What is Loft in Golf - Simplified


Golf loft is one of the most fundamental parts of understanding how to play golf. Whether you are a beginner or experienced golfer, it is important to understand the basics of loft in golf.


If you want to maximize your distance with the driver but don’t know what loft in golf is, then this is the place for you!


Golf club loft is a term used in golf to describe the angle of the face of a golf club as it relates to the ball. It is one of many factors that contribute to how high or low a ball will fly.


To avoid damaging your game, it is important to be aware of how loft interacts with your swing and your golf ball. With this extension of knowledge, you will be able to hit the ball better and further than ever before!


Don't let not knowing what loft in golf means slow you down.


Keep reading…


Golf club loftSky's the limit when you have the right kind of knowledge. You will be able to hit your golf ball better and further than ever before!

Golf Club Loft Explained


The loft of a golf club is about the angle when hitting the ball.


  • The higher the loft, the higher the ball will go after it has been hit.
  • The lower the loft, the lower the ball will go after it has been hit.
  • Loft is the angle between the clubface and the ground.


Your loft can also be adjusted by changing the angle of your wrists and your dynamic loft is the angle between your clubface and the ground when you hit the ball. This should in general be less loft than when you line up for your shot.


Golf clubs are manufactured with loft to provide different trajectories for different shots.


  • A driver has a lower loft than a wedge because you want your driver to go farther.


The loft, or degree of loft, of a golf club is the amount that the club's face is angled up from level with the ground. The loft angle will be listed on the club's specification sheet. A low-lofted club will have a more vertical face and a high-lofted club will have a more horizontal face.


Golf clubs are designed to perform differently based on their loft angle and offer different shots for different playing situations. Lower lofts provide more distance but less accuracy for shots off the tee and out of rough, while higher lofts provide less distance but more accuracy for shots around the green and off tight lies.


But there's more you need to know… 


Understanding the Fundamentals of Loft in Golf


Loft in golf can be defined as the angle of the face of a club to the ground. The loft angle is also sometimes referred to as "angle of attack."


Golf loft can be changed by using different clubs or adjusting the lie angle of the club. The loft effect is caused by a decrease in launch height, which reduces spin, giving the ball longer carry distance.


I know that lofts are a part of golf that can lead to confusion for a lot of new golfers. When you're looking at your clubs, the loft will be reflected in the angle of the club's face that's closest to the ground. 


For example :


A golfer with a driver would see that the loft is set to about 9-12 degrees.


The loft effect is what happens when air interacts with a ball as it goes through its flight and is one of the most important concepts for understanding how aerodynamics work. In golf this effect refers to how much lift there is generated by a golf ball with different loft angles. The higher the loft, the more air time you get before coming back down to the ground.


Dynamic loft refers to how much your clubface can move during practice swings or on-course play, which alters your shot's trajectory accordingly.


What's the difference between driver and iron lofts?


Drivers, as the name suggests, are designed to drive the ball. They have a lower loft than an iron club and can offer more distance on contact with the ball.


Iron clubs are meant to be played from the fairway or rough so they have higher loft than a driver. This is because they don't need as much power to get over obstacles in order to reach the green.


What loft should my driver be?


Loft is the angle of elevation that the club head makes with the ground, measured in degrees. By now you already know this.


Some golfers are confused whether to choose a driver with high loft (12-degrees) or low loft (9-degrees).


What driver loft is best for you?


The loft impacts how high your ball will fly. 


A low lofted club will produce a flatter trajectory and more distance in general. A high lofted club will produce a higher arc and shorter distance in general. But there’s more than loft that determines how far your ball will travel.


It’s important to consider what your goal is when you are choosing which clubs you want to take out on the course. For someone who is just starting out, they may want to focus on getting used to hitting their ball straight first before worrying about distance.


  • The loft of your driver should depend on your swing speed and how low you want to hit the ball.


You want to have a clubface angle that matches your swing type. 


Golfers usually set their driver around 9-12 degrees of loft because it best suits their swing type and provides maximum distance off of the tee while also increasing accuracy for the next approach shot.


But what about trajectory? 


How does loft affect trajectory of a golf ball?


More loft allows for more backspin, which creates more lift on the ball, making it fly higher. This is how loft affects the trajectory of your golf shots.


  • Loft is the angle of the clubface to the ground.


  • Loft affects the trajectory of a golf ball.


  • The loft of your clubface in relation to the ground will greatly affect the ball.


A low lofted shot will have minimum backspin but maximum distance. This is what you want for your driver shots.


A high lofted shot will have maximum backspin but minimum distance. This is what you want for your wedge shots.


Your different irons will be somewhere in between what you want from your driver and wedges.


I know, you want to swing with speed… 


What is The Relationship Between Club Head Speed & Loft?


Loft refers to the angle of the club face and is measured in degrees. It's what makes a pitching wedge have enough loft to fly straight up into the air instead of at a flatter angle when it comes in contact with a golf ball.


  • The club head speed and loft are the two most important factors in determining the trajectory of the golf ball.


Club head speed is determined by how fast you swing your club. It's important to know that every golfer has different swing speeds.


The loft of the club will determine how high the golf ball will go when it is struck by the club face. The higher the loft, the more arching motion will occur when hitting the ball and this yields more backspin.


Many golfers are concerned about the relationship between club head speed and loft. They want to know whether increasing their loft will make them hit the ball farther. But this is a complex question since there’s so much else to the golf swing that also determines how the ball will come off your clubface.


Enough with the complex stuff. 


How does loft affect your spin rate on your golf ball?


There are different loft angles for different distances, so it's important to get your desired loft before you line up for your shot.


As loft increases, the amount of backspin also increases. This is because as the loft rises, the angle of attack to the ball becomes shallower and the ball has a higher chance of hitting on its back side. This causes it to spin backwards, which results in increased backspin.


Loft is the angle at which the golfer hits the golf ball; this will determine how high or low you hit it. It can affect your swing, distance and spin rate.


Many golfers are not aware of what kind of loft they have on their clubs. This is why golfers are looking for loft charts to determine which club will give them more success with their game.

 

The easy way to measure loft… 


How to measure golf club loft


There are different loft angles for drivers, irons, and wedges.


These days different golf club brands also have different degree loft on their clubs, so you can’t say that a nine iron has 48 degree loft.


I would say that a nine iron has a loft somewhere in between 46-50 degrees depending on the manufacturer.


Your local golf pro can help fit you with clubs that are suited for you and with a proper gap in loft degrees between clubs.


Since golf club loft is so important, it's wise to try different lofts before settling on a club set in order to find out if you can adjust your swing accordingly or if you'll need to play with another club set that might have more loft.


Now you got the hang of things… 


You'll Never Play A Good Shot Again Without Knowing Your Golf Loft


Golf loft is the angle of attack that a golf club creates with the ground.


  • The loft on your golf club is the angle of attack between the face of your golf club and the ground when you hit a shot. If you want to improve your game, it's important to know more about loft.


  • The loft on a golf club dictates how high or low you are hitting the ball off the ground. A lower-lofted club will increase distance but decrease accuracy, while a higher-lofted club will reduce distance but increase accuracy if swung properly.


  • The loft on your clubs will affect your performance on all shots in golf. It's important to know what kind of lofts you have before you start playing.


Great golfers know that by understanding the loft of the club they are using, they can hit better golf shots.


Do you know enough about loft to hit good golf shots?


Show / Hide

Related Pages