“How far should my child hit the ball at this age?” “Is this tournament course too long for my child?” Using the Longleaf Tee System, which is widely used in junior golf in the United States, this guide explains distance guidelines and then compares them with course lengths at Japanese junior tournaments.
All distances are in yards (1 yard = about 0.91 m). Japanese golf courses and tournaments also use yards.
Distance has two parts. Carry is how far the ball flies in the air, and roll is how far it rolls after landing. Together they make the total distance (Fig. 1).
The Longleaf Tee System was created by the foundations of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA Foundation) and U.S. Kids Golf as a way to choose the tee that suits a player’s distance. It is used at U.S. Kids Golf tournaments.
It explains that if you know a player’s driver carry, you can estimate the distance of every other club. Each club carries a nearly constant percentage of the driver, and those percentages are remarkably similar from beginners to skilled players. The relationship was checked by measuring players of all levels with a launch monitor (TrackMan).
| Club | % | RS (75) | Tee 1 (100) | Tee 2 (125) | Tee 3 (150) | Tee 4 (175) | Tee 5 (200) | Tee 6 (225) | Tee 7 (250) | Tee 8 (275) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 100% | 75+25 | 100+25 | 125+25 | 150+23 | 175+23 | 200+20 | 225+20 | 250+15 | 275+15 |
| 3-wood | 90% | 68+20 | 90+20 | 113+20 | 135+18 | 158+18 | 180+15 | 203+15 | 225+10 | 248+10 |
| 3-hybrid | 84% | 63+15 | 84+15 | 105+15 | 126+13 | 147+13 | 168+10 | 189+10 | 210+5 | 231+5 |
| 4-iron | 79% | 59+10 | 79+10 | 99+10 | 119+8 | 138+8 | 158+5 | 178+5 | 198+3 | 217+3 |
| 5-iron | 74% | 56+8 | 74+8 | 93+8 | 111+6 | 130+6 | 148+4 | 167+4 | 185+3 | 204+3 |
| 6-iron | 69% | 52+7 | 69+7 | 86+7 | 104+5 | 121+5 | 138+3 | 155+3 | 173+2 | 190+2 |
| 7-iron | 64% | 48+6 | 64+6 | 80+6 | 96+4 | 112+4 | 128+3 | 144+3 | 160+1 | 176+1 |
| 8-iron | 59% | 45+5 | 59+5 | 74+5 | 89+3 | 104+3 | 119+2 | 134+2 | 149+1 | 163+1 |
| 9-iron | 54% | 41+4 | 54+4 | 68+4 | 81+2 | 95+2 | 108+2 | 122+2 | 135+1 | 149+1 |
| Pitching wedge | 50% | 38+3 | 50+3 | 63+3 | 75+2 | 88+2 | 100+1 | 113+1 | 125+0 | 138+0 |
| Gap wedge | 46% | 35+2 | 46+2 | 58+2 | 69+1 | 81+1 | 92+0 | 104+0 | 115+0 | 127+0 |
| Sand wedge | 42% | 32+2 | 42+2 | 53+2 | 63+1 | 74+1 | 84+0 | 95+0 | 105+0 | 116+0 |
| Lob wedge | 39% | 29+2 | 39+2 | 49+2 | 59+1 | 68+1 | 78+0 | 88+0 | 98+0 | 107+0 |
Source: Longleaf Tee System, “Driver Carry Distance” table (TrackMan)
U.S. Kids Golf, a junior golf organization in the United States, uses the Longleaf Tee System to set the tee for each age group at its tournaments. Each tee number is the driver carry the organization assumes for children of that age. Applying that number to the table in Step 1 gives a guideline for each age.
This chart is not an average. It is a guideline the organization set as the basis for course setup. U.S. Kids Golf says it set the lengths using data collected at its own academies. Roll also changes a lot with ground firmness and slope.
Girls are set one tee forward of boys (25 yards less carry). In Japan’s national fitness survey, though, the strength gap between boys and girls is small in elementary school and grows in junior high (grip strength: grade 5 boys 16.0 kg, girls 15.8 kg; grade 8 boys 29.0 kg, girls 23.2 kg).
Sources: U.S. Kids Golf pages for the Palm Springs Open 2026, 2026 Florida Winter State Invitational and 2026 World Championship course assignments; age-group yardage charts (boys 2024, girls 2021); Longleaf Tee System “Driver Carry Distance” table; Japan’s 2024 national physical fitness survey (national averages)
Fig. 4 is only a guideline. At the same age, distance differs greatly from child to child. Here are four things from research that parents should know.
Among 64 competitive junior golfers in the UK, 78.4% of the individual differences in driver clubhead speed were explained by maturity (stage of physical growth). This mattered more than skill.(Shaw et al., 2023)
In divisions that combine two years, such as “ages 8–9” or “grades 3–4,” players in the same division can be almost two years apart in age. In Spain’s national under-16 championship (794 players), birth date affected rankings, especially in the younger divisions.(Isorna-Folgar et al., 2023)
Among 95 top-level juniors in Japan, those with faster head speed tended to have better grip strength and standing long jump. Among 40 competitive juniors in China, the more skilled group jumped farther (1.95 m vs 1.61 m), with no difference in height or weight.(Nagashima & Ehara, 2021; Cao et al., 2025)
Of 8 male amateurs at England national-team level, 4 said they had been “late developers” and improved greatly around ages 14–15.(Hayman et al., 2014)
In short: don’t worry if your child hits shorter than the table. And if they hit longer, they don’t need to play the same length as older children. Base decisions on your child’s current distance, not their age.
The Longleaf Tee System shows, for each tee, the course length that suits a given driver carry. The idea is that each step up in tee (25 yards more carry) suits a course about 600 yards longer over 18 holes. In this guide, “one step” means one of these.
Sources: Longleaf Tee System; U.S. Kids Golf age-group yardage charts
Japan’s school year starts on April 1, and many tournaments group players by school grade. A grade 3 child is 8 at the start of the school year and turns 9 during it; grade 7 is the first year of junior high (中1). See How to enter a junior golf tournament in Japan for the full grade and birth-date table.
Sources: each tournament’s guidelines and pairing sheets; U.S. Kids Golf “Palm Springs Open 2026” page
Tournaments in this section (unofficial English names, with the Japanese names you will see in the guidelines): JGAI Cup (JGAIカップ, Ichihara Junior Golf Association); JJGA Ryo Ishikawa Cup (石川遼カップ ジュニアゴルフチャンピオンシップ); JLPGA All-Japan Elementary School Tournament qualifiers (全日本小学生ゴルフトーナメント 地区予選); Kanto Elementary School Championship (関東小学生ゴルフ大会, KGA); Japan Junior Championship (日本ジュニアゴルフ選手権, JGA).
Convert the length of the tournament you want to enter into “the carry it suits” using Fig. 6, and compare it with your child’s current carry. The JJGA ages 8–9 division (around 4,500 yards), for example, suits a 150-yard carry. For a child who carries 125 yards it is a little long, and you can expect many par 4s they can’t reach in two.
Have your child hit a few drivers at the range and find their rough average carry. The Longleaf Tee System places markers on the range every 25 yards from 75 yards, and the marker nearest the average carry gives the player’s tee. Move back a tee as distance grows, and forward if it drops. Choose the same carry in Fig. 3 to see the other clubs.
Choosing a tee whose length suits your child’s carry (Fig. 6) makes for a manageable round. The scorecard lists the total length of each tee. On a course that is too long, many holes become unreachable. The Japan Golf Association (JGA) also cites research finding that golfers play yardages too long for their distance.
The guidelines (要項) or pairing sheet (組合せ表) often show the tee and total length. Sometimes only the tee name is given, such as “red markers” (赤マーク) or “special tees” (特設ティ); then check that tee’s length on the course scorecard. Figures marked “planned” (予定) can change with the course setup on the day.
A guideline is just a guideline. The numbers here are not for comparing children or rushing them. What matters is building experience and enjoying the game on courses that suit your child’s current distance.
Information as of October 2026. Check each tournament’s and organization’s official pages for the latest.