Par Card Guides

Front, center, and back yardages: how to use golf GPS distances

The three numbers on a golf GPS are the distances from where you stand to the front edge of the green, its middle, and its back edge. Center is your default target. Front and back tell you how much green you have to work with and how expensive a miss is on either side.

What each number actually measures

All three are measured to the green surface, not to the flag. A GPS app knows the mapped outline of the green and your position, so it can give you the near edge, the middle, and the far edge, but it has no way of knowing where the pin was cut this morning.

• Front: the carry you must clear to be putting rather than chipping. This is the number that matters when there is water, a bunker, or a false front short of the green.
• Center: the middle of the green, and the safest single target for almost every approach.
• Back: your upper limit. Anything past this number is over the green, which on most courses is the worst place to miss.

Why center is the right default

Playing to the center gives you the largest margin for error in both directions: a shot that comes up a little short still finds the front third, and one that flies a little long still finds the back third. Aiming at a pin tucked behind a bunker converts an ordinary miss into a difficult recovery, and for most amateurs the strokes lost that way outweigh the occasional close look at birdie.

Green depth changes everything

The gap between your front and back numbers is the depth of the green along your line of play. Greens vary widely, but many fall in the range below, and the spread is often two clubs or more from front to back.

When the gap is large, the center number alone can leave you 15 yards from the hole with a perfect strike. That is when it pays to look at where the flag actually is.

Adjusting for a front or back pin

A reliable habit: start from the center number, then move toward the front or back number by roughly a third of the total depth depending on where you see the flag. A front pin on a 30-yard-deep green is about 10 yards less than center; a back pin is about 10 yards more.

Two refinements worth keeping in mind. First, be honest about your carry distance rather than your best-ever distance, because the front number is a carry requirement and coming up short of it usually costs a stroke. Second, when in doubt take the club that leaves you putting from the middle, since a long putt beats a short-sided chip nearly every time.

GPS versus a laser rangefinder

They answer different questions. A laser gives you an exact distance to whatever you point it at, which is ideal when you can see the flag. A GPS gives you green edges and hazard carries without needing line of sight, which is what you want on a blind tee shot, a dogleg, or when the pin is hidden behind a rise.

Most golfers who carry both use the GPS to pick a strategy off the tee and to know the front and back numbers, then confirm the exact pin distance with a laser once the flag is in view.

What GPS distances cannot tell you

Distance is only one input. GPS numbers are flat, straight-line distances, so they do not account for elevation change, wind, temperature, how the ball is sitting, or where exactly the pin is cut. Treat them as a starting point and finish the decision with your own read of the shot.

How Par Card shows the numbers

Par Card puts every hole on a satellite map oriented tee to green, with live front, center, and back distances updating from wherever you are standing. You can drop a point anywhere on the hole to measure a carry over a bunker or a layup to a preferred number, and if the mapped green does not match what you see, you can mark the green yourself for extra precision. Courses are available worldwide, and the distance math runs on your device rather than on a server.

The GPS rangefinder and satellite greens are part of Par Card Pro; scoring itself is free forever.