Carry distance vs total distance
Carry is how far the ball flies before it lands; total adds the roll. At tour speed a driver carries 275 yards and rolls to 297 yards, while a pitching wedge carries 136 yards and stops near 139 yards. Plan with carry whenever the ball has to clear something or hold a green, and with total only off the tee on an open fairway.
Every club, both numbers
Roll is a share of carry that falls as loft rises: a driver lands shallow and runs, a wedge lands steep and stops. The table runs every club at its published tour speed so the two numbers, and the gap between them, can be compared across the bag.
Carry, total and roll by club
| Club | Carry | Total | Roll | Roll share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 275 yards | 297 yards | 22 yards | 8% |
| 3 wood | 243 yards | 258 yards | 15 yards | 6% |
| 5 wood | 230 yards | 244 yards | 14 yards | 6% |
| Hybrid | 225 yards | 239 yards | 14 yards | 6% |
| 3 iron | 212 yards | 220 yards | 8 yards | 4% |
| 4 iron | 203 yards | 211 yards | 8 yards | 4% |
| 5 iron | 194 yards | 202 yards | 8 yards | 4% |
| 6 iron | 183 yards | 190 yards | 7 yards | 4% |
| 7 iron | 172 yards | 179 yards | 7 yards | 4% |
| 8 iron | 160 yards | 166 yards | 6 yards | 4% |
| 9 iron | 148 yards | 154 yards | 6 yards | 4% |
| Pitching wedge | 136 yards | 139 yards | 3 yards | 2% |
| Gap wedge | 124 yards | 126 yards | 2 yards | 2% |
Roll assumes a fairway landing in normal conditions. Firm ground adds to it; wet ground and rough take it away.
Which number to use
An approach has to hold a green, so it is a carry decision: the ball should land on the surface, and the roll it gets there is small. A shot over water or sand is a carry decision by definition. A tee shot on an open hole is the one place total matters, because the roll is part of the distance you actually cover.
The mistake most golfers make is the other way round: they know their driver’s total from the longest drive of the year and their irons’ total from the range, then play approaches to the total. The approach that comes up a club short is the result, and on the published table a green missed short into sand is priced close to two and a half strokes to hole out.
Measure it, then use it
A launch monitor reports carry for every shot, which is the number that transfers to the course. Import the session into PinFlag and each club’s carry, labeled Measured, stands behind every target you price; the plays like distance on the hole tells you what the club needs to cover to the spot you chose.
In PinFlag
PinFlag prices a target from where your ball would finish, so the carry that matters is built into the number: aim at a flag over a bunker and the strokes gained already reflects how much of your dispersion carries it. Shot Cloud draws your real shots with that club around the target.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between carry and total distance?
How much does a driver roll?
Should I use carry or total to pick a club?
Does a launch monitor show carry or total?
Which golf app does this on the course?
Related
Sources
- PGA TOUR statistics
- Golf simulator and launch monitor, Wikipedia
- How PinFlag calculates strokes gained
Every figure on this page is computed from the published baselines, the same ones PinFlag prices your shots with. The scope of the figures: Roll is modeled as a share of carry that falls with loft, for a fairway landing in normal conditions; ground and weather move it, and a launch monitor measures carry directly.
Get PinFlag for iPhone
PinFlag shows you this number on the course, for the shot in front of you, before you swing: any target priced with your own dispersion and the lie read from the course map, your real shots drawn on the hole, and two taps to log. Golfer is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 14-day trial on the annual plan through the App Store.