Golf term
Shot Dispersion
Dispersion is how far a golfer's shots with a given club typically spread from their intended target, in both distance and direction.
Every golfer, even a tour professional, misses the exact target more often than not. Dispersion describes the size and shape of that miss pattern for one club, rather than a single "how far do I hit my 7-iron" number. A tight pattern clusters shots closely around the target; a wide one spreads them well short, long, left, and right of it.
Dispersion is usually broken into two separate measures: distance dispersion (how far shots vary short and long) and directional dispersion (how far they vary left and right). The two rarely match — most golfers stray less off-line than they do long or short, which is one reason carry numbers and direction get tracked separately rather than folded into one figure.
Knowing an actual dispersion pattern, rather than assuming tour-level tightness, changes which targets are worth the risk. A pin cut close to trouble is a fine target for a pattern tight enough to avoid it, and a poor one for a pattern wide enough to reach it regularly. See gapping for how dispersion data feeds club selection across a full bag.
Related terms & guides
Glossary
Shot Distribution
A shot distribution is the full range of outcomes — every plausible landing spot and its likelihood — that a golfer's swing with a given club produces, rather than a single expected distance.
Glossary
Gapping
Gapping is the process of checking that the distance between each club in a golfer's bag is even, so there are no large gaps or excessive overlaps in coverage.
Glossary
Carry Number
A carry number is the distance a ball travels through the air before first touching the ground, as distinct from total distance, which also includes roll after landing.
Glossary
Launch Monitor
A launch monitor is a device that uses radar or camera sensors to measure a golf ball's flight characteristics — data like clubhead speed, launch angle, spin, carry, and total distance — for every shot it's pointed at.
Guide
Strokes Gained Off the Tee