As someone who has been playing golf for over 15 years – and as a former Division I golfer – I can honestly say that one of my biggest breakthroughs came when I finally learned my carry distances.
For years I relied on pure guesswork. I said to myself, ‘Me think my 7 iron goes so far,” but in reality I had no idea. That changed when my coach sat me down one day and asked me to search my bag and tell them exactly how far each club went. When I didn’t know, they showed me how to find out.
The first time I calculated my carry distances, I used a rangefinder and looked at where the ball landed. And honestly, I noticed improvement almost immediately, but it was still a bit of a gamble.
It wasn’t until a little later in my golf career, when I gained access to the very best technology and started using launch monitors, that everything changed. With these magical machines I could enter my distances to the exact meter. And it took my game to the next level. I started hitting more greens in regulation and, more importantly, making smarter decisions on the course.
After college, I fell out of the habit. But recently I vowed to be more intentional about my practice. First on my list? Recalibrating my carry distances.
Luckily this time I had my Full Swing KIT Launch Monitor. This fast, accurate device allowed me to track my distances faster and more accurately than my DIY method of the past. To calculate my average distances, I followed the formula below:
How to calculate your average transportation distance
First, you’ll need a launch monitor, like the one below, or a rangefinder on hand. Then, starting with your highest-lofted wedge, hit about ten full-swing shots with each club in your bag. Keep track of how far each ball travels with each shot, using feedback from your launch monitor or by tracking where the ball lands.
Then discard the outliers. I did this in the Full Swing app, but you can also do it with your notes app on your phone or – for a really old-fashioned approach – with pen and paper. I usually eliminate the longest and shortest shots, along with any obvious errors. From there you can calculate the rest to determine your carry numbers for that club.
Armed with these updated distances, which can be saved directly to your notes app or written in a distance book, you can make confident, informed decisions about the course.
For example, if I’m 137 yards away, I now know that my 8 iron carries 135, so if it’s a front pin, I might need to make a club. No more guessing or frustrating mistakes.
If you haven’t done this in a while, I highly recommend making it part of your regular exercise routine. I prefer to update my haul distances monthly in season and every few months in off season.
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