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What is loft in golf driver?

Author

Sarah Smith

Published Jan 15, 2026

Loft is the angle formed between a vertical line and the club face when the ball is addressed. So, a club with a higher loft will form more of an angle when placed near the golf ball. That means that a greater loft will send the ball higher in the air.

What loft should I have on my driver?

Anywhere between 8.5-10° will usually suffice. If you have a mid swing speed of 95-104 mph, a driver loft of between 10-11.5° will normally be a good starting point.

Is higher loft better for driver?

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 higher loft driver easier to hit?

The answer to our question is a higher lofted driver easier to hit is yes. What is this? If you are a slow swinging golfer who needs the added loft to help you consistently launch your ball high and far off the tee.

Will a lower loft driver go further?

Lower Lofts

Although a player may have a positive attack angle and produce low spin, they can still benefit from a lower-lofted driver that increases total distance. Players with a negative angle of attack who impart high spin loft may also improve distance from a lower-lofted driver.

20 related questions found

Do I want a 9.5 or 10.5 driver?

The ideal driver loft depends on your swing speed and the attack angle. Average players that swing the club less than 95 MPH will likely find that a 10.5-degree driver performs the best. Better players who can control their drives and want the most distance will lean more towards a 9-degree 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.

Is 12 degree driver loft too much?

The 12 Degree loft driver may be considered by some to have too much loft. But they are not likely the right golfers for that type of club. What is this? 12 degrees is not unreasonable, considering that the average driver sits at 10.5 degrees in loft.

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.

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.

Is a 13.5 degree driver good?

Anywhere between 8.5-10° will usually suffice. If you have a mid swing speed of 95-104 mph, a driver loft of between 10-11.5° will normally be a good starting point.

What loft driver is best for beginners?

The ideal loft is dependent on your swing speed and shot shape. 10.5º and 12º golf drivers are usually best for beginner golfers as the added backspin only loses a small amount of distance, but keeps your drives much straighter.

What degree driver goes 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.

What is the easiest golf driver to hit straight?

Cobra Air X Straight Neck Driver

The Cobra Air X is one of the lightest drivers on this list and ideal for beginners. Or, individuals who don't have as much natural swing speed as they would like. This club is so light at only 277 grams, it'll make adding extra distance to your drives easy!

Does adding loft to a driver close 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.

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 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).

What degree driver does Dustin Johnson use?

When Johnson showed up on Monday to the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, he had two drivers in the bag that he was testing. Both were 10.5-degree TaylorMade Stealth Plus drivers equipped with LA Golf DJ-Series prototype shafts.

What driver does Justin Thomas use?

Driver. Thomas switched to the Titleist TSi3 driver shortly after it was released in 2020 and used the same Mitsubishi Diamana ZF shaft for nearly three years. The TSi3 drivers come with a five-setting movable weight in the back of the head to help players and fitters create a draw or fade bias.

What are the easiest drivers to hit?

The Callaway Mavrik Max is Callaway's easiest to hit driver, making it a great option for beginners and high handicappers. It's built for high launch with medium spin, and the head is designed to be ultra-stable, making your misses left and right less severe.

Who should use a 13 degree driver?

Women golfers typically have between 13 and 16 degrees of loft in a stock woman driver. If a woman golfer has a slower swing speed, this is a perfect amount of loft. However, for women with faster swing speeds, this may not be enough loft to make it really a good fit.

Do pros use 10.5 degree driver?

Professional golfers tend to play with a driver that has about 9.5 degrees of loft. Of course, there are some golfers who find 10.5 or 8.5 to be more effective, but you will generally see most players end up in the 9 to 9.5 range.

Is a 9 degree driver hard 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.

Does driver loft affect 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.

Can you change loft on driver?

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. Also, moving the center of gravity around with weights can affect the shape of your shots.