Whether a golfer is 120, 160, or 200 yards away from the hole, it is important for them to hit an iron with the proper loft.
In basic terms, the angle the golf ball travels will increase as you increase the club’s loft. Clubs with a high loft will send the ball steeper into the air while low loft iron clubs will travel lower typically with more distance.
This promotes the correct distance and ball flight ensuring them a good result if hit accurately.
Irons have different lofts depending on the set. For example, a Mizuno 9-iron might be 43 degrees and Callaway 9-iron could be 41.
Knowing the degree of loft on golf clubs is imperative to shooting more consistent rounds.
What Is The Standard Loft Of Irons?
Different irons made by different manufacturers will have different lofts. Irons have evolved and become lower lofted as the years have passed.
The common loft for lower-lofted irons like a 3-iron or 4-iron is 20 degrees and 25 degrees. The average man can hit the 4-iron 170 yards and the average woman hits it around 120 yards.
2 irons are rarely sold in iron sets to the public due to the difficulty to hit and since they are being replaced by three and five woods and hybrids.
Middle irons such as seven irons are commonly found at 27 degrees. High-lofted irons such as 9-irons are typically lofted around 41 degrees.
Wedge lofts vary from 45 degrees (pitching wedge) to 60 degrees (lob wedge). Gap wedges and sand wedges are between usually found at around 52 and 56 degrees.
There are different sets of irons ranging from blades, player irons that are thin like blades but have a slight cavity, game improvement irons and super game improvement irons (massive cavity).
The order of those styles of irons are usually played by the lowest handicappers (blades) to the higher handicaps (game improvement irons).
Hybrid Loft Angles
Hitting hybrids can be easier for a lot of golfers instead of those pesky long irons.
If you’re asking yourself ‘what loft hybrid replaces a 4 iron?’ look below and see if you think it could be making the change to a hybrid.
- 2 iron hybrid loft: 17-19 degrees
- 3 iron loft: 19-21 degrees
- 4 iron hybrid loft: 22-23 degrees
- 5 iron hybrid loft: 24-27 degrees
- 6 iron hybrid loft: 29-32 degrees
Driving iron loft
Driving irons are less common among high handicappers but can be utilized nicely with their lightweight build and accuracy.
They are irons meant to help golfers get off the tee box in the fairway and provide good distance. The typical driving irons usually run from 18-23 degrees.
Ping iron loft
There are many different models of irons that Ping has released over the years with many different lofts.
The Ping i210 irons released in July 2018 have two different types of irons: standard and power lofted ones. Below are some standard specifications.
|
Loft Specs |
Standard |
Power |
|
3-Iron |
19° |
19° |
|
4-Iron |
22.5° |
22° |
|
5-Iron |
26° |
25° |
|
6-Iron |
29.5° |
28° |
|
7-Iron |
33° |
31.5° |
|
8-Iron |
37° |
35.5° |
|
9-Iron |
41° |
40° |
|
Pitching Wedge |
45° |
44.5° |
|
Utility Wedge |
50° |
49.5° |
Here is the comparison of the i210s versus the popular Ping Eye2 irons with the following lofts being from the 1983 version.
The Ping Eye2 irons have a lot of weaker lofts. The pitching wedges are bent with at least 5 degrees difference compared to the i210s.
The Ping G5 irons released in 2006 are between the release dates of the Eye2 irons and the i210s.
The lofts are between the two sets but despite being 12 years older than the i210s they are very similarly lofted. The set comes with an additional utility wedge that is a gap wedge coming in at 50 degrees.
Callaway iron loft
One of the newest and most promoted iron sets on the market is Callaway’s Mavrik irons. Golfers can purchase one of two sets with one including 4 iron through pitching wedge and the other being 5 iron through a pitching wedge. Below are the loft angles of the clubs.
4 Iron 18°
5 Iron 21°
6 Iron 24°
7 Iron 27°
8 Iron 31.5°
9 Iron 36°
PW 41°
AW 46°
GW 51°
SW 56°
Which Irons Have The Strongest Lofts?
Ping G400 irons have some of the strongest lofts. With their weight, distribution, center of gravity placement and face flex technology they are meant to hit long.
They have a COR-EYE structure in the center that helps stiffen the face therefore moving the leading edge to be “hingelike” and aid in producing good contact.
What Does Weaker Loft Mean?
Having a weaker loft means that a club was bent to add more loft. For example if you had a pitching wedge and you bent it from 46 degrees to 48 degrees it would be making the loft weaker.
Conclusion
The loft angles of golf clubs play a big role in knowing what set of clubs to purchase. If you’re not sure if you prefer stronger or weaker lofts head down to the golf store and work with a club-fitter to see what suits your game best.
Be sure to mention in the comments the loft of your irons and what experiences you’ve had with different iron lofts.
FAQ
Is higher loft better for irons?
Higher loft in irons is a preference for golfers. The higher the loft, the more spin the club will produce and higher the ball trajectory will be in the air. Although, this means the ball will travel a shorter distance. It’s totally up to the individual to pick the attribute they want to incorporate into their game.
Does iron loft affect distance?
Yes, iron loft does affect distance. The higher lofted the club is, the less distance it’ll travel. Their will also be less rollout.
Why do players irons have more loft?
Player irons have more loft because low-handicapped players often have better shot-shaping characteristics. Being able to shot-shape enables them to control the ball better.
