Loft is the angle that describes how far the clubface (the surface that strikes the ball) points upwards. It is measured as the angle between the face and a vertical line when the shaft is held straight up. The higher the number, the higher the ball flies and the shorter it travels. As a rough guide, a driver has about 10 degrees of loft and a pitching wedge is in the 40s, but two 7-irons can differ by five degrees or more depending on the manufacturer and the year of release, so the number on the club is no longer a reliable way to compare distances.
What loft means, and how it affects height and distance
Picture the club soled correctly on the ground with the shaft perfectly vertical. Loft is how far the face leans back from vertical. A club with close to zero degrees, such as a putter, barely faces upwards at all, while a 60-degree wedge points well up towards the sky.
- Less loft (a “stronger” club): the ball launches lower with less spin and rolls out more. You get more distance but it is harder to stop the ball with height.
- More loft (a “weaker” club): the ball flies higher with more spin and stops more quickly after landing. Distance is shorter.
Golfers and club fitters talk about “strengthening” a club when they reduce its loft and “weakening” it when they add loft. That is why clubs with lower lofts than usual for their number are called strong-lofted, and those with higher lofts weak-lofted.
The figures in this article are the static loft, the angle when the club is soled at address, as listed in the specifications. At impact the effective loft changes: with your hands ahead of the ball the loft is reduced, and if you scoop at the ball it is increased. This is why the same club can produce different ball heights depending on how you strike it.
Typical loft by club
The Rules do not set which loft goes with which club number. Each manufacturer decides this for every model. The table shows approximate ranges for traditional designs (often called classic lofts) and for today’s forgiving irons (distance or game-improvement irons).
| Club | Traditional design | Modern distance irons |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | About 9 to 12 degrees (12 degrees or more is common for women’s models) | |
| 3-wood | About 15 degrees | |
| 5-iron | About 27 to 28 degrees | About 21 to 24 degrees |
| 7-iron | About 34 to 36 degrees | About 26 to 30 degrees |
| 9-iron | About 42 to 43 degrees | About 34 to 39 degrees |
| Pitching wedge | About 46 to 48 degrees | About 38 to 44 degrees |
| Sand wedge | About 54 to 58 degrees (56 degrees is the most common) | |
These are only guides. Even among clubs released in the same year, players’ irons for better golfers often have a 7-iron of about 32 to 34 degrees, while many game-improvement models have a 7-iron below 30 degrees. The most reliable way to check the actual lofts is the specification table for each model on the manufacturer’s official website.
Strong lofts: how much has the 7-iron changed?
Iron lofts have been getting stronger, a little at a time, over several decades. According to American golf magazines, a 7-iron in the 1980s typically had about 35 to 36 degrees of loft. In one year of Golf Digest’s Hot List equipment ratings, the average 7-iron among the game-improvement irons selected was 28 degrees, and club fitters now suggest the average modern 7-iron may well be below 30 degrees. Some models have a 7-iron of around 25 degrees, almost the same as an old 5-iron.
This trend is known as loft jacking or strong lofting. The ball still gets airborne with these stronger lofts because of design advances such as thinner faces and heavy metals placed low in the head to lower the centre of gravity and raise the launch. Some manufacturers explain that even though the listed loft is strong, the club effectively delivers more loft at impact, so two clubs with the same loft can produce different ball flights depending on their design.
Strong lofts come with a few things to watch out for.
- Comparing “how far you hit your 7-iron” with other golfers means little. Their 7-iron may have the same loft as your 6-iron.
- A large gap tends to open up between the pitching wedge and sand wedge. With a pitching wedge of about 40 degrees, there can be nearly 15 degrees between it and a 56-degree sand wedge, leaving no club for the distances in between.
- Long irons become harder to hit. The stronger the loft on the 5- and 6-irons, the harder it is to get the ball up, and more golfers are replacing them with hybrids.
Loft gaps between clubs and how to build your set
Iron sets are usually designed with three to five degrees of loft between each club. This gap is what creates the distance gap between clubs. For typical distances, see our article on golf club distances from driver to wedge.
When you plan your set, it helps to line up the loft numbers rather than the club names.
- Look up the loft of every club you carry in the specification tables and list them.
- Check that the gap between neighbouring clubs is roughly four to six degrees.
- If there are ten degrees or more between the pitching wedge and sand wedge, add a gap wedge (GW, also called an approach wedge or AW, typically around 50 degrees) to fill it.
- If you struggle to get the ball up with your long irons, consider replacing them with a hybrid or fairway wood of similar loft.
The Rules of Golf limit you to 14 clubs. If you add a wedge, you need to take another club out. For an overview of club types, see the six types of golf clubs.
Choosing your driver loft
Men’s drivers are mostly sold at around 9 to 10.5 degrees, while women’s and senior models are often around 12 degrees or more. Many people assume that better players use lower-lofted drivers, but if your swing speed is not high, a low-lofted driver can make it hard to get the ball up and actually cost you distance.
- If your ball flight is low and you are not getting much carry (distance in the air), adding loft may increase your distance.
- If your drives balloon up too high, reducing loft may help the ball go further forward.
- Many modern drivers have an adjustable hosel that lets you change the loft by about one to two degrees. Experimenting with this after you buy is worth trying.
Changing the loft also changes how the face looks at address and how easily you square it up. After any adjustment, check your ball flight at the driving range before you take it onto the course.
Do the Rules limit loft?
The Rules of Golf (the Equipment Rules) do not set any maximum or minimum loft for drivers or irons. Only putters have a limit: a putter must have a loft not exceeding 10 degrees. In addition, even with a conforming club, you may not change its performance during a round by adjusting the loft settings or bending the club. Make any loft adjustments to an adjustable driver before your round.