C.H.E.W. Method: A Practical Pre-Shot Distance Checklist

By Jacob Williams · May 12, 2024

A laser or GPS gives you the distance to the target. It does not automatically tell you how far the shot will play. Your normal carry, the air, elevation change, and wind can all influence the club and trajectory the shot requires.

The C.H.E.W. method is a simple pre-shot checklist:

• C — Carry
• H — Heat and air conditions
• E — Elevation
• W — Wind

It is a decision framework, not a universal yardage formula. The adjustment that works for one golfer, club, or trajectory may be wrong for another.

C — Start with your carry distance

Begin with the distance each club normally travels through the air on a solid strike. Carry is more useful than total distance when the ball must clear a bunker, water, rough, or the front edge of a green.

Use a representative number rather than your longest shot. A practical carry chart should come from a group of normal shots with the same ball and clearly defined conditions. If a launch monitor provides both actual and normalized results, note which one you are using.

For more detail, read What Is Carry Distance in Golf?.

H — Consider heat and air conditions

Temperature is one part of air density. In general, colder, denser air tends to reduce distance, while warmer or thinner air can allow the ball to travel farther. The golf ball, clothing, turf, moisture, and the quality of the strike may also change with the weather.

Avoid applying one fixed number of yards for every temperature change. First learn how your own shots respond. Keep brief notes from practice or rounds in meaningfully different conditions and compare similar strikes.

E — Read both kinds of elevation

Two elevation questions matter:

1. Is the target above or below the ball?
2. Is the course itself at a meaningfully different altitude from your normal conditions?

An uphill target generally requires more effective distance; a downhill target generally requires less. Higher-altitude air can also change flight compared with sea-level conditions. A slope-capable rangefinder or launch-monitor optimizer can help during practice, but confirm which device features are allowed for the round or competition you are playing.

W — Plan for wind, not just the flag

Wind can change carry, peak height, landing angle, curve, and rollout. TrackMan's normalization guidance also shows why a headwind does not simply create the opposite effect of an equal tailwind. A headwind can increase lift and drag, while a downwind shot may fly on a flatter landing angle and release more after landing.

Observe more than the flag beside the green. Look at treetops, other shots, and exposed areas because the wind above ground level may differ from what you feel at address.

A five-step C.H.E.W. routine

1. Measure the target and any required carry over trouble.
2. Choose your normal carry number for the intended trajectory.
3. Consider temperature and the day's general air conditions.
4. Adjust for the target's height and unfamiliar course altitude.
5. Read wind direction, strength, and the miss that leaves the next shot easiest.

Then commit. Recalculating repeatedly over the ball usually adds tension without adding useful information.

Build adjustments from your own evidence

During practice, record the club, carry, strike quality, wind, temperature, and target elevation when those details are available. Compare patterns over time instead of turning one unusually long or short shot into a permanent rule.

Launch-monitor normalization can help separate the swing from the environment. Actual ball flight remains valuable because it shows what the shot did in the conditions you were truly playing.

The goal of C.H.E.W. is not perfect prediction. It is a calmer, more complete decision before the swing.

Golf Upgrades provides private and small-group coaching with Jacob Williams, PGA Associate, at Sorrento Canyon Golf Center and Miramar Golf Course.

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Sources

• FlightScope: Using Carry Distance for Golf Improvement
• TrackMan: The Normalization Feature Explained
• FlightScope product and Environmental Optimizer FAQ
• USGA Rule 4.3: Use of Equipment

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