Conditions Lab
How far does it carry today? Set the wind, air and green, and compare it with a calm, sea-level day.
What this answers
How do wind, air and green height change how far this shot carries?
- Pick a club, then set wind, temperature, altitude, humidity and green height, or press a Try button.
- Compare the flights: the solid line is today, the dashed line is the same shot in the baseline.
- The tiles show today’s carry, the change from the baseline, the adjusted target distance, and the sideways drift.
Reopen it any time with ? Guide
- Today
- Baseline: 70°F, sea level, no wind, flat
- Today's carryToday’s carryModeled carry of this shot in the wind, air and green height you set, with no roll. Below it is the carry in the baseline conditions shown in the chart key.
- 144yd
- ModelBaseline 144
- Carry changeCarry changeToday’s carry minus the baseline carry. A minus sign means the shot comes up shorter today.
- 0yd
- Modelvs. baseline
- Carries likeCarries likeThe distance a target at the baseline carry effectively becomes today: the baseline carry minus the change.
- 144yd
- ModelTarget 144
- SidewaysSidewaysHow far left or right of the baseline shot’s landing point today’s shot lands, in yards.
- 0yd
- Modelvs. baseline
The chart shows the PGA Tour 7-iron in the baseline air. The controls need JavaScript.
Show the numbers as a table
| Ball speed | 106.7 mph | Lab estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Launch angle | 18.5° | Lab estimate |
| Spin | 6,630 rpm | Lab estimate |
| Conditions | 70°F, 50% humidity, sea level, no wind, flat | Model baseline |
| Baseline carry | 144 yd | Model (Lab estimate: 144 yd) |
| Today's carry | 144 yd | Model |
| Carry change | 0 yd | Model |
| Carries like | 144 yd | Model |
| Sideways | None | Model |
| Air density | 1.194 kg/m³ | Model |
Published numbers: TrackMan Tour averages (2023 data). Handicap estimates: built as in Club Distances.
Adjusted distances are for practice and planning. In a round, Rule 4.3a(1) does not allow measuring elevation changes, and a committee can ban distance-measuring devices under Model Local Rule G-5.
For your gear
Taking it to the course
Uphill and downhill shots
A rangefinder with slope adjusts the yardage for the height of the green, the same effect the elevation control shows above. Some can switch slope off.
Playing in competitions
A slope reading is not allowed during a round, but a rangefinder that has slope can still be used with it switched off. What each maker says about turning it off:
Rangefinders for tournament play
Method
How it is calculated
The shot is flown twice by the Golf Lab's ball flight model. The baseline is the air the model was fitted in: 70°F, 50% humidity and sea-level pressure, which weighs 1.194 kg per cubic meter, with no wind and flat ground.
Today's flight uses air density from your temperature, humidity and altitude, by the International Standard Atmosphere and the ideal-gas formula for humid air. Wind is one steady wind, the same at every height: drag and lift act on the ball's speed through the air, not over the ground. The flight ends when the ball comes down to the height of the green.
"Carries like" is the baseline carry minus the change. If the 7-iron comes up 8 yards short today, a target at its baseline carry carries like a target 8 yards farther away on a calm, sea-level day. The model changes the air only, not the ball's speed or spin. Sources, limits and a comparison with published figures are on the Golf Lab methods page.