² | Moment of inertia limit, plus a 100 g·cm² test tolerance | USGA Equipment Rules, Part 2 |
| 239 µs | Characteristic time limit in the central area of a driver face, plus an 18 µs tolerance | USGA and R&A notice (2016) |
| 1.49 | PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour average driver smash factor | TrackMan |
Explained in episode 4: What's Inside a Driver Head? Mostly Air, and Here's Why · Watch on YouTube
Gear effect
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| More than 2× | Toe hits compared with heel hits in just under 5,700 drives by 20 golfers | MyGolfSpy (2016) |
| 18.1 yd | Average distance lost on heel hits | MyGolfSpy (2016) |
| Just over 5 yd | Average distance lost on toe hits | MyGolfSpy (2016) |
| 222 vs 203 yd | Carry from the center vs low on the heel, 95 mph robot, average of 25 drivers | GOLF.com (2022) |
| 5.5 yd | How far short of center a high-toe strike carried | GOLF.com (2022) |
| 5,900 g·cm² | Moment of inertia limit, so every legal driver still twists a little on a mishit | USGA Equipment Rules, Part 2 |
Explained in episode 5: Why Does a Mishit Curve Back? Gear Effect, Explained · Watch on YouTube
Wedge spin
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 8,300 vs 5,600 rpm | Urethane vs ionomer-covered ball, 75-yard shot with a new 58° wedge | Team Titleist (2019) |
| About 35% | Average spin a wedge lost in wet conditions (18 wedges, 17,000+ shots) | MyGolfSpy (2022) |
| About 10,000 vs 5,300 rpm | Sand wedge spin from a dry lie vs the rough (modern ball, U-grooves) | Second Report on the Study of Spin Generation (2007) |
| 0.0030 sq in per in | 2010 limit on groove area divided by groove spacing | USGA notice to manufacturers (2008) |
| 0.010 in | Minimum groove edge radius on clubs with 25° of loft or more | USGA notice to manufacturers (2008) |
| 9,612 vs 9,082 rpm | Pitching wedge spin off a fairway mat, older U-grooves vs 2010 grooves | Burnham, Wilkinson and Goodall (2013) |
Explained in episode 6: Why Won't Your Wedge Shot Stop? Wedge Spin, Explained · Watch on YouTube
Lake balls
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| No significant difference | Total distance of balls kept in ponds for up to a year vs dry balls from the same batch | Raffel and Long (2023) |
| About 1 yd | Biggest gap seen, after one month (about 0.5%) | Raffel and Long (2023) |
| 143 | Balls robot-tested in the pond study | Raffel and Long (2023) |
| 13 yd | Distance refinished balls lost with a driver at 115 mph (7.5 yd at 100 mph, 6 yd at 85 mph) | MyGolfSpy (2021) |
| 23 of 24 | Refinished balls over the 1.620 oz weight limit | MyGolfSpy (2021) |
| 99 vs 87 | Average compression, refinished vs new | MyGolfSpy (2021) |
Explained in episode 7: Are Lake Balls Any Good? What a Year in a Pond Did · Watch on YouTube
Driver impact location
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 244 yd | Longest carry, from 0.3 in above center (241 yd from the center), 95 mph robot | GOLF.com (2022) |
| 22 yd | Carry lost on a strike 0.6 in below center | GOLF.com (2022) |
| About 2 mm | How far above the face center ball speed peaked in a robot test | R&A and USGA (2006) |
| 10.68 yd | Distance golfers over 100 mph lost on low strikes vs center | MyGolfSpy (2016) |
| About 5 vs 12 to 15 yd | Carry lost on 3/4 in toe vs heel misses, 2026 drivers, 95 mph robot | Golf Digest (2026) |
| 14.19 yd | Carry lost teeing at 0.5 in instead of 1.5 in | MyGolfSpy (2021) |
Explained in episode 8: Where Should You Hit Your Driver Face? The Robot Data · Watch on YouTube
Cold weather
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| About 2 yd per 10°F | Driver carry lost for every 10°F drop below 75°F | GOLF.com (2023) |
| About 8% | How much denser air is at 40°F than at 80°F, at the same pressure (our calculation from the gas law) | NASA Glenn Research Center |
| More than 21 yd | Driver carry lost by balls kept in a freezer, 100 mph robot | MyGolfSpy (2021) |
| 273.5 vs 283.5 yd | Driver carry, three-piece ball at 5°C vs 17°C | Golf Monthly (2026) |
| 7,883 vs 9,983 rpm | Pitching wedge spin, four-piece ball at 5°C vs 50°C | Golf Monthly (2026) |
Explained in episode 9: Why Does Your Golf Ball Go Shorter in the Cold? · Watch on YouTube
Wind
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| −41 vs +23 yd | PGA Tour 6-iron carry into vs with a 20 mph wind (184 yd in calm air) | TrackMan's Justin Padjen, via GolfWRX (2015) |
| −31 vs +15 yd | LPGA Tour 6-iron carry into vs with a 20 mph wind (152 yd in calm air) | TrackMan's Justin Padjen, via GolfWRX (2015) |
| More than 2× | How much more a headwind hurts than a tailwind helps, at higher wind speeds | TrackMan's Justin Padjen, via GolfWRX (2015) |
| −13 vs +9 yd | A 250-yard drive in a 10 mph headwind vs tailwind | Frank Thomas, Golf Channel (2007) |
| Up to 2 mph | How much slower golfers swung into a headwind than with the wind behind them | Andrew Rice, GOLF.com (2019) |
Explained in episode 10: Why Does a Headwind Hurt More Than a Tailwind Helps? · Watch on YouTube
Putting speed
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 108 / 101.6 mm | The hole’s diameter and its minimum depth | International Golf Federation (2026) |
| About 1.6 m/s | The most speed a ball can have and still be captured by the hole, about 3.6 mph | Holmes (1991), via Hogan & Antali (2025) |
| −25% / −63% | How much smaller the hole plays for a putt rolling fast enough to finish 1.5 ft or 5 ft past, on a flat green at about 10 on the Stimpmeter | TrackMan data, GOLF.com (2020) |
| About 17 in | How far past the hole a missed putt rolls at the speed that holes the most putts, whatever the length | Dave Pelz, via GOLF.com (2025) |
| 6 ft / 12 in | Footprints pack in within about 6 feet of the hole; the last 12 inches are almost footprint free | Dave Pelz, via GOLF.com (2021) |
| −25% / −4% | How much smaller the hole plays uphill and downhill on a 3° slope, for putts set to stop about 1 ft (0.30 m) past | Sheppard, Hurrion & Collinson (2016) |
Explained in episode 11: How Hard Should You Hit a Putt? · Watch on YouTube
Tee height
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 14.19 yd | Extra carry off a 1½-inch tee compared with a ½-inch tee, 120 drives off each (14.66 yd in total distance) | MyGolfSpy (2021) |
| >4 mm / 3.54° / 326 rpm | Off the ½-inch tee: impact that much lower on the face, launch that much lower and backspin that much higher | MyGolfSpy (2021) |
| 1.68° | How much more upward the attack angle was off the taller tee | MyGolfSpy (2021) |
| 12 yd / 18 yd | Average extra carry, high tee vs low tee: all 27 golfers / high handicappers | GOLF Magazine (2006), via GOLF.com |
| 61.5% / 58.5% / 54.1% | Drives that found the fairway from the high, low and middle tees | GOLF Magazine (2006), via GOLF.com |
| 244 vs 237 yd | Carry from 0.3 in vs 0.6 in above the center of the face, 95 mph robot: too high drops back | GOLF.com (2022) |
| 4 in | Longest tee the rules allow (101.6 mm) | USGA Equipment Rules, Part 6 |
Explained in episode 12: Does Teeing It Higher Add Distance? · Watch on YouTube
Driver forgiveness (MOI)
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000+ g·cm² | What "10K" means: heel-to-toe and top-to-bottom moment of inertia added together (for example, about 5,900 + 4,200) | MyGolfSpy (2024) |
| 5,900 g·cm² | The rules limit, which applies to heel-to-toe MOI only, plus a 100 g·cm² test tolerance (since 2006) | USGA notice |
| More than 0.5 in / 20–25% | MOI comes into play on strikes more than half an inch from the center, 20 to 25% of the drives golfers typically hit | Titleist Learning Lab |
| 3.5 to 6.9 yd | Average carry lost across eight off-center spots, for the six drivers GOLF.com named most consistent in its 2024 robot test (95 mph) | GOLF.com (2024) |
| About 11% / 1–2 yd | Extra spin from drivers with 5,000+ g·cm² heel-toe MOI in robot testing, and what it cost at an average swing speed | Golf Digest (2025) |
Explained in episode 13: What Does a Forgiving Driver Actually Do? (watch on YouTube)
8-foot putts
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| About 50% | How often PGA TOUR players make a putt from just under 8 feet; from there they average 1.5 putts | Mark Broadie, via Golf Channel (2011) |
| +0.5 / −0.5 | Strokes gained on the field by holing an 8-footer / lost by two-putting | Mark Broadie, via Golf Channel (2011) |
| 99.4% / 80.72% / 52.86% / 41.25% / 5.45% | PGA TOUR make rate from 3, 5, 8 and 10 feet, and beyond 25 feet | GOLF.com (2019) |
| 57.89% vs 37.55% | Make rate from 6 to 9 feet, tour players vs scratch golfers (96.83% vs 76.89% from 3 to 5 feet) | Arccos data, via Golf Digest (2023) |
| About 2.5 | How many balls fit across the hole (our calculation: 108 mm hole, 42.7 mm ball) | IGF (2026), R&A |
| 500+ / up to 2 hours | Footprints one foursome leaves around the hole, and how long they can take to spring back | Dave Pelz, via GOLF.com (2021) |
| 0.41% | PGA TOUR three-putt rate from 5 to 10 feet (2021) | GOLF.com (2021) |
Explained in episode 14: 8-Foot Putts: How Often Do Tour Pros Make Them? (watch on YouTube)
Ball Flight towels and mugs
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 10% or less | Par-3 tee shots that missed long, in every handicap group (668,000 par-3 holes, 13,000+ golfers) | Arccos data, via MyGolfSpy (2026) |
| About 1 in 5 vs nearly 1 in 2 | Par-3 tee shots that missed short, scratch golfers vs 20 to 28 handicaps | Arccos data, via MyGolfSpy (2026) |
Not from an episode yet: these numbers are on our Ball Flight towel and mug No. 6. The 17 inches on No. 4 is in the putting speed section above, and the 8-foot number on No. 5 is in the 8-foot putts section. See the golf towels and mugs.
How we check the numbers
We take every number from a source we can link: the Rules of Golf, published studies, launch monitor makers and robot tests by golf publications. When a test used one club, one ball or one swing speed, the article says so, and your own numbers will differ. If you spot a number that doesn't match its source, email us at hello@hytongolf.com.
Wear the numbers
Some of these numbers are printed on our tees, mugs and towels, each with its source on the product page. See the Wear the Science collection.