Golf-FAQ.com

what degrees are golf drivers and fairway woods

by Ms. Dianna Tromp II Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

If you are going to use a fairway wood to replace a driver, then you should think about a wood between fifteen and eighteen degrees of loft. Look for a three wood. You will find there are hundreds on the market and the choice can be confusing.

Golf Club Lofts Chart
ClubStandard Lofts (Tour Level Irons)
Driver9°-12.5°
3-Wood15°
4-Wood17°
5-Wood18°-19°
17 more rows
Jul 24, 2021

Full Answer

How many degrees should a fairway wood be?

If you carry a 5-wood, it shouldn’t be more than 3-4 higher than your 3-wood. For example, if your 3-wood has 16 degrees of loft, your 5-wood should be 19 or 20 degrees. What is an 18-degree fairway wood?

Is the fairway wood a driver?

It comes with much of the same technologies found in the driver bearing the same name, which in our opinion makes this fairway wood as close to being a driver as it can be without being one. It’s super long and a blast to hit off the turf or tee.

What is the best loft angle for fairway woods?

For example, a strong wood has a similar loft angle to the club just below it, with the same relative shaft length. This spells better control for many players. In general, the fairway woods start with angles as low as 13 degrees and as high as 22 degrees. That’s if you include the 7-woods in the picture.

What is the longest fairway wood in the PGA?

Johnson further notes that the longest fairway wood of 15% of PGA tour golfers, is 16 degrees and higher. Besides the stamp of approval from professionals, the 16 degree is an ideal loft for the average golfer. It is effectively a weakened 3-wood or a strengthened 4-wood.

image

What degree is a fairway wood?

The more loft a club has, the higher the trajectory of the ball and the shorter the ball will travel. Fairway woods have a higher loft than drivers. A 3 wood has a loft between 15 and 18 degrees, and a 5 wood has a loft between 20 and 22 degrees.

What is the most common loft for a 3 wood?

roughly 15 degreesIn most cases, the average 3-wood has roughly 15 degrees of loft, a number that positions it nicely between the driver and 5-wood from a yardage gap perspective.

What golf iron is 27 degrees?

Go Clubbing. Clubs with 27 or 30 degrees of loft will typically be irons, although you can find some hybrid clubs with that much loft and even a few fairway woods. A 27-degree iron is likely to be labeled as a 4- or 5-iron. A 30-degree iron is likely to be a 5- or 6-iron.

What loft is a fairway driver?

For the average recreational golfer with an average swing speed, a 10.5-degree driver will likely perform the best. The average distance will be very close between them, but a 10.5-degree driver will be more forgiving and will hit more fairways. Again, it'll depend on your skill level, swing speed, and launch angle.

What degree is a driver?

The least-lofted golf club, other than a putter, is the driver. Drivers are typically lofted between 8 and 11 degrees, so drivers with lofts of 9.5 and 10.5 degrees are common.

What golf club is 37 degrees?

An 8-iron has 37-degrees of loft and will carry approx 130-yards. A 9-iron has 41-degrees of loft and will carry 120-yards. A Pitching Wedge has anything between 45 to 50-degrees of loft. Carry will be approx 105 to 110-yards.

What degree is every golf club?

Golf Club Loft Chart – What Is the Standard Loft On Golf Clubs?GOLF CLUBSTANDARD LOFT ANGLE3-IRON21 degrees4-IRON24 degrees (19 degrees – stronger loft in a game improvement set)5-IRON27 degrees (21 degrees – stronger loft in a game improvement set)6-IRON30 degrees (25 degrees – stronger loft in a game improvement set)17 more rows

What fairway wood is 24 degree?

On average, a 24 degree hybrid is a 9 wood or 4 iron equivalent. Hybrids were launched as a better replacement for long irons. It's better in terms of more control, versatile hits, higher shots, and more chances of success. Golfers, who found it difficult to use 3 or 4 iron, added the hybrids to their bag.

What club is a 23 degree?

A 23 degree hybrid refers to a hybrid golf club with a 23° loft. A 23 degree hybrid is considered to be a high-loft club and is ideal for long shots from tight lies compared to standard long irons and fairway woods. It's also suitable for shots that are hit from the rough's first cut, as well as approach shots.

Is a 12 degree driver easier to hit?

Is A 12 Degree Driver Easier To Hit? The additional loft of a 12-degree driver makes it an easier club to launch, ensuring you consistently get the ball airborne off the tee. If your swing is on the slower side, you will derive the most value from a 12-degree driver.

Do any pros use a 10.5 degree driver?

At the WGC-HSBC Champions, Dustin Johnson took the title using a TaylorMade SLDR driver with 10.5 degrees loft. Although TaylorMade has recently been touting the benefits of "lofting up" with its new driver, it's actually been a trend on the PGA Tour for more than a decade.

Is a 10.5 degree driver more forgiving?

The primary benefit of the 10.5-degree driver is that it is more forgiving than a lower lofted driver. When you take loft away from a club, you make it harder to hit. Generally, the less loft a club has, the faster a player must swing the club to get the distance and launch results they need.

What is the best angle for a fairway wood?

In general, the fairway woods start with angles as low as 13 degrees and as high as 22 degrees. That’s if you include the 7-woods in the picture. You can expect the 3-wood to have a loft between 13 and 15 degrees. 5-woods will have lofts of 17 to 19 degrees. And 7-woods top out between 20 and 22 degrees. The other fairway wood, the 4-wood, fills ...

What is fairway wood?

What is a Fairway Wood? Golfers use fairway woods on the fairway (hence the name). Easy to control, the clubs have high enough loft to pop the ball in the air without using a tee. Some manufacturers and players consider any “wood” a fairway wood. But this elite group generally includes the 3, 4, 5 and 7-woods.

How many fairway woods are needed for a golf bag?

For most players, a golf bag isn’t complete without at least one fairway wood. One is often all you need, but choosing the right one is up to you. If you need more loft and less shaft, pick a 5 or 7. Otherwise, look at the 3 and 4.

What is a strong wood?

A strong wood has a slightly lower loft than the standard wood of the same number. This results in a slightly lower, but longer shot than its regular counterpart. Wood sizes also indicate relative length in the set. For example, a strong wood has a similar loft angle to the club just below it, with the same relative shaft length.

What is 7 wood?

Depending on who you ask, the 7-wood is a mix between a fairway and a utility wood. For our purposes, we’ll consider a low-loft 7-wood a fairway.

What is the loft of a lob wedge?

The loft of a lob wedge is traditionally 60 degrees, however some players will carry 58 degree wedges, which can also be classed as a lob wedge. Players like Phil Mickelson have lob wedges as lofty as 64 degrees.

Why do forgiving irons have higher lofts?

High launching, forgiving irons tend to come with stronger lofts because the ball launches high enough anyway so doesn’t need the extra loft. A lower loft combined with a centre of gravity positioned low and back leads to high iron shots that travel a long way.

What is the loft of a driver?

A driver loft is traditionally somewhere around the 10 degree mark although there are plenty of exceptions. Bryson DeChambeau’s driver loft is 5.5 degrees although most better players will have somewhere between 8-10.5 degrees of loft in their driver.

How much loft does a 2 iron have?

2 Iron Loft. A standard 2 iron comes in at 18 degrees of loft, which is equal to the loft of a five wood. These clubs only tend to be in the very best ball strikers’ bags, with amateur golfers opting for 2 iron utilities, fairway woods or hybrids.

What is the degree of loft in golf?

The degree of loft on golf clubs helps separate them from each other as the loft influences the flight and distance of shots. A lower loft hits the ball further whilst a higher loft launches the ball up into the air with more spin. There really are no set lofts of golf clubs these days, with manufacturers bringing out clubs at all different lofts ...

How many degrees does a hybrid loft come in?

Hybrid Loft. There really is no set hybrid loft, with hybrids coming in anywhere from 16 degrees all the way through the bag with some beginners and higher handicaps using hybrid irons. Most tour players with hybrids in the bag will have them between 18-22 degrees to replace their 2 and 3 irons.

What is the pitching loft of a wedge?

Pitching Wedge loft. A pitching wedge loft is usually between 45-47 degrees, with most golfers using one that comes with their iron set. However, better players like to use a traditional wedge instead of the one that comes with the set to help with control and spin.

Golf Club Lofts Chart

We'll explore the lofts of each golf club in more detail below, but here is a chart summarizing each club's loft.

Wood Lofts

Woods typically have lower lofts than their iron and hybrid counterparts. For example, a standard 3-wood has around 15 degrees of loft, while most 3-irons have 19-21 degrees of loft.

Hybrid Lofts

Like irons, hybrids have more loft than their wood counterparts. Most 3-hybrids have 19 degrees of loft, while the most common 3-wood loft is 15 degrees.

Putter Loft

Unless you're Bryson Dechambeau, chances are a putter is the lowest lofted club in your bag. A traditional putter loft is 3 to 4 degrees.

Golf Clubs Loft Comparison Table

The table below compares lofts of irons, woods, hybrids, and drivers. We've gathered data from top manufacturers like TaylorMade, Cobra, Callaway, and Mizuno.

What happens if you don't have the right shaft flex?

Shaft. If you do not have the right shaft flex and weight for your swing, you will not realize the full potential of your fairway wood. Golfers with faster swing speeds may typically contemplate a stiff shaft for their fairway woods.

What is loft in golf?

Loft. It is advisable to take advantage of any assistance you can get. One such area to consider is the degree of loft. The lower the loft of your fairway wood is, the more difficult it is to get the ball in the air, which will cost you distance. It is for this reason that Golf Digest’s Mike Stachura recommends that you pick a wood ...

What is a 14 degree fairway wood?

In essence, a 14-degree fairway wood is a weakened 2-wood or strengthened 3-wood. ‘.

How much loft does Phil Mickelson use?

The ball position and the hand’s position at impact are crucial in deciding what loft of putter to use. Phil Mickelson has used a loft of 7-degrees on his putter due to the “forward press” in his putting stroke. (DeChambeau uses less loft on his driver!)

How much loft does an iron have?

Having said this, the better players make up their own sets specifically with loft in mind. Irons have ideally 3 degrees loft between clubs and 3 degrees equates to between 10 to 15 yards on each shot.

How high can a fairway loft go?

The range of fairway metals available allows for every skill level to find a club that suits their swing. Lofts as low as 13-degrees are available on the 3-metal and can go as high as 15-degrees. Many players find these lofts a little low due to the tight fairway conditions at their home course.

How many degrees are in a golf club loft?

The lofts can vary between 18 and 20-degrees. Yardages approx 190 to 200. Tip: Most golfers try to hit these clubs too hard, resulting in “gummed” thin shots that run along the ground. Swing the club like a 7-iron and see the difference.

What is the biggest fault with amateur golfers?

The biggest fault with amateurs is the lack of loft on the driver. Because the pros hit 7 or 8-degree lofts does not mean that the rank amateur can emulate this.

Why do putters use more loft?

More loft should be used to prevent a downward motion during the stroke to enable a smooth roll and avoid a “chopping” action. Hands behind increases the loft. Less loft will ensure an upward stroke and a smooth role. The best putters in world golf today strive to stroke the ball with an upward motion.

What is loft in golf?

Loft is the angle at which the face of the club “tilts” when the sole is laid flat on the ground. It is the mechanism used to get the golf ball airborne on each shot. Another way to describe loft is it is the player’s “friend”, however, too often golfers use a loft that does not suit their game or their swing.

What are the advantages of fairway woods?

I want to start with the advantages of these clubs. They can be a bit of a challenge to use, so it is a good thing for you to know what their strengths are. That way, you will have the patience to persevere when you first use them. So here is my list of what is right about the fairway wood.

What does fairway wood do?

The clue is in the name. The fairway wood is perfect to hit the ball when it is on the fairway but still far from the hole. A good example would be the second shot on a par five hole. They have a high loft to lift the ball off the fairway turf.

Fairway woods or hybrids?

Hybrid clubs are a relatively new addition to golf sets and have proved to be very popular. Hybrids have a shorter shaft and a lower center of gravity than woods. Therefore, they are more forgiving, more responsive, and seem more comfortable to use. These characteristics make them ideal for a beginner.

Does a fairway wood replace a driver?

Many beginners prefer to use woods rather than drivers. Drivers are demanding clubs which need a lot of skill. It can be tough to get to use a driver well. Many rookie golfers like to build up their skills first and get a driver later.

What loft should I get on my fairway wood?

Loft helps you get the ball in the air. Getting the ball in the sky is the one thing you have to do when you are a rookie golfer. If you don’t do this, you will never get distance on the ball, and you will never get that ball into the hole. So, this is essential.

Getting air

It’s worth explaining a bit why getting your ball in the air is so important. When you are starting, your swing speed will not yet be fast enough to gain distance near to the ground, as you would with a lower lofted club. You will not yet have built up the strength and the precision to make a perfect golf swing.

What number of wood should I start in the beginning?

The usual answer to this question is a seven wood or five wood. Try both and see which is most comfortable for you. When you get more practice, you can to try a three wood.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9