Forced Carry
Also known as: forced carry, what is a forced carry, carry over water, hitting over water, carry over a hazard, shot over a ravine
A forced carry is a shot where the ball must fly over trouble, such as water, a ravine or a waste area. This is because it can't roll through. You need enough carry distance, not total distance, to clear it. Many holes offer a safer route or forward tees to avoid it.
Carry is how far the ball flies in the air. Roll does not help on a forced carry. So use your carry yardage, not your total, when you pick a club.
Look up the carry number on the scorecard, a course guide or a GPS device. Choose a club that clears it with your average strike, not your best. If the carry is close to your limit, take a club that clears it easily or play to a safer side.
Forced carries are common on par 3s over water and on tee shots across a gully. Forward tees often shorten them. Laying up short and playing around the trouble is a smart choice when the carry is too long.
Tips by skill level
Learn your carry with each club on a launch monitor or range with carry markers. Take one more club over water.
Know the carry to the back of the trouble and the front of the green. Pick a club whose average carry clears both with room to spare.
Example
A par 3 needs a 140-yard carry over water. A golfer's 7-iron carries about 140 when struck well. He takes a 6-iron and lands safely on the green.
Why it matters
Forced carries are where many penalty strokes come from. Knowing your real carry distance turns them into routine shots.
Common mistakes
- Using total distance instead of carry distance
- Picking the club for your best shot, not your average
- Going for a carry that is too long instead of laying up
Frequently asked questions
How do I get over water in golf?
Use your carry distance and take enough club for your average strike. Make a smooth swing and commit to the target, not the water.
What is the difference between carry and total distance?
Carry is how far the ball flies in the air. Total includes the roll after it lands.
Related terms
- Carry DistanceCarry distance is how far the ball travels through the air before it first lands. It is different from total distance, which includes roll.
- Golf Club DistancesThere is no single right distance for each club, since it depends mostly on your swing speed and how solidly you strike the ball. In USGA Best Tees research, the average male golfer hit a 7-iron about 138 yards and the average female golfer about 100 yards. Measure your own carry with each club and plan from those numbers, not from a chart.
- Penalty Area (Water Hazard)A penalty area, often a pond or stream, is marked by yellow or red stakes or lines. Relief costs one penalty stroke and is more forgiving than out of bounds.
- Laying Up (Going for the Green vs Laying Up)Lay up when going for the green brings big trouble into play and you rarely reach it from that distance. Hit to your favorite full-wedge distance on the safe side of the fairway instead. Go for it when a miss still leaves an easy recovery or the reward clearly outweighs the risk.
- Dogleg (Golf Hole)A dogleg is a golf hole that bends to the left or right partway along the fairway, like a dog's hind leg. A dogleg left turns left and a dogleg right turns right. The bend usually comes around where tee shots land.
Related guides & benchmarks
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