How much does loft affect distance on irons?
The Effect of Loft. The loft of an iron has a much greater effect on the distance your ball will carry than does the length of the club (swing speed). Many in the golf industry estimate that with irons, the ratio is as high 20:80, meaning that loft has 4 times the effect on distance as compared to swing speed.
Should you play higher loft or lower loft golf clubs?
You may find that it’s worth it to play less loft to get a really open face angle or that you need the closed face angle that higher loft brings. Finally, getting the right golf club matters.
Does loft affect driver distance?
Of our 12 sets (each golfer produced 3 sets, 1 with each driver), we found that less loft produced more total distance only half the time, 6 out of 12. If we look at carry distance, less loft produced more distance only 4 times out of 12. This indicates that distance isn’t the result of more loft or less loft, but of getting the right loft.
Can more loft help you hit the ball farther?
It is hard for some golfers to understand how irons with more loft can help them hit the ball farther, and this is understandable. But when I show them the results on golf radar, which can be as much as 5-to-10 yards more carry distance, they start to get it.
Does more loft mean more distance in irons?
As long as the spin rate is acceptable, the new irons, because of their lower center of gravity, are going to produce more speed off the face (due to the lower loft and lower COG) and more distance.
Do lower lofted irons go further?
CAT GOLFER: “Good question, the way I understand it, disregard the number on the bottom of the club. A stronger(lower) loft in newer irons will produce a higher ball flight than the weaker(higher) loft in older clubs.
Does loft affect distance?
Less Loft + Upward Angle of Attack = More Distance Low lofts saw more roll after landing than higher lofts, too—six yards more. But these weren't low bullets. The lower lofts yielded the same or longer carry distances because of the group's upward angles of attack.
How much distance does 3 degree of loft affect?
The 3 degrees loft left over = 4 yards, so 20 yards + 4 yards = 24 yards. Do not get too serious about this interpolation thing, a close guess is usually ok. This calculation method is, however, quite accurate and is the best way to fit clubs regarding distance differences in your iron set.
How much does 1 degree of loft affect iron 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 should a 7 iron be?
34 to 35 degrees7-Iron Loft | 28 to 35 Degrees A more standard loft for a 7-iron is 34 to 35 degrees, but you can find game improvement 7-iron lofts pushed as low as 28 degrees or less.
Is 11.5 loft too much?
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. If you hit down on the ball, you're likely to have high spin loft, so using less loft will actually reduce your backspin and should help you hit the ball further.
Does increasing loft open or close the clubface?
When you lower the loft of a golf club, you are also going to close the angle of the clubface. If you increase the loft on a club, you will open the face angle on the club. This applies when you are adjusting loft on the driver as well as irons or hybrids.
What loft should irons be?
What Degree Loft Should Your Irons Be? There is no official loft angle assigned to each iron largely because specific clubs vary from each manufacturer. In the longer irons a three-iron usually comes in at around 20 degrees, a four-iron at roughly 25 degrees and a five-iron at 29 degrees of loft.
How far should a senior hit 7 iron?
Average 7 Iron Distance By AgeAge RangeAverage 7 Iron Distance40-50146 yards50-60139 yards60+128 yardsAll Golfers145 yards2 more rows
How far should I be hitting a 6 iron?
You should hit a six iron about 150 yards. The average golfer gets just over 150 yards with their six-iron. Players with faster swing speed will get closer to 165 or even 170 with a six iron.
Does higher loft reduce slice?
A higher driver loft can help a slice because it will help to encourage a bit more forgiveness and backspin on the driver. These features of a higher lofted driver are going to help improve a slice and straighten out overall ball flight. A slice is often caused by a bit too much side spin being applied to a golf ball.
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.
What does weaker loft mean?
The short answer: When you hear reference to weaker lofts or weakening lofts, it means increasing the loft angle of your club or clubs, usually to improve your ball flight. If you are hitting your shots on too flat a trajectory and you want to achieve a higher trajectory, then weakening loft is a way to do that.
Do new irons go further?
Year-over-year, distance increases in new equipment are generally minimal. If you bought a driver in 2019, the 2020 model may only be 1-2 yards longer. But, if you have a driver from 2004, then the 2020 model could be 20+ yards longer.
What does stronger loft mean?
A stronger loft - or strengthening your loft - means that a clubfitters had literally bent the golf club(s) in question to reduce the amount of loft. (Not all golf clubs can be bent in such a way; it's typically done only in irons and may depend on the type of hosel used.)
Where is Matt from Plugged In Golf?
He's worked in nearly every job in the golf industry from club fitting to instruction to writing and speaking. Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
Does loft exist in a vacuum?
2) Loft doesn’t exist in a vacuum. This is the main reason why we felt that our findings on Myth #2 were inconclusive. Though we did everything possible to isolate loft, loft is always connected to face angle. More loft makes a club look more closed.
Does less loft mean more distance?
First, less loft does not mean more distance whether that’s in a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, or iron. Loft is just one part of the distance equation, and everyone’s equation is different. Second, you need to find a combination of loft and face angle that helps you produce playable, consistent shots. You may find that it’s worth it ...
How does loft affect distance?
The Effect of Loft. The loft of an iron has a much greater effect on the distance your ball will carry than does the length of the club (s wing speed). Many in the golf industry estimate that with irons, the ratio is as high 20:80, meaning that loft has 4 times the effect on distance as compared to swing speed.
What happens when you reduce the length of your irons to a 7 iron?
The long and the short of it is that when you reduce the length of your irons to a 7 iron length (in the case of the irons longer than a 7 iron), and lengthen the shafts on the 8 iron to the wedges to the 7 iron length you will affect swing speed generated by those clubs .
How much heavier is a 4 iron?
Because the heads on single length clubs are all the same weight (around 272 grams) the head on the 4 iron is 20-25 grams heavier than a traditional 4 iron and will exert more force causing a slight increase in distance. The head on the pitching wedge which is approximately 20 grams lighter than the traditional weight will exert less force ...
What is the factor that determines the amount of force applied to a ball?
Physics tell us that when a moving object (the club head) strikes a stationary object (the ball) the amount of force applied to the ball is dependent on two factors, the speed of the moving object, and its weight.
How much does 1 degree of loft affect distance?
The loft of a golf club is the angle that the clubface makes with the shaft. Drivers, along with 2 and 3 irons, have a small loft. Short irons and wedges design to have a large loft. The higher the attic of your club is, the higher the flight path of your golf ball.
How many yards per degree of the loft?
After knowing How much does 1 degree of loft affects distance, you might wonder, “How many yards will be affecting per degree of the loft?”
How to increase golf ball travel distance?
Every golfer dreams of a better distance. From amateurs to experts, all golfers want to hit a longer length. After knowing how much does 1 degree of loft affects distance, you might be wondering how you can increase the golf ball travel distance.
Conclusion
Now that you know how much does 1 degree of loft affects distance, it is time that you start improving your game.
Why are new irons so soft?
As long as the spin rate is acceptable, the new irons, because of their lower center of gravity, are going to produce more speed off the face (due to the lower loft and lower COG) and more distance. But they will still land on the green as soft as an older set of irons (if not softer).
Why don't golfers improve?
Most golfers don’t really understand the golf swing. You watch golf and you practice and you play, but you don’t really understand the dynamics of what is really happening at 100 mph during the golf swing.
How fast should a golfer hit the ball?
It is common for a golfer with a swing speed of 70-to-80 mph or less to hit the ball with a lower trajectory than what is considered ideal. Fitters have to find some way to raise their ball flight, because those golfers lack the speed necessary to get the best results from many modern iron heads. Step 1 for those golfers is to increase ball speed. ...
How wide is a golf ball?
The ball is 1.68 inches in diameter, and the functional striking area on a golf club is about 1.5-inches wide. If you vary in your setup by even 3/4 inch, you have imposed a serious obstacle to success. If you do nothing else to improve your golf game, learn how to set up the same way every time.
What is the first step in golf?
First the foundation , then the framing, roof, exterior walls, interior, paint, and trim. You can’t do one before the other. In golf, it all starts with the grip. If you do not hold the club properly, you’ll never accomplish a sound golf swing.
Do iron lofts create more distance?
Stronger iron lofts don’t always create more distance. The most common complaint I hear from golfers looking for new irons is that all the lofts are “jacked strong.”. If someone is playing an iron set, for instance, from the late 1990’s or earlier they will most likely find their irons to be 2-to-3 degrees weaker than today’s game-improvement ...
Is golf a hitting action?
Learn to “swing” the club, not “hit” the ball. This sounds simple, but the golf swing is not a hitting action: it’s a swinging action. The baseball hitter is just that, because the ball is in a different place every time – high, low, inside, outside, curve. He has to rely on quick eye-hand coordination.
The Problem
I think you start to see the problem of the larger gap between the pitching wedge and sand wedge and that it must be addressed when buying a set with this type of loft pattern. Some manufacturers of stronger loft sets are increasing the gap in lofts between the #7, #8 and #9 irons to 5º vs.
Conclusion
Here is what I am getting at in a round about way. Most of us probably agree that even with “normal” lofted sets of irons we would be better off buying only #4 through pitching wedge sets and have the #3 iron available as a separate club if needed.
Optimizing Ball Flight Trajectory
To have the absolute perfect golf ball flight trajectory (maximizing distance of course), there are two elements that need to be optimized… Launch Angle and Spin Rate:
The 5 Factors Affecting Driver Launch Angle and Spin Rate
Okay, we talked a lot about optimizing your driver launch angle and spin rate to achieve the perfect ball flight right? But how do you actually control those things?
How to Change Those Numbers With a New Driver
So we’ve talked about the 2 elements affecting ball flight and distance, AND the 5 factors directly affecting those elements.
So What Loft Driver Should I Use? Putting It All Together
I’ve thrown a LOT of info at you, and it can be confusing, I know. There’s just not a “best loft” simple answer.
Final Thoughts on Driver Loft
Use the knowledge presented in this article to analyse your current ball flight trajectory. Then, reverse engineer what can be fixed or what can be improved.
Facts > “Common Sense”
The Myths
- There are two myths that we’re tackling today, both pertaining to loft: Myth #1 – Less loft produces more distance Myth #2 – More loft means more accuracy
How We Tested
- For this test, we focused on drivers. Each of our four testers hit through a matrix of 9 different head and loft combinations – 3 different heads in 3 different lofts each. Each tester selected one shaft and used that for every shot they hit. The order of heads and lofts was different for each golfer. All testing was conducted at and with the help of Club Champion.
The Results
- Of our 12 sets (each golfer produced 3 sets, 1 with each driver), we found that less loft produced more total distance only half the time, 6 out of 12. If we look at carry distance, less loft produced more distance only 4 times out of 12. This indicates that distance isn’t the result of more loft or less loft, but of getting the right loft. Some of...
Why Aren’T The Results More Definitive?
- Any time I’ve published an article like this, many questions are raised, particularly about why the data isn’t “cleaner.” Let me preempt a few of those questions with some explanations here. 1) Sample size. Though we’d love to conduct these tests with dozens of golfers hitting hundreds of shots, that’s not realistic. We will always get the biggest sampling that we are able to and ackno…
The Takeaway
- There are a few things I believe you can take from this article that will help you play better golf. First, less loft does not mean more distancewhether that’s in a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, or iron. Loft is just one part of the distance equation, and everyone’s equation is different. Second, you need to find a combination of loft and face angle that helps you produce playable, consistent sh…