A Comprehensive Review Of Golf Club Driver Lofts To Help You Make A Choice

In this day and age, we have so many options when it comes to drivers. No longer are we limited to different manufactures, but each driver often comes with adjustable components that we can tweak on our own.

Many golfers wonder if they are playing with the proper amount of loft on their driver. If you’re unsure about your driver loft, consider the following before selecting your next driver.

Swing Speed

One of the key factors in determining your proper drive loft is your swing speed. To get the most accurate number, visit a club fitting professional and use their launch monitor technology. If that technology isn’t available, you can determine your swing speed approximately by the club you hit 150 yards.

Which club do you hit 150 yards?

• 6 iron: Your approximate swing speed is 84-95 mph.


• 7 iron: Your approximate swing speed is 95-104 mph.


• 8 or 9 iron: Your approximate swing speed is 105-115 mph.

If you’re like the average golfer, you’re hitting a 6 or 7 iron for your 150-yard shot. This means you’re swing speed is somewhere between 80-100. Typically, a driver loft of 10 to 12 degrees would be appropriate.

Players with lower swing speeds will benefit from higher loft on their driver. Players who can swing faster than 100 mph should consider lofts that are less than 10 degrees.

Your Shot Pattern

Many players don’t realize that with lower loft comes more sidespin. This sidespin is amplified on mishits, which can cause you to miss more fairways. If you find yourself spraying the ball too much, consider a higher loft to create more backspin. You may sacrifice some distance, but you will be playing from a better position.

Your Ball Flight

Swing speed is just the beginning when it comes to using golf data to help you find the perfect driver loft. There are a number of other factors like Angle of Attack, Launch Angle, and Landing Angle.

As a general rule, if you find yourself hitting shots very low with a lot of roll, your driver loft may be too low. If you’re hitting it too high with very little roll, you should try hitting a less lofted driver.

Your Home Course

When selecting a driver, you’ll want to think about where you will be playing the majority of your golf. After all, a custom fit driver can be serious investment. If you typically play somewhere with soft conditions, you may want to select a higher loft because you’re not getting much roll after your ball lands. If your home course is a typical links course with lots of wind and dry, hard fairways, a lower lofted driver may be your key to lower scores.

When selecting the proper driver loft, consider as many of the above as possible. With today’s technology, you will be able to make adjustments should your swing or conditions change.

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