A shot where the ball must fly over trouble — water, a ravine, marsh, or waste area — because there's no way to run it along the ground. If you can't carry it, you're re-teeing or dropping with penalty. Why it matters: forced carries are the number-one reason to know your true carry distance (airtime only), not your total with roll. If a hole demands a 180-yard carry and your driver carries 170, the smart play is a different tee box or a layup line — not hope.