Golf guides

Straight answers to the questions golfers ask most: handicaps, club distances and the numbers behind them.

How to work out your golf handicapHow the World Handicap System turns your scores into a Handicap Index: score differentials, the best 8 of 20, and how many rounds you need to start.
Course handicap and Handicap Index: what's the difference?Your Handicap Index travels with you; your course handicap is how many strokes you get on a particular course. How to convert one to the other, with examples.
How far should you hit a 7 iron?Typical 7-iron distances by handicap, for women and for tour players, and why your own number matters more than the average.
How far should you hit a pitching wedge?Typical pitching, gap, sand and lob wedge distances by handicap, and how to set up the gaps between your wedges.
How far should you hit a 3 wood, 5 wood or hybrid?Typical 3-wood, 5-wood and hybrid distances by handicap, how they compare with long irons, and when to choose a wood or a hybrid.
What is the average driver distance by age?How driver distance changes with age for men and women, from the USGA's 2023 study of 627 golfers, and why swing speed matters more than age.
How far should you hit a driver?Average driver distance by handicap for men and women, carry against total, what tour players hit, and how much the extra yards matter.
Swing speed and distance chart: how far does each speed go?How far a driver goes at every club speed from 70 to 120 mph, with 7-iron and wedge estimates, typical speeds by handicap, and an iron speed chart.
How far should a senior golfer hit each club?A club distance chart for senior golfers by swing speed and handicap, what the USGA found about age, and how to set up a bag for a slower swing.
How far should a woman hit each golf club?Average club distances for women golfers, from the USGA's measurements and England Golf's guide, by handicap and for LPGA Tour players.
How far should a beginner hit each golf club?A beginner's club distance chart in yards and metres, why your clubs bunch together at first, and which clubs a new golfer really needs.
How far should you hit a 9 iron?Typical 9-iron distances by handicap, for beginners, women and tour players, its loft range, and when to use it instead of a wedge.
How far should you hit an 8 iron?Typical 8-iron distances by handicap, carry against total, its loft range, and what tour players, women and beginners hit.
How far should you hit a 6 iron?Typical 6-iron distances by handicap and by swing speed, its loft range, tour figures, and when a hybrid might do the job better.
How far should you hit a 5 iron?Typical 5-iron distances by handicap, what counts as a good 5 iron, carry figures by swing speed, loft, and whether a 5 hybrid is the better club.
How far should you hit a 4 iron?Typical 4-iron distances by handicap, carry figures for slower and faster swings and tour players, and when a 4 hybrid makes more sense.
How far should you hit a 3 iron?Typical 3-iron distances by handicap and for tour players, why the 3 iron often goes little further than a 4, and what golfers carry instead.
How far should you hit a 7 wood?Typical 7-wood distances by handicap, for women and seniors, what loft a 7 wood is, and how it compares with a 3 hybrid and a long iron.
How far should you hit a gap wedge?Typical gap wedge (approach wedge, A wedge) distances by handicap, what loft it should be, and how to choose one to fit your pitching wedge.
How far should you hit a sand wedge?Typical full-swing sand wedge distances by handicap, 54° against 56°, and how bounce makes the sand wedge the club for bunkers.
How far should you hit a lob wedge?Typical full-swing lob wedge distances by handicap, 58° against 60°, what a lob wedge is really for, and whether you need one.
How far does a 7 iron go at your swing speed?7-iron carry and ball speed for slower and faster swings and tour players, yards per mph, the smash factor to aim for, and grass against mats.
Golf club gapping: how do you set up your bag?How to gap your golf clubs: a worked gapping chart, the yardage and loft steps to aim for, and how to fix overlaps and holes in your 14 clubs.
Course rating and slope rating explainedWhat course rating and slope rating mean, how raters work them out, why 113 is average, and how both change your strokes and score differentials.
How do I check my golf handicap?Where to see your official Handicap Index in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland: each national body's app and website, what you'll find there, and when it updates.
How many rounds do you need for a handicap?You need 54 holes, in any mix of 9 and 18-hole rounds, for your first Handicap Index. Which scores count, how the first index is worked out, and what happens next.
Do 9-hole scores count for your handicap?Yes. How a 9-hole round becomes an 18-hole score differential under the World Handicap System, what has to be true for it to count, and how it affects your index.
What is a score differential?A score differential measures one round against the difficulty of the course. The formula, each part of it, worked examples, and what a good differential looks like.
How to score with a handicap: net and StablefordHow to use your handicap on the card: which holes you get strokes on, how to work out a net score, and how Stableford points work, with a worked example.
Why did my handicap go up after a good round?Your Handicap Index can rise after a good score because an even better one dropped out of your last 20. How the 20-score window and the caps work, with an example.
What is net double bogey?Net double bogey is the most a hole can count for in your handicap score: par, plus 2, plus your strokes on that hole. How to work it out, with examples for every handicap.
Strokes gained explainedStrokes gained measures every shot against how many strokes a benchmark golfer needs from the same spot. How it works, a worked hole, and what it tells club golfers.
Strokes gained putting: how good is your putting really?Strokes gained putting compares your putts with the average from the same distance. Expected putts for tour players and club golfers, and why putts per round misleads.
Strokes gained approach: how good are your approach shots?Strokes gained approach measures your shots into the green against the average from the same spot. What counts as an approach, expected strokes by distance, and examples.
How to track your golf shotsWhat to record on the course, from fairways, greens and putts to every shot's distance, lie and club, how to do it on paper or with an app, and what the numbers tell you.
How to use Apple Watch for golfHow to set up Apple Watch for a round of golf: install a golf GPS app, read distances to the green, keep score, log the workout and save battery.
Is the Apple Watch SE good for golf?What the Apple Watch SE 3 has for golf (GPS, an Always-On display, 18-hour battery) and what it lacks next to the Series 12 and Ultra 4, from Apple's specs.
Apple Watch Ultra for golfWhat the Apple Watch Ultra 4 brings to a round of golf: up to 50 hours of battery, a 3,000-nit screen, dual-frequency GPS and the Action button, from Apple's specs.
Can you use Apple Watch for golf without your iPhone?What works on Apple Watch when your iPhone is left behind, GPS and cellular models compared from Apple's documentation, and how to check whether a golf app needs the phone.
What is a yardage book, and how do you read one?What a golf yardage book shows, how to read its distances to the green, bunkers and water, what the Rules allow, and how to make a free one for your course.
Free golf course maps for the UK and IrelandFree hole-by-hole golf course maps for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, with every hole's length, green depth and bunker and water distances.
Links golf courses in ScotlandWhat makes a links course, and Scotland's links courses by region, from East Lothian and Fife to Angus, Aberdeenshire, the Highlands and Ayrshire, with free maps.
How long is a golf course?Average golf course yardages for 18 and 9 holes, measured on UK and Irish course maps, with the par guidelines for each hole and which tees suit your driving distance.