C
Clarity News Hub

What is loft on a golf club?

Author

James Craig

Published Jan 12, 2026

Loft is the angle of the club face that controls trajectory and affects distance. A driver has a loft between 7 and 12 degrees. Experienced golfers have traditionally favored lower lofted drivers (less than 10 degrees of loft), which require much more skill to hit than higher lofted drivers.

What is the normal loft on golf irons?

They are irons meant to help golfers get off the tee box in the fairway and provide good distance. The typical driving irons usually run from 18-23 degrees.

Is higher loft better for irons?

A stronger(lower) loft in newer irons will produce a higher ball flight than the weaker(higher) loft in older clubs. At least that is the marketing pitch. The intent is to make it easier to launch the ball higher and in the process easier to hit.

How do I choose a loft for my golf clubs?

Choose a loft to try based on your assessed club-head speed. If it is between 95 and 104 mph, a 10- or 11-degree loft will be appropriate. If it is between 105 and 115 mph, a loft between 7 and 9 degrees should be considered. Golfers with club-head speeds below 85 mph should use a loft angle between 14 and 20 degrees.

What loft should my driver be if I slice?

Although many slicers want to hit the ball lower, remember the additional loft provides backspin that will reduce the amount a golf ball slices through the air. I would recommend a 10.5 to 12-degree set-up, depending on your current ball flight and severity of your slice.

28 related questions found

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.

What is the loft of a 9-iron?

In conclusion, a strong lofted 9-iron generally sits around the 38-degree mark but can be stronger. However, a standard 9-iron is lofted between 41 and 43 degrees. If you opt for a strengthened 9-iron loft, make sure you maintain the trend heading into your wedge setup.

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's the average distance for a 7-iron?

The average distance golfers hit each club varies widely. A PGA Tour player hits a 7-iron between 172-215 yards.

What loft do pros use on irons?

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. The loft on the driver makes it easier to launch.

What degree loft is a 1 iron?

The 1 iron, or driving iron, is the lowest lofted and longest iron (14 or 16 degrees of loft), although Wilson did make a 0 iron for John Daly.

What is the average loft of a 6 iron?

A typical loft angle for the 5-iron is 28 degrees, while the 6-iron is 31 degrees and the 7-iron weighs in at 34 degrees. These irons achieve distances of 160, 150 and 140 yards respectively for typical men, and 110, 100 and 90 yards for women, making them useful clubs on the fairway.

Which golf club has the most loft?

An ultra lob wedge is used to hit a shot with higher and shorter trajectory than a standard lob wedge. This club is labeled "UL" and has a loft of about 64° and has the highest loft of any golf club.

Is more loft more forgiving?

Those That Use Low And Front Weighted Drivers

However, it is worth noting that a higher lofted driver is also more forgiving because it is harder to curve the ball.

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.

Does lower loft driver go further?

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).

What is the loft on a 7 iron?

Iron Lofts

To give you an idea, the 7-iron in the Mizuno MP-20 model (a traditional, blade-like iron) is 34˚. This is relatively weak and as such these irons are designed more with distance control rather than pure distance, in mind.

What is the loft of a 2 iron?

Stock standard 2-irons typically have a loft of 18-degrees, which is on a par with a 5-wood. The average male golfer hits a 2-iron in the vicinity of 190 yards.

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 happens if my driver shaft is too stiff?

If your driver's shaft is too stiff, the clubhead may not square with the ball at the point of impact, causing slices and fades. If you can't feel the weight of the clubhead loading through the shaft, it's probably too stiff, and can cause errors and issues associated with accuracy such as these.

What degree driver do most pros use?

Driver lofts used by the top 100 PGA Tour golfers range from 4.2° all the way up to 12.4°. The most common degree of driver is 9° with 36 players choosing that loft. 10.5° and 9.5° are the next most used lofts making these 3 loft choices the preference of over 60% of the best 100 players on Tour.

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.

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.