Golf club loft has a tremendous impact on how high the golf ball flies as well as how far it goes. If you don’t have the proper golf club loft, you could have major distance gaps in your golf bag, as well as some issues with forgiveness and consistency.
The bottom line here is that the golf club loft is important. In my ultimate guide on measuring golf club lofts, I’ll show you how this is done and why you should know what your golf clubs’ lofts are.
What is a Golf Club Loft Used For?
A golf club loft determines how high and how far a golf ball can fly. A club with a lower loft will have a lower ball flight and typically more total distance. A golf club with a higher loft will have a higher ball flight and a shorter total distance.
Let’s take, for instance, two of the most commonly used golf clubs in your bag, the driver and the sand wedge. Each of these clubs plays an essential role in the golf game, but their functions vary.
The driver is intended to fly a long distance, get plenty of rolls and give you a great start off the tee box. Most golf drivers have anywhere from 9 to 12 degrees of loft. Experience PGA Tour professionals sometimes have a driver with 8 degrees of loft.
On the other hand, a sand wedge has an average loft of around 56 degrees. The 56 degrees of loft will give players a much higher ball flight, a shorter overall distance, and impressive stopping power on the putting surface.
If the driver and the sand wedge had the same loft, the performance would be relatively similar. Every one of the clubs in your bag will have a different loft, and this helps to determine the performance that you get on the golf course.
If two clubs have the same loft, they may fly exactly the same distance.
How to Measure Golf Club Loft?
The most common way to measure golf club loft is to purchase a lie-and-loft machine. This particular device will help you get a quick measurement of the loft and the lie angle of your golf clubs. If you don’t want to invest in something like this, you can take your golf club to a local fitting professional and have them measure your loft for you.
Purchase A Lie & Loft Machine
The first step in this process is to find a lie and loft machine to help you get the accurate measurements you need. It puts your golf club in a specific vice or holder, and then you can simply take readings as to what the loft is.
The great thing about a lie and loft machine is that if you are planning to make any adjustments to your club, you can then use this machine again to ensure that the adjustments are accurate.
For instance, if the loft on your club needs to be one degree stronger, you can put the club back in the gauge once you bend it and ensure that it is accurate.
Prepare A Workspace
Once you have your lie and loft machine picked out, you will want to make sure you have a workspace that is clear and ready for you to take measurements. One of the most important parts of this process is to ensure that you have a flat workspace.
If you place the gauge on an uneven surface, it will throw off the total measurement you get.
Additionally, we recommend that you have ample light to be able to read the measurement. It’s not always easy to see the exact numbers that come up as this is a relatively simple tool. You may need some extra light to make sure it is accurate.
Remember, in golf, being off by just one degree will make a significant difference in the overall performance. This is certainly an area of the game where you need to be precise when taking measurements and making adjustments.
I like to clean my golf clubs before reading any measurements on them. I don’t want sand, dirt, or grass to throw anything off.
You can also measure the length of your putter here.
Place Golf Club Into Vice
Once you have your workspace clear and your golf clubs are clean and ready to use, you can place them in the vice. This is rather simple, and the specific lie and loft gauge that you purchase will help you orientate your club.
Keep in mind that some of these are built specifically for right-handed players. If you are lefty, ensure you get something with a certain amount of compatibility.
Once your club is in the vice, check to make sure that it is level and that it is square.
Take Measurement
At this point, all that is left to do is to take the measurement of your loft. At the same time, you can measure the lie of your club as well. One of the things I highly recommend that golfers do is go through each of their golf irons and wedges and determine the loft.
Loft gapping is the amount of loft between each of the clubs in your bag. With modern lofts on golf clubs, there are some major loft gapping problems in the market.
Some players use a pitching wedge with 43 degrees of loft, and they don’t realize that the next club in their bag is a 56-degree sand wedge. This is a major problem and will create gaps in the distance that lead to issues on the golf course.
Get a baseline measurement of the loft of all of your clubs, and then you can make decisions about the next best steps.
Alternative Methods To Measure Loft
If you don’t want to purchase a lie/loft gauge, then the best way to measure the loft is to go to a local club fitter and have them do it for you. There are also protractors that can be used specifically for golf clubs, but it can be hard for the numbers to be quite as accurate with a tool like this.
Measuring the golf club loft before making any changes to a club is incredibly important. Whatever tools you use, you must make sure that they are accurate.
Read Also: How to Measure Golf Club Length
FAQs
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about the golf club loft and how to measure it properly.
Conclusion
Measuring a golf club loft is often something that is left to the professionals. Since the loft of the golf club is so important, you will need to make sure that you calculate it correctly. For instance, if the golf club loft is lower than it should be, players will have a hard time with forgiveness in their shots. If the golf club loft is too high, it could cause a lack of distance. The first and most important step of this process is simply learning your lofts. Once you have that figured out, you can develop a better plan.
