ShotTally / Launch monitor & sim
Club gapping calculator
You know one number cold — usually your 7-iron carry. Enter it and get a projected carry for every club, plus flags where your gaps are too tight or too wide.
How it works
Carry distances through a well-fit bag follow a fairly stable ratio pattern. This tool anchors that pattern to the one club you actually know and projects the rest. An 8-iron is the reference point (ratio 1.00); a driver typically carries about 1.63× your 8-iron, a pitching wedge about 0.86×.
What the flags mean
A tight flag (gap under 8 yards) means two clubs are doing the same job — common between 3-wood and driver for moderate swing speeds, or between a gap wedge and sand wedge with off-the-rack lofts. A hole flag (over 20 yards) is a distance you can't cover with a stock swing; the classic one is between the longest iron you can actually hit and your fairway wood. Both are cheap fixes at a fitting: loft adjustments cost nothing on adjustable heads.
Real gapping beats projected gapping — if you have sim access, hit 8–10 balls with each club and use the averages. This tool tells you what to expect and where to look.
FAQ
What is the ideal yardage gap between clubs?
10–15 yards between consecutive irons and wedges. Bigger gaps are normal at the top of the bag (driver to 3-wood can be 20+), smaller gaps are acceptable between specialty wedges.
Why do my long irons all go the same distance?
Below roughly 85 mph of driver swing speed, there isn't enough ball speed to separate a 4-iron from a 5-iron — they launch too low to use their loft difference. Hybrids fix this by launching higher for the same speed.
Should I gap by carry or total distance?
Carry. Roll varies with turf, season, and trajectory; carry is what you control. Sims and launch monitors report carry directly, which is why it's the standard for gapping sessions.
How often should I re-check my gapping?
Whenever equipment changes, and roughly annually otherwise. Swing speed drifts, lofts move (especially soft forged wedges), and a winter of sim work can genuinely change your deliveries.