# Shot Dispersion > Canonical: https://pinflag.io/glossary/dispersion ## Shot Dispersion URL: https://pinflag.io/glossary/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](https://pinflag.io/glossary/carry-number) 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](https://pinflag.io/glossary/gapping) for how dispersion data feeds club selection across a full bag. See also: [Strokes Gained Off the Tee](https://pinflag.io/guides/strokes-gained-off-the-tee)