Do you want to know what is the loft of the driver in golf and how to know which one is the right one for your swing? In this article we explain it to you. Do you need help configuring your Driver? Contact us.

At the time of choosing the best driver for your golfOne of the aspects that is not given the importance that it should be given is the loft. Let's see how it influences and how to choose the right one according to your game.

What is the Driver's Loft in Golf?

Many players consider the acquisition of a driver based on the height they get with the driver they have had in the past or the one they currently have. But do you really know what the loft is? The loft is the angle that the clubface makes with the shaft of the club.

Types of Lofts in the Driver

Along with the putter, the driver is one of the clubs that during 18 holes a player gets more out of his bag, and that makes it one of the most important clubs to correct the configuration. If you are able to put the ball into play off the tee, your scores will only improve.

For this reason, the loft is one of the parameters that we have to give a very high importance, since no matter how good a job we do in the complete setup configuration of the driver, if this parameter is not correct, we will not get the potential of the driver. .

Between 11º, 12º and 14º

In this section, the player must have very marked specifications, but taking into account that this is not following everything point by point, but we are very close. 

The factors that we must assess for this type of selection are: 

• Slow Swings: someone with a club speed of 85 mph or less always needs more height. do you know why? Well imagine that you want to throw water with a hose from one side of the garden to the other and the water pressure is constant, if you want to keep the drop distance as far as possible we have to keep the nozzle pointing upwards, otherwise the trajectory it is lower and the water will reach that point but dragging along the ground but with less force, already in a residual way. The same goes for a driver, modern clubs are designed to get little spin out of current balls and that means that if you don't come out with an optimal trajectory, the loss of distance is important. For this we need this higher loft.

• Up Hitters: Golfers who hit the ball straight up (have a positive angle of attack) will tend to generate less spin on the ball because their angle of spin is lower. Therefore, they can afford to have a bit more loft to maximize distance. However, an up angle of attack will also tend to launch the ball higher anyway, so the 'loft up' message applies a bit less here.

• Low and forward weight drivers: Drivers that have a low, forward center of gravity, either due to the position of the front grooves or heavier weights on the sole, tend to generate less spin, thus requiring a higher launch angle to maximize distance. 

Currently on the market, there are a number of drivers to generate distance. However, it's worth noting that a higher driver is also more forgiving because it's harder to curve the ball.

Between 8.5º, 9.5º and 10.5º

In this section, the players also need a type of characteristics that we must assess, which I will detail below: 

• Club speed: We start from the basis that it is not always fulfilled since there are exceptions but it is usually a general rule. Players who are between 95 and 104 mph should be recommended a loft between 10º and 11.5º. Players, on the other hand, who are between 105 mph or higher will move between 8.5º and 10.5º.
• High Spin Hitters: If you hit the ball with downward AOA and you have a lot of spin, it is very likely that the loft will affect you a lot, having to play a lower loft than the one he plays, this will help him hit the ball further. But in order to make that recommendation we must try to keep the Launch Angle high enough in the process, ideally above 11º.
• Drivers with high and back weights: Placing the CG back on the head creates a higher launch and higher spin. That means you don't need as much loft to get the ball to fly at the optimal height. The CG helps to center the impact more and therefore make the driver more efficient. There are many driver models on the market with greater forgiveness and with these characteristics.

What to take into account when choosing the right driver loft?

Despite the indications that I have given you in the previous section, with this we should not recommend the appropriate loft, there are many more factors that affect the choice of the loft, we are going to see some so that you can take it into account:

• Face Adjustability: If you have a driver that offers you loft adjustment, making a change while listening to the advice of a friend who tells you to do it can annoy you instead of benefit, my recommendation is that you go to a qualified professional for this. What it will do is find the best configuration to help you. FYI when you open up the loft of a club, obviously you give it more loft but it also affects the position of the face in the stance, which usually closes down slightly, affecting the line of your shots. Therefore when you close the loft of the club your shots will come out more penetrating but the clubface in the stance will be slightly open and you will get one more ball to the right.

• Dynamic Loft: it is the actual loft you arrive at the ball with at impact and can differ greatly from the loft that is etched into the face of the driver you are playing. There are many factors as a consequence that affect, such as the angle of attack (AOA), having the hands excessively forward of the ball at the moment of impact.

Keep in mind that dynamic loft also affects launch, spin, and ultimately distance. That is why I always recommend using a decent pitching monitor with a coach or yourself to give you this information.

• Impact site: Here is a reality and you probably don't know it, but the loft of the clubface is not the same throughout the entire surface of the driver, it can vary from one side of the face to the other in 6º. Loft is at the lowest point at the bottom of the clubface and is at the highest point at the top. Hits above the center of the face tend to come out higher and with less spin and vice versa when hitting low on the driver face. It is often said that hitting an efficient driver is very close to hitting a lob with it since it seeks to hit with the upper part of the face of the club.

• Other options to consider: As I told you, there are many factors when it comes to selecting the right loft, but for this the best way in the first place is to take classes with a knowledgeable teacher to help you with the technique correctly and then go to a fitter who understands a lot about technique. and can analyze your data to be able to team up with your teacher, that way everything goes hand in hand. The market is very wide in terms of drivers and the messages that you can receive from all kinds of people too, my advice is always to listen to professional people and that they are prepared to do so. Internet is a world in golf where you can get good ideas but it can also lead to mistakes.

How to choose the right Driver Loft?

If all the information you have received in this article has not helped you or has not sufficiently clarified your doubts, I am going to give you some recommendations that you should do to obtain the information that will help you get the correct loft: 

• How fast am I with my current driver?
• What dynamic loft do I have?
• What Spin rate do I have with my driver right now?
• What ball height do I hit as my driver now, does it help me get distance or does it hit the ground too fast?
• Do I understand the importance of having the loft adjusted?
• Have I had a driver fitting where my head has advised me that I should play and the loft?

If your answers to all these questions are not clear, you just have to do something very simple, go to appointments and book a driver fitting with us, there we will get the performance 100% to your driver GUARANTEED.

We recommend reading the article about the importance of having a custom driver.