Golf Club Distance Calculator (Full Bag from One Club or Swing Speed)
Estimate the carry and total distance of every club in your bag from one club you know or from your driver swing speed — with typical or tour-style gapping, lofts, altitude, a plays-like distance for wind and elevation, and the club to hit for a target, in yards or metres.
How it works
Club carry ≈ 7-iron carry × club ratio (typical: driver 1.60 … pitching wedge 0.76 … lob wedge 0.50) · from swing speed: driver carry ≈ 275 yd × speed ÷ 113 mph × efficiency · total = carry × (1 + roll %) · altitude: × (1 + 2% per 1,000 ft) · plays-like = target × (1 + 1% per mph headwind or − 0.5% per mph tailwind) ± 1 yd per 3 ft of elevation
Iron lofts step about 4° per club, which produces a fairly consistent gap of about 8% (10–15 yards) through the set for most amateurs, and the driver carries roughly 1.6× the 7-iron. Start from any club you know, or from your driver clubhead speed: the speed mode scales TrackMan’s PGA Tour reference of about 275 yards of carry at 113 mph to your speed, then applies a strike-efficiency factor (around 94% for average amateurs). The tour-style gapping option uses TrackMan tour ratios, where the long clubs sit closer together. The bag table lists typical modern lofts, carry, total with roll for soft, normal or firm fairways and the gap to the next club. Altitude adds carry in thin air, and the target section turns a yardage into a plays-like distance for wind and elevation and suggests the club to hit. All of these are rules of thumb: strike quality, ball, spin and modern “strong” lofts vary, so confirm your numbers with a launch monitor or a range session.
Worked example
A 150-yard 7-iron implies a 240-yard driver carry (about 254 yards with normal roll), a 174-yard 5-iron and a 114-yard pitching wedge, with 12-yard gaps between the irons — a good-amateur profile. For a 140-yard shot into a 10 mph headwind the shot plays like 154 yards, so the 7-iron (150) comes up short and the 6-iron (162) is the club. At a 5,000 ft course every carry grows by about 10%, so the same 7-iron carries about 165 yards.
Frequently asked questions
Carry or total?
Carry is the number that matters for clearing hazards and for picking a club into a green; total adds roll — about 2% on soft fairways, 6% on normal ones and 10% or more when firm, mostly with the driver and woods.
How far should I hit each club for my swing speed?
Switch to “Driver swing speed”. At the male amateur average of about 93 mph the calculator estimates a driver carry of about 213 yards and a 7-iron around 133; at 113 mph (PGA Tour) the driver carries about 275 yards. Raise or lower the efficiency if your strikes are better or worse than average.
Why are my gaps uneven?
Lofts, shaft lengths and strike quality. Modern game-improvement irons often have strong lofts, so the gap between the pitching wedge and the next wedge can be 20 yards or more. A gapping session on a launch monitor shows where a wedge or hybrid is missing.
How much does altitude add?
A common rule of thumb is about 2% more carry per 1,000 ft of elevation, so a 150-yard 7-iron at sea level carries about 165 yards at 5,000 ft. For more detail use our golf altitude distance calculator.
How do wind and elevation change the club I hit?
A headwind costs more than a tailwind gives back: roughly add 1% of the distance per mph into the wind and take off 0.5% per mph downwind. Add about a yard for every 3 ft the target sits above you, and subtract the same when it is below.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.