Running a Club Distance Gapping Session

You reach for a club on the course and the distance is a guess. Or you've got two clubs that go the same far, and a hole in the bag where a third should be. A gapping session fixes both. It measures how far each club carries, then shows where the steps between clubs are too big or too small.

First, a quick word on terms

Carry is how far the ball flies before it lands. Total distance adds the roll. For planning shots over hazards, carry is the number that matters. Many simulators report it. Depending on the system, the measurements may include clubhead speed, ball speed, club path and carry distance¹.

A gap is the distance between one club and the next one up or down. You want steps that are fairly even.

Cause one: the numbers move around

If your carry for one club jumps all over the place, you're probably not hitting enough shots, or you're mixing good strikes with bad ones.

Hit a group of shots with each club. Throw out the ones you know were thin or fat. Average the rest. Distance depends on factors such as player skill, swing speed and course conditions², so your figure is yours alone. Don't copy someone else's chart.

Cause two: the monitor isn't reading cleanly

Before you trust a number, check the setup. Garmin's manual puts its monitor 6 to 8 ft (1.8 to 2.4 m) back from the tee³. Its red line must point at the tee and the target³. Other monitors differ, so follow the manual for yours.

Also check the net, the mat and the ceiling as you would for any session. Swing slowly with the longest club first. Keep people out of the hitting area.

Run the session

1. Warm up first, using the routine in this guide.
2. Start with the shortest club you're testing and work up, or the reverse. Pick one direction and keep to it.
3. Hit each club with a normal, comfortable swing. Don't try to crush it. The aim is the swing you'd make on the course.
4. Write each carry down as you go.
5. Remove strikes that felt bad. Average what's left.
6. Fill in a table like this:

The blanks are yours to fill. Don't borrow numbers from a book.

Read the gaps

Look for two problems.

A gap that's too big. One reference notes that the loft gap between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge can result in a difference in carry distance of up to 40 yards between those two clubs². That is one example, and your own bag may differ. If your table shows a large jump, you may want a club in between, or a partial-swing plan for that range. The wedge drills page covers the second option.

A gap that's too small. Two clubs that carry almost the same distance are doing one job. You might drop one, or swap it for something that fills a hole elsewhere.

There's a limit on the bag. A player may carry at most 14 clubs⁴. It is a maximum, not a minimum, so playing with fewer is allowed⁴.

Keep it useful

Save your table somewhere you'll see it. Re-run the session now and then, since swings change. A new set of numbers isn't a failure; it's information. For ways to track the results over time, the structure page shows where notes fit in a session.