Carry and Total Distance Planner
Enter your carry range, and optionally a total range, to see the estimated roll. Add an obstacle distance to check whether your minimum carry reliably clears it.
Estimated roll
10-15
Carry clears; total scores
When a hazard sits between you and the green, carry is the number that matters: the ball needs to travel that distance through the air, full stop. Once the ball is safely past any hazard, total distance, carry plus roll, tells you where it will actually finish. Conflating the two is a common way golfers misjudge whether a shot clears something it needs to clear.
Why roll is never invented
Roll depends heavily on ground firmness, slope, and grass type, factors this tool has no way to know. If you have not entered a total distance range, this tool shows roll as not available rather than assuming a default rollout amount that could be badly wrong for your course conditions that day.
Judging an obstacle by your minimum, not your average
When checking whether a carry clears an obstacle, this tool compares your carry minimum, not your average or maximum, against the obstacle distance. Using anything but your most conservative reliable number for a clearance decision is how a shot that "should have" cleared a hazard ends up short.
Where this connects
Feed your measured ranges here from the Bag Gapping Map or the Conditions Range Planner for a condition-adjusted range, and use Casual Club Selection Planner to match a target distance against your carry bands for practice planning.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use carry or total distance to judge whether I clear a hazard?
Carry. The ball needs to travel that distance through the air to clear a hazard, full stop. Total distance (carry plus roll) only matters once the ball is safely past the hazard, for judging where it finishes.
Why doesn't this tool just estimate my roll automatically?
Roll depends heavily on ground firmness, slope, and grass type, none of which this tool can know. If you have not entered a total distance range, it shows roll as not available rather than guessing a default that could be badly wrong for your course that day.
Does the obstacle check use my average carry or my minimum?
Your minimum. Using anything but your most conservative reliable carry number for a clearance decision is how a shot that "should have" cleared a hazard ends up short.