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What does lowering loft on driver do?

Author

Emily Ross

Published Jan 09, 2026

Lower lofts can provide more energy transfer at impact because there's less of an oblique angle. It's why your 7-iron flies farther than your 8-iron. In our test, drivers with less loft consistently produced more ball speed, even for low swing-speed golfers (3.2 mph more compared to the 10.5 and 12-degree drivers).

Is a lower loft driver harder to hit?

As a general rule, It is a lot harder to hit a lower loft driver. Drivers are one of the most challenging clubs in your bag to use; the lower the club's loft, the less forgiveness the club gives you, making it a lot harder to hit.

Will a lower loft driver help my slice?

Driver loft to reduce a slice

More loft equals more backspin, this backspin creates a more stable flight and minimises any negative effects of side-spin. Some golfers may argue that a 12-degree driver will lose them too much distance.

Does lowering driver loft open the face?

When you reduce your club's loft, you're also decreasing the angle of your clubface. On the other hand, if you increase your loft, the face angle will be open. This rule is true for loft adjustments on the irons, driver, and hybrids.

Should I adjust the loft on my driver?

Woody says that getting the loft setting on your driver is the most important. Modern drivers allow golfers to move the loft around by several degrees now. Increasing or decreasing loft can change how far you hit the ball and the accuracy of your drives considerably.

32 related questions found

Is it better to adjust driver loft up or down?

With a slightly upward angle of attack—rather than downward—a lower-lofted driver can produce better results.

Is 9.5 or 10.5 driver better?

In theory, a 9.5 degree driver shot will travel lower at a greater speed with less backspin than a 10.5 degree driver when struck square. You must be sure that you have enough club head speed -- how fast the golf club is moving toward impact with the golf ball -- to warrant a lower lofted driver.

Can you Deloft a driver?

Have the ball further up in your stance, off your lead toe is fine. Also, deloft the driver a bit. This may seem counter intuitive, but delofting the club will help you make better, more solid contact with the ball when you swing with a positive angle of attack.

How can I tell my swing speed?

Divide the ball speed by 1.5 to get the estimated swing speed for your drive. Alternatively, you can divide the carry distance by 2.3 to estimate the swing speed at impact, but the result will not be as accurate.

Does changing loft affect lie?

If you have the proper lie angle, the center of the sole will rest squarely on the ground when you put the club down behind the ball. Then the lie angle is the space created between the shaft and the ground on the heel side of the club head. Lie angle also increases as the loft increases.

Does a stiffer shaft reduce slice?

If your club shafts are too stiff, you'll have trouble loading them properly during your downswing. When the clubhead gets to the ball, the shaft won't unload properly and the face will remain slightly open, causing a slice.

What loft driver do pros use?

Most professionals on the PGA golf tour are using a driver with a loft between 9 and 10.5. The golfers will change the loft based on the shaft they have on their club and how the shaft impacts the ball flight as well. Most golfers on the professional circuit have a very fast swing speed.

How much does 1 degree of loft affect distance?

Given that you're at your maximum clubhead speed, just 1-degree change in the loft angle of a golf driver can affect your driving distance by 2-4 yards. As for irons, the difference in distance between 8-iron (37-39 degrees) and 9-iron (41-43 degrees) is usually 10-15 yards.

What loft is Tiger Woods driver?

Woods' driver on Friday appeared to be 1.5 degrees open, giving the club a loft of 8.25 degrees total, while the club's sliding weight port was moved towards a draw setting.

What degree driver does Tiger Woods use?

RELATED: Tiger Woods hopes to walk the walk at Masters

When Woods showed up at the 2021 PNC Championship, he had a new TaylorMade Stealth Plus 9-degree driver in the bag, equipped with his familiar Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60TX driver.

Is a 9.5 degree driver hard to hit?

A 9-degree driver takes a bit more clubhead speed to hit well. If you are a faster swinging player, the 10.5-degree driver may launch too high for you. Faster swinging golfers can compress a golf ball much better than a slower swinging player.

How fast should you swing a 7 iron?

An average golfer will swing a seven iron about 75 mph. This number can change based on the weight of the club and if it is steel or graphite. The faster you swing a seven iron, the further it will go. If you can swing at about 85 mph, you will see distances closer to 165 yards.

What does flex s mean on a driver?

More commonly known as the stiff shaft (S), this flex is favored by golfers who have a fairly fast swing and drive the ball 250 yards on a consistent basis. Golfers who play a firm or stiff shaft have club speeds between 90-105 mph.

What loft driver does Rory use?

Rory's driver is a 9º head, with the hosel adaptor set a notch lower so the loft plays more like 8.5º. The sliding sole weight is in a pretty neutral position, and the shaft is a Fujikura Ventus Black 6X tipped one inch (to make it play stiffer).

Can you switch shafts on drivers?

Replacing your old shaft can be a relatively painless process for you or your local repair shop. If your favorite old driver seems to have run out of quality hits, you might want to refresh it by adding a new shaft to the club.

What driver does Bryson Dechambeau use?

Bryson was using a Cobra King Radspeed driver which had only 7.5 degrees of loft but in 2022 he has switched to a Cobra LTDx which only has five degrees of loft.

Is it harder to hit a 9 degree driver?

Is A 9-Degree Driver Harder To Hit. Golfers with slower swing speeds may find the 9-degree driver too difficult to hit consistently and achieve maximum distance. However, golfers with high swing speed will benefit from the lower loft.

What driver does Cameron Smith use?

A highly technical player known for his metronomic touch with the putter, his golf bag is full of clubs that pay testament to his versatility and tact. Smith opts for Titleist clubs in the main, playing with a Titleist driver, 3-wood and 7-wood as well as the new Titleist Vokey Design SM9 wedges.

What degree driver hits the farthest?

The low loft of a golf driver is very surprising from the perspective of physics. Everyone in freshman physics learns that the optimal launch angle for a projectile - the angle that makes a ball fly the farthest - is 45 degrees.