Do you know what the loft is for your driver? Do you know if it’s the correct loft for your golf game?
The concept of loft is often misunderstood in golf. We are here to help. Modern golfers have adjustable lofts which make it easier to adjust the performance to your needs.
You will need to be able to identify the loft of your driver, regardless of whether you are a beginner or an experienced player.
What is The Loft on a Driver and How Does It Work?
The loft is the angle at which a driver’s clubface is located. Most drivers have a loft between eight and thirteen degrees. The launch angle of the 8 degree driver will be lower than that of the 13 degrees. This will impact overall distance and forgiveness.
Many golfers believe that loft on the driver will only affect the launch angle of your shot. But there are more to it.
How driver loft affects your ball flight
The unique thing about loft is that it doesn’t just depend on how high you hit your golf ball. The loft will also help you with distance, accuracy and forgiveness.
Distance
The total distance of the golf shot is impacted by the club’s loft. One of the legends of golf is that if the ball is kept lower, it will travel further. While a lower lofted driver may increase distance for some golfers, it is more about the golfer and their speed than the driver.
Many professional golfers can hit a driver that has 8 degrees of loft and have it fly 300+ yards. This drive’s ball flight is still quite high. The ball will stay in the air for longer because of the loftier shot. The ground is less resistant to air than the air.
Slower swing speed players will often have difficulty getting the distance they need with a lower lofted driver. The lower the loft on a golf club is, the more difficult it will be to lift the ball off the ground.
For slower swing speed players, high-altitude drivers with a pitch of 11 or 12 degrees can provide great distance.
Forgiveness
Golf driver loft will not only impact distance but also forgiveness. A higher loft will result in greater forgiveness. The loft is a measure of how easy it is to drive the ball down the fairway.
You may be wondering why golfers don’t want to use higher lofted drivers all the time.
This is because for certain swing speeds, the ball will eventually be hit so high that it causes you to lose the distance.
To achieve maximum distance, golfers must find the perfect combination of loft angle and launch angle. Modern fitting equipment makes this easier than ever.
I have always used a 10.5-degree driver. Recently, I tried to lower the loft to 9.5 to get a sharper ball flight. I thought it would be useful.
Although the ball flight was closer to what I expected, the distance from my shot was not enough. This further proves that the best loft works best for your speed and angle of attack to your golf ball. I believe that 10.5 degrees of loft is the best.
Accuracy
Forgiveness and accuracy can go hand-in-hand. Golf drivers should be set up at the right loft to suit your swing speed so you can control them more easily. A player might find that they are more accurate with an 11 degree driver than with a 10 degrees driver.
This will allow you to fine-tune your accuracy by setting the club to different lofts.
You’ll quickly notice that the hook and slice start to emerge at certain lofts. Your dispersion rates will increase and the club will feel less forgiving. Better players can hit their drives within a few feet of a target.
It was frustrating to see the difference between swinging an 8 degree driver and an 10.5!
What a difference a single degree of loft change can make on a driver
When I’ve tested the difference that one degree of loft change makes on a driver, I’ve found the results to be within 3 to 5 yards. The only way to really tell the difference is when a player switches from a 12 degree driver to a 10 degree one.
This could lead to differences of up 10 yards between the two shots, which can have a significant impact on the approach shot to the green.
Players on the PGA Tour will tell players that loft is important for their shots. But it’s also important to consider the shaft of the club. The shaft can improve launch, spin rates, and even your swing speed.
Is a higher loft driver better?
A driver with a higher loft is almost always better if a golfer has a slower swing speed. A higher lofted driver will allow the ball to stay in the air for longer. You will see more distance if your golf ball is in the air for a long time.
If you are a fast-swinging player, a higher launch angle can cause problems in your game.
You might notice that the ball is flying too high when it lands. There is almost no forward roll. This is where you’ll need to adjust the loft or angle of attack to lower the ball flight.
How to Determine What Loft You Should Use on Your Driver
Now that you can see how important it is to have the right loft in your golf driver, let’s take a look at a few ways you can determine if your golf driver loft is correct.
Fitting a Golf Club
A fitting is a great way of narrowing down the ideal golf club driver loft. You will be able to talk with a professional about the best angle of attack as well as how that affects the loft of your club.
A fitting for a golf club will allow you to access not only the latest technology, but also the expert advice of a professional who understands the science behind the game.
I enjoy going to golf club fittings, where I can see the tee shot. Simulators can be very accurate, but there is something about seeing the full ball flight that makes it easier for the driver to choose the correct loft.
Buy a Portable Launch Monitor
If you don’t want to go for a fitting, you can always conduct your own! The portable or personal golf launch monitors are more affordable than ever and have made great strides. You can put your golf balls on the range, and get accurate information about how you are hitting the shots.
Although portable launch monitors might not give you as much information as a custom fitting, this is a great place for you to start.
I like to hit five shots with a loft, collect measurements, then switch lofts to collect more data. You’ll quickly see which club could work for your needs.
You can try it out the old school way
If technology is not for you, feel free to choose a target on the range to experiment with different lofted driver options to get the best results.
It is a good idea to test the ball on the course and at the range. This will give you a better understanding of how it spins and how accurate it can be. Sometimes, with a wide driving range, we assume the strike was relatively good, but it’s just a bit off. The golf course gives us better results.
Use an Arccos Grip
You may already have the Arccos Grip in your golf club. This grip is found in many Ping and Cobra clubs. It tracks information about your drives and will be able to track them.
You can test different lofts with the Arccos Grip and see which one suits your game best. These grips can be used for slower swing speeds, average golfers, or fast swing speeds.
The grip is less accurate than something like a Trackman golf simulator, but it’s a good step toward getting you some information.
