Loft – the angle of the clubface – determines how high and how far the ball flies with every club in your bag. In this guide you’ll find a chart of typical lofts from driver to lob wedge, an explanation of why modern irons have stronger lofts than they used to, and a method for adding wedges and long clubs so that no distance is missing from your bag.
Golf club loft chart
Loft is the angle by which the clubface is tilted back from vertical. The higher it is, the higher the ball launches, the more it spins and, as a rule, the shorter it flies. That’s why a driver has a loft of around 10° and a lob wedge around 60°.
| Club | Typical loft (approx.) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | 8–12° | amateurs most often play 10.5–12° |
| 3-wood | approx. 15° | off the tee and from the fairway |
| 5-wood | approx. 18° | higher flight than a 3-wood |
| 7-wood | approx. 21° | an alternative to a hybrid or a long iron |
| Hybrids | approx. 17–27° | replace long irons |
| 7-iron, “game improvement” | approx. 27–30° | modern sets with strengthened lofts |
| 7-iron, “players” | approx. 32–34° | sets for advanced players |
| Other irons | approx. 3–5° per number | lower number = less loft |
| Pitching wedge (PW) | 43–47° | can be lower in strong-lofted sets: for example, the Titleist T400 has a 38° PW |
| Gap / approach wedge (GW, AW) | 48–52° | fills the gap between PW and SW |
| Sand wedge (SW) | 54–56° | bunkers and shorter shots around the green |
| Lob wedge (LW) | 58–60° | high, short shots, e.g. over a bunker |
Figures vary by manufacturer and model, so treat them as a guide. In our catalogue you’ll find the loft in the specifications of drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and wedges, and for wedges also the bounce and grind. Loft is also linked to lie angle and club length – find out more in our guide to golf club length.
Loft creep: why a 7-iron isn’t always a 7-iron
Iron manufacturers have been gradually strengthening lofts, because a stronger loft means a longer shot with the same number on the head. This shift is known as “loft creep”. To make sure the ball still flies high enough, these heads usually have a low centre of gravity.
The differences between sets are considerable: the 7-iron in a modern “game improvement” set (designed to make the game easier) often has 27–30°, while the 7-iron in a “players” set for advanced golfers has 32–34°. In terms of loft, a “game improvement” 7-iron is therefore roughly equivalent to a 6-iron from a “players” set. Comparing distances by the number on the club tells you little, so when choosing new irons it pays to look at the lofts, not just the numbers.
Loft creep has the biggest impact on wedges. The pitching wedge in a set with strengthened lofts often has only 43–44°, while a sand wedge has 54–56°. Between a 44° PW and a 56° SW there are 12°, two to three times the usual step between wedges (4–6°), which leaves a distance gap you can’t cover without another wedge. That’s why you should build your wedges around the loft of your set’s pitching wedge.
How to find out your set’s lofts
- Manufacturer specifications: for every model, manufacturers publish a table with the loft, lie and length of each club. Look up the exact model and generation, as lofts can differ from one generation to the next.
- Markings on the head: wedges sold individually usually have the loft stamped on the head, often together with the bounce. Irons and the PW from a set usually carry only a number or a letter.
- Second-hand clubs: the lofts may have been adjusted by bending at some point, so the manufacturer’s table may no longer apply.
- Measurement: more reliable than any table is measuring how far each club actually flies.
Wedge lofts: how to fill the gaps
Ideally, there should be 10–15 metres of carry between neighbouring clubs – carry being the distance the ball travels through the air. Carry is a more reliable measure than total distance, because the roll after landing varies with the weather and how firm the course is. With wedges, you’ll usually achieve this with loft steps of 4–6°.
You’ll notice a gap on the course too: for a certain distance you have no club for a full swing, so you have to take something off another club or, conversely, force the shot. So don’t choose your wedges out of habit or by copying a friend’s bag. Proceed like this:
- Find out the loft of your PW.
- Add wedges in steps of 4–6° up to the highest loft you want to play – usually a 54–56° sand wedge or a 58–60° lob wedge.
- Count your clubs: the Rules of Golf allow no more than 14 clubs. If you already carry 14, adding a wedge means removing another club; it does not have to be a long club.
- Check your carry distances by measuring them and adjust your set-up based on the results.
| Loft of your set’s PW | Additional wedges | Steps |
|---|---|---|
| 44° (strengthened lofts) | 48°, 52°, 58° | 4°, 4°, 6° |
| 44° (strengthened lofts) | 48°, 54°, 58° | 4°, 6°, 4° |
| 46° | 50°, 54°, 58° | 4°, 4°, 4° |
| 46° | 52°, 58° | 6°, 6° |
If you have a 44° PW and want a 58° wedge as your most lofted club, you need three more wedges. With a 46° PW, two are enough, provided you’re happy with 6° steps. The names gap, approach, sand and lob are only a rough guide and manufacturers use them differently – what counts is the loft number.
An example of a 14-club set-up: driver, 3- and 5-wood, hybrid, 5–9 irons, PW, 48°, 52° and 58° wedges and a putter. You can fill in any missing lofts from our range of wedges.
Check your gaps by measuring
The chart is a good start, but your actual distances depend on your swing speed and how you strike the ball. We see this in our fitting studio, where we measure ball flight and club delivery on TrackMan iO and Uneekor EYE XO simulators: clubhead speed, angle of attack, spin and carry. The data show straight away which clubs fly almost the same distance and where a distance is missing. For more on the subject, see our article on custom fitting.
Which driver loft should you choose?
A lower driver loft doesn’t automatically mean a longer drive. If, at your swing speed, the ball launches too low and with too little spin, it lands sooner and you lose carry. As a rough guide:
- slower swing: more loft, 11.5–12° or more,
- average swing speed: 10–11°,
- fast swing: 9–10°.
Besides clubhead speed, your angle of attack also matters – that is, whether the clubhead is moving slightly upwards or downwards into the ball. A higher loft also usually reduces sideways curvature a little. Launch height and spin are also influenced to some extent by the shaft – find out more in our guide to choosing a shaft.
Many drivers have an adjustable hosel that usually lets you change the loft by ±1–2°. Try out the settings during a measuring session and don’t change them during a round: the Rules of Golf don’t allow you to play with a club whose performance characteristics you have deliberately changed during the round.
Hybrids instead of long irons
Long irons (3, 4 and often 5) have little loft and a compact head, so with a slower swing it’s hard to get the ball high enough. They then often fly almost as far as the iron one number higher and just take up space in the bag. That’s why modern sets often start at the 5- or 6-iron.
Hybrids with the same loft as an iron usually fly higher, are easier to hit and get through longer grass more easily. Choose them by loft, not by the number on the head, which differs between manufacturers. Then check that the carry of the hybrid and that of your longest iron differ by 10–15 m.
Between the driver and the hybrids come the fairway woods. The 5- and 7-wood get the ball airborne off the ground more easily than a 3-wood and are an alternative to a hybrid for many players. If you’re putting together your first bag, our guide to choosing a complete golf set for beginners will help.
Wedge bounce and grind
Bounce is the angle between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole. It makes the sole bounce off sand or turf instead of the club digging in. How much bounce you need depends on the conditions you play in and how steeply you strike the ball.
- Low bounce (4–6°): firm ground, shallow swing with thin divots.
- Mid bounce (7–10°): normal conditions, a versatile choice.
- High bounce (11° or more): soft sand and soft ground, steep swing with deep divots.
Grind is the shaping of the sole, for example material removed at the heel, toe or trailing edge. It affects how the wedge behaves when you open the face and how it glides through the grass. If you’re not sure which combination of loft, bounce and grind to choose, try it out at a fitting.
Summary
- Loft determines launch height, spin and distance; the values in the chart are approximate and vary by manufacturer.
- The number on an iron doesn’t tell you its loft: modern sets have stronger lofts, so check your set’s specifications.
- Build your wedges up from your PW loft in steps of 4–6°, aiming for 10–15 m of carry between clubs.
- Choose your driver loft based on swing speed and angle of attack; an adjustable hosel usually shifts it by ±1–2°.
- You can replace long irons with hybrids or higher-lofted woods, and choose wedge bounce to suit the ground and your swing.
- Only measuring your carry on a launch monitor will reveal the real gaps in your bag.
Once you know which distance you want to fill in your bag, take a look at our wedges, hybrids and drivers.
Frequently asked questions
What loft is a pitching wedge?
Often 43–47°, but strong-lofted sets can have a PW below 43°: the Titleist T400, for example, has 38°. Check the exact figure in the specifications for the particular model and generation.
What loft is a 7-iron?
Around 27–30° in modern “game improvement” sets and around 32–34° in “players” sets. That’s why distances with the same club number vary so much between sets, and why it makes sense to compare lofts, not numbers.
How many wedges do I need?
Enough that no step between your PW and your most lofted wedge is bigger than about 6°. With a 44° PW and a 58° top wedge, that’s three more wedges; with a 46° PW, two or three. Keep the 14-club limit in mind.
What’s the difference between loft and bounce?
Loft is the angle of the face and determines the height and length of the shot. Bounce is the angle of the sole and determines how the club gets through sand and grass. Wedges often have both figures stamped on them, for example 56 and 10 for 56° of loft and 10° of bounce.
You’ll find more topics in the overview of our golf guides.