How far the ball flies through the air before it first touches the ground — no bounce, no roll. It's the number that actually matters for course strategy: clearing water, flying a bunker, or landing a ball pin-high all depend on carry, not total distance. Roll varies wildly with firmness and slope; carry doesn't lie. When people say a tour pro 'hits it 300,' the carry is closer to 280 with the rest as roll. Knowing your true carry for every club is one of the biggest score-lowering things a launch monitor gives you.