How to find your real golf distances
Most amateurs play off a number that's true for their best-ever strike, not their average one. Here's how to find the number that actually holds up on the course.
Why your “real” number isn't your best one
Ask most golfers how far they hit a 7-iron and you'll get the one great strike they remember, not the average of what actually happens. That gap is exactly where blow-up holes come from — you commit to a club based on a distance you rarely produce, catch it slightly heavy or thin, and the ball comes up short or flies the green.
A real number is the average of your normal strikes on a normal day, not your longest ever. It's a less exciting number, and a far more useful one.
Three ways to measure it
1. Launch monitor
The most accurate option, and increasingly common at driving ranges and fitting bays. Hit 8–10 balls per club at your normal tempo — not trying extra hard — drop the shortest and longest, and record the average carry. Do this for every club you'd realistically use a card for, not just your favourites.
2. A measured range or rangefinder
No launch monitor nearby? A range with marked yardages, or a rangefinder to a flag or target board, works fine. Hit several balls per club and average your carries the same way. It's less precise shot-to-shot, but the average over several swings evens that out.
3. Your shot-tracking app or on-course data
If you already log rounds with a GPS watch or shot-tracking app, you likely have this already — pull the average carry per club straight from a season's worth of real, on-course shots. This is arguably the most honest source, since it reflects actual playing conditions rather than a range session.
Whichever method you use, put the numbers straight onto a distance card builder or wedge matrix builder and print the result — or write them onto the blank printable distance and wedge cards by hand.
Carry vs. total — which one goes on the card
Carry distance is how far the ball flies before it first touches the ground. Total distance adds whatever roll follows. For approach shots into a green, carry is what decides whether you clear a bunker or a run-off, so it's the number worth recording. Roll depends on turf firmness and spin, which vary too much shot to shot to plan around.
Conditions still move the number
Even a solid carry number shifts with temperature, altitude and wind — a should-be-150-yard shot can play meaningfully longer or shorter depending on the day. Once your base numbers are recorded, a temperature and altitude card or wind adjustment card turns that base number into today's number.
Keep it current
Re-check your full-swing numbers once a season, and sooner after any equipment change. Wedge distances are worth checking more often — technique and spin drift there more than anywhere else in the bag, which is exactly what a wedge matrix is built to catch.
Common questions
How many balls should I hit to find my real carry distance?
- 8–10 per club is enough for a fill-in card. Hit them at your normal tempo, drop the shortest and longest, and average what's left — that average is your real number, not your personal best.
What's the difference between carry distance and total distance?
- Carry is how far the ball flies before it first lands; total includes roll after landing. For approach shots into a green, carry is what matters — roll on an iron shot into firm turf can vary shot to shot, so it's not something to rely on.
Should I use a launch monitor, a range, or an on-course app?
- Any of them, as long as you're consistent. A launch monitor is the most accurate for carry specifically. A measured range or rangefinder works well too. A shot-tracking app is the easiest if you already use one — pull your season average per club straight from the data.
How often should I re-check my distances?
- Once a season is plenty for most clubs, or straight after any equipment change (new irons, a shaft swap, a big swing change). Wedges are worth rechecking more often, since technique drifts more there than with a full swing.