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You go for your early checkups at the doctor. You do your spring cleaning around the house. Add this to your yearly list. It's not the most fun thing in the world, but it may help your golf game more than anything else.
Even Rory McIlroy does it. Speaking at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week about a swath of equipment changes he made ahead of Bay Hill, Rory explained the motivation behind all of them was to smooth the distance gap between each of his clubs.
First, at the bottom of his bag:
"I actually weakened my pitching wedge by a degree and a half to bridge the gap between having a 46 [degree wedge] and a 54 [degree wedge]"
Then, at the top of his bag, where he put a new 3-wood into play:
"I would hit my 3-wood like 285, 290, but guys that are shorter than me are hitting driver 300 or 310, so I was at a disadvantage on certain holes…now I have a club that carries 300, 305 in the air, which is a really good club for me to have. And then I went from a 5-wood to a 4-wood. And that 4-wood sort of bridges that gap. And then I've got the 3-iron that sort of replaces the 5-wood. So now I've got a club that flies 260, a club that flies 280, a club that flies 300, then the driver."
There are two things going on here.
1. Rory knows almost exactly how far he hits each club
2. Rory makes sure there's a fairly even gap between each club
Very, very few amateur golfers can say the same. Almost all of them overestimate how far they hit each club, and as a result, almost none have a really clear idea of the gap between their clubs. And this is a big deal, because it can influence both which clubs you carry in your bag, and also which shots you need to work on. 
It's why so many come up short. Here are the “miss short of the green” percentages for 90s shooters, which is amateur data powered by Arccos, the official game tracker of the PGA TOUR:
50-75 yards: 27.57%
76-100 yards: 35.13%
101-125 yards: 43.39%
125-150 yards: 52.84%
So make finding your stock yardages and club gapping a priority with an annual checkup. Here's a few ways you can do it, ranked from most intense to least intense.
Quick note: When doing any of these, you're looking for carry numbers, aka how far the ball flies in the air. Not total distances, which can vary more based on conditions.
Option #1: Dial-it-in session
Book an hour with a teacher or clubfitter who has access to a launch monitor of some kind. Make clear exactly what you want to do: I want to find out how far I hit each of my clubs. Having an expert set of eyes there will help you know which outlier shots to throw out, which to keep in, and make recommendations on what they see. Most times they'll be able to generate a report, too, which you'll be able to refer back to.
Option #2: DIY distances
You'll need access to a simulator. If you're a member of a club, maybe they have one. If not, look up a local indoor simulator place near you (there are lots of them around these days). Aim to hit three-to-five shots with each club, and average them out. They don't need to be—or frankly shouldn't be—perfect shots. Some flushed, some a little sketchy. Only toss out the really bad ones, like shanks or tops.
This is the method I just used using the really cool feature the Foresight Sports app just launched. You hit a minimum of three shots with each club, then it'll tell you both your stock carry and the gap between both clubs. Once you do it, you'll be able to sync up the results with your Bushnell rangefinder.
These are my results. As you can see, I've got a gap just shy of 15 yards for most of my clubs.
Option #3: Process of elimination
Let's say you're a golfer who plays more than they practice, and don’t have access to the required tech for the above option. No problem, this method comes PGA Tour player-approved, courtesy of Michael Kim.
Next time you play, get whatever yardage you need. Let's say you're 160 yards to the pin, and you pull a 6-iron. Hit your shot, and assuming you didn't hit a top or shank, simply step off the distance between your pitchmark and the distance you were aiming for. If you find your pitchmark on the green landed seven yards short of the pin distance, congratulations, you've just discovered you hit your 6-iron about 153 yards. Rinse and repeat with your other clubs.
Option #4: Better-than-nothing guesstimating
If you don't have the time, energy, or motivation to do one of the first three options, at least do this one. It's not the most accurate, but it's better than nothing.
You're on the range, and there's a pin some distance away. Let's say 150 yards. Pull a few clubs and hit towards it. Which one landed—not rolled—closest to it in distance? If it was your 6-iron, that's your 150 yard club. From there, add or subtract 10 yards for every club up or down. So in this example, your 5-iron goes 160 yards. Your 4-iron 170 yards.
The important lesson here in all of this is that it doesn't matter how far you hit your clubs. It matters that you know how far you hit your clubs. It may be humbling, but it'll help your scores.
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