What is the Loft of a Golf Club?
When choosing a golf club that matches your game, it's essential to consider technical features like loft, shaft flexibility, and clubhead design. Loft, in particular, plays a key role in helping you launch the ball effectively. Lofts are typically categorized by the type of club, and you can explore different options based on your skill level.
What is Loft?
The loft of a golf club is the angle created between the clubface and the ground. The more loft you have, the higher your golf ball will go as the loft is beneficial for people who want to hit down on the ball. In return, that typically drives your golf ball further depending on the angle of your club. You can think of the loft as how much the clubface angles upwards or how much the top portion of the clubface angles back relative to the shaft.
Key factors that higher lofts take into account are the spin, swing speed, ball position, and club fitting. With the higher loft, you get more of a backspin, so it is useful for those with slower swing speeds. Golfers can adjust their loft by changing the angle of their wrists as each loft is made for different trajectories. Club lofts range from around 3 degrees in a putter and up to 64 degrees in wedges. Each of your clubs should have a different loft to add versatility to your game, so switch your clubs out if they have the same loft!
Driver
A driver’s loft usually ranges from 8-12.5°. Typically, the golfer can adjust their loft depending on their skill level and comfortability. Golfers usually like to tee up on this shot as the loft directly impacts the launch of the ball, allowing optimal distance by having the right amount of spin.
| Type of Driver | Degrees of Loft |
|---|---|
| Adjustable Driver | 8-12° |
| Adjustable / Draw-Biased | 10.5° |
| Game Improvement | 10-12° |
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Irons
An iron usually has a loft range of 17-26°. This makes hybrids useful to clear obstacles and land their shots in the green.
| Type of Iron | Degrees of Loft |
|---|---|
| 2-Iron | 18-19° |
| 3-Iron | 18-21° |
| 4-Iron | 20-24° |
| 5-Iron | 23-27° |
| 6-Iron | 26-31° |
| 7-Iron | 30-35° |
| 8-Iron | 35-39° |
| 9-Iron | 39-44° |
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Fairway Woods
A fairway wood’s loft can range from 13-26°. The loft of this club is more forgiving and easier to hit with better ball flight characteristics.
| Type of Fairway Wood | Degrees of Loft |
|---|---|
| 3-Wood | 13-16° |
| 5-Wood | 17-19° |
| 7-Wood | 20-22° |
| 9-Wood | 23-26° |
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Hybrids
The loft of the hybrid can range greatly from 17-31°. The hybrid has a higher loft than the fairway wood. In return, the loft of this club is prone for higher launches, better forgiveness, and the best, optimal spin.
| Type of Hybrid | Degrees of Loft |
|---|---|
| 2-Hybrid | 17-18° |
| 3-Hybrid | 19-20° |
| 4-Hybrid | 21-23° |
| 5-Hybrid | 24-26° |
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Wedges
Wedges have a loft that can vary from 45-64°. These lofts allow you to get out of the sand traps easier and faster shots on the green as it is known for its high launch angle.
| Types of Wedges | Degrees of Loft |
|---|---|
| Pitching Wedge | 45-47° |
| Gap Wedge | 50-52° |
| Sand Wedge | 54-58° |
| Lob Wedge | 58-64° |
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Putters
All putters have a small range of loft that measures from 3-4.5°. Golfers usually want to get fitted to have the best loft for their putter. It all depends on the green someone likes to play on; slow greens require more loft than fast greens.
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Pointers
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Should I add loft to my shots? No. Rather than leaning backward, lean slightly forward to have your weight on your lead foot.
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What do I do when the ball is on the tee? Keep in line with the clubhead. Rather than scooping the ball, follow through with your swing to create more speed.
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Does height cancel out roll? Yes. The higher you hit, the less it will roll.
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How do hills impact the shot? Uphill shots add loft and downhill shots will decrease loft.
If you have questions about how the loft can impact your golf game, feel free to reach out to your local SCHEELS store to speak with a Golf Expert.
Understanding the loft of your golf club can lower your scores and improve your golf game. For a custom fit, schedule a golf fitting with one of our SCHEELS Master Fitters.