The term loft in golf is often a term that people do not understand and struggle to deal with. However, the loft is an essential part of certain aspects like the trajectory and the spin of the golf ball.
Not only does it affect things like the carry distance, but could help when clearing objects. A driver loft calculator is essential to help you make the most out of playing the game.
Loft refers to the angle created between the ground and the club face. The main idea of loft is to help you when it comes to carrying distance and often playing with the right trajectory from certain situations.
However, very few beginners understand what clubs they need and how loft on these clubs will affect them. To help you understand how loft can affect your game, we have created the following article to dive deeper into what it means and how it affects your distances.
We also look at other aspects like the lie of the ball and the angle at which clubs are set up to provide good loft. You should continue reading if you want to improve your overall shot distances.
Driver Loft Calculator Tool
Those with no real understanding of how loft works should be able to use the calculator that makes it even easier to understand the effect of yardage when you adjust the loft or buy a golf club with a different loft.
The driver loft angle can easily be determined by adding the driving distance and the swing speed, to give you an idea of the loft.
There are a few things that affect the loft of your shot and this comes down to your style. Depending on the trajectory of your swing or swing style, you might have a high-ball hitter range or low-ball hitter range that affects the loft you choose for your clubs.
Our calculator will ensure you find the right loft for your style:
- High Ball Hitter Range: The high ball hitter range refers to a golfer that tends to get underneath the golf ball and who gets more air underneath their shot. The more the clubface is open, the higher the ball will go. A lower loft degree angle is often recommended.
- Low Ball Hitter Range: For someone that does not open the club face as much, a lower loft degree angle will be needed to lift the ball. Depending on your swing and range, your loft might be about 2-degrees higher. A lower loft angle will combine with good club speed to give a positive attack angle.
- Optimum Ball Hitter Range: Most loft calculators will focus on this number and it refers to the loft from the average player when they swing. It is in the middle of the other two and will be the average loft on many golf clubs.
What Loft Driver Should I Use?
If you are looking to improve your game, you better know what loft is the best for your game. One common question many people ask is how do I determine the loft I need?
Even if you have the chart, it will only number. However, we aim to show you what these numbers mean and how to determine the loft you need. Here are some detailed factors you need to consider:
Swing Speed
The first thing you need to determine is your swing speed. Once you know the swing speed you have, you can use the data to determine whether you need a higher or lower-loft golf club to assist you with your game.
Determining your swing speed can be daunting. However, the Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor is one of the best options for you to consider and it will give you numerous chunks of data to work with.
According to many experts, a player with a swing speed that ranges between 110 and 120 MPH, might want a lower loft golf club that does not exceed 10 degrees.
One formula you can use is to increase the loft on the golf club with each 10 MPH your swing speed is below 115 MPH. This will give you a better idea of what to aim for.
We should mention that the FlightScope Mevo Launch Monitor is one of the most useful tools for measuring all your data. One of the best features is that it can indicate the swing speed and the loft of your shot.
With the help of more data like the launch angle, you are sure to get the best possible shot and improve your overall game.
Swing Style / Type
As mentioned with the high and low hitter section, the swing style has an enormous effect on your game. Only you will truly know your swing style, but you need to grasp the basics of how a swing style works and what determines the angle.
The FlightScope Mevo once again offers some of the best data to help you understand the launch angles better.
A player hitting the ball with more launch angle will propel the ball higher up in the air and this could lead the ball to go high, without increasing distance.
The higher your launch angle, the lower your loft should be. The opposite is true for those that hit with a low trajectory. Having more loft could improve your distance.
Thanks to some research and plenty of studying, revealing the style and swing technique of the great Ben Hogan is something that could help your game.
If you want to optimize the swing style and find the right trajectory for determining loft, you should find out how Ben Hogan used his specific swing style to win Major Championships.
Free report: 7 shortcuts to instantly improve your ball striking (based on how Ben Hogan's swing changed after his accident and significantly improved his swing)
We recommend you consider these golf tips to get the maximum distance and improve your golf handicap with the right angle of attack and average swing speeds.
Distance
The distance you achieve from your shots can also encourage you to change the loft on your club. Many top golfers have added a few yards of extra distance to their shots by simply adjusting the loft on the club.
You might not get hundreds of yards, but a few yards could get you closer to the tee and improve your short game.
Keep in mind that if you want to reduce the distance on certain clubs, you might want to reduce the loft slightly.
However, this is not the route that we encourage people to choose unless they are completely sure of what they are doing. You can reduce the loft on certain clubs to have more distance control.
Does Adjusting Driver Loft Open Face?
Nowadays, golf clubs are designed to give the player the maximum level of control and ensure they can make modifications and adjustments as they need to.
You can adjust the driver loft of your driver while you are on the golf course, but this is better left to the professional players. However, it means you can change your club design.
Adjusting the loft can influence your game and by reducing the loft on the club, you can slightly open the club face. The changes might not be noticeable to someone without playing experience, but it does tend to make a difference.
Unfortunately, many players might mess up and this is left to the more advanced players.
Golf Driver Loft Chart: Best Club Fitting Optimizer!
If you find yourself struggling to understand what the driver loft means and how you can incorporate it by using the proposed formulas we mentioned, you can use the driver loft chart.
A golf driver loft chart is an effective tool that will enable you to see all the different stats, including the distance and the angles of the ball.
If you have invested to buy the Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor, you will find that it can help you calculate some of the data that the chart uses. By noting the data, you can use the chart to experiment and find out what would happen when you change the loft.
As mentioned, many players have slightly increased their shots off the tee by adjusting the average driver loft.
| Club Speed | Attack Angle | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin Rate | Carry [yds] | Total [yds] | Dynamic Loft |
| -5° | 146 | 7.2° | 3118 | 216 | 262 | 9.3° | |
| 100 | 0° | 148 | 10.0° | 2570 | 230 | 278 | 11.7° |
| 5° | 149 | 12.4° | 1887 | 239 | 293 | 13.7° | |
| -5° | 154 | 6.4° | 3071 | 231 | 278 | 8.4° | |
| 105 | 0° | 156 | 9.1° | 2461 | 243 | 294 | 10.7° |
| 5° | 157 | 11.7° | 1810 | 254 | 309 | 12.9° | |
| -5° | 162 | 5.6° | 3005 | 245 | 293 | 7.5° | |
| 110 | 0° | 163 | 8.7° | 2471 | 260 | 310 | 10.2° |
| 5° | 165 | 11.1° | 1716 | 268 | 326 | 12.2° | |
| -5° | 170 | 5.3° | 3030 | 261 | 307 | 7.1° | |
| 115 | 0° | 171 | 8.0° | 2396 | 274 | 325 | 9.5° |
| 5° | 172 | 10.7° | 1681 | 285 | 342 | 11.7° | |
| -5° | 178 | 4.5° | 2929 | 273 | 322 | 6.2° | |
| 120 | 0° | 179 | 7.7° | 2382 | 290 | 340 | 9.0° |
| 5° | 180 | 10.3° | 1636 | 300 | 358 | 11.3° |
How Does Loft Affect the Spin of a Golf Ball?
Playing spin shots can be daunting and many players might adjust the clubface and slice the golf ball instead of achieving some good spin. Since loft directly impacts ball flight, you can be sure that it will have an impact on the spin.
Some players prefer to add more spin to their shots, which means they have somewhat more control. With many golf clubs, the loft can be adjusted by one or two degrees and when you need to add or reduce the spin, it can be handy.
However, you need to know how much loft affects the spin of a golf ball. Our tests have revealed that the changes in RPM from adjusting the loft could be significant to your spin shots.
What we have found is that each degree of the loft can increase the spin rate by 400-500 RPM, which makes a big difference.
Since the ball spends more time in the air (ball flight), the spin rate will increase and it means that when the golf ball comes down with more spin, it will move more significantly in one or the other direction.
The test also revealed that having more loft reduces the smash factor. The smash factor relates to how solidly you hit the ball.
Yes, you might add slightly more distance to your shot when it carries, but with a reduced smash factor, the ball does not have as much momentum. A reduction in momentum means the ball does not bounce and roll as far.
The loft should now be much easier for you to understand. However, you might want to have a better understanding of how certain clubs react. Whilst doing research, we came across a few questions from popular fans.
If you want to better understand the direct impact of loft, here are some questions we managed to answer:
Is More Loft on a Driver Better?
We cannot say for sure that having more loft would be better for your game. Since various factors influence how loft will affect your game, you need to do the calculations.
However, many players have noticed an increase in range by slightly adjusting the driver loft (adjustable loft driver). If you have a comfortable driver, we won’t recommend adjusting it by more than 1 or 2 degrees.
Is 9.5 Loft Good for a Driver?
Using a driver with a 9.5-degree loft could be beneficial to your game. Players have noted that the average distance they can achieve with a good swing is close to 325 yards with a spin rate of 3030 RPM.
While these numbers sound encouraging, you need to understand the fundamentals of your swing style and your launch angle.
Having a driver with a 9.5 loft might be ideal for some players, but others might not see the same benefits when playing. Ultimately, each player is different and your loft will vary.
What Loft Driver Should a High Handicapper Use?
As a beginner, finding a driver that gives you room to experiment can be daunting. However, experts recommend that high-handicappers choose a driver with a 12-degree loft.
As you become better and drop your handicap, you can slowly reduce the loft to 9.5 degrees and see how you perform. It will be about experimenting with the first couple of rounds to ensure you find the right club.
As mentioned, club head speed and swing speeds are vital to understanding loft and a good launch monitor is something that could give you your average swing speed and help you see the optimal launch angle or attack angle to improve ball flight and ball speed.
Wrap Up
Various factors can play a role in the game you play and the quality of your shots. However, the loft on your driver can help you add more distance and get closer to the pin. Keep in mind that the loft will vary from player to player.
We would love to see some of your comments to better understand the optimal loft you have opted for.
