What Loft Driver Should I Use? Everything You Need To Know

What Loft Driver Should I Use? Everything You Need To Know

 

When you purchase a driver, you need to make sure that you are choosing the proper loft for your game. A golf driver with the wrong loft can make it very difficult to get both ball speed and distance from your shots.

With the proper driver loft, you can get the performance you need from a club. Finding that perfect loft can take a bit of time and patience. You may need to work on a few different lofts and do some testing to find the best one.

We have put together some of the most important things to consider when choosing a driver based on the loft.

Introduction To Driver Loft 

Starting off in golf as a junior, I was using one of Dads old drivers and needless to say, it was very difficult to get off the ground and when I switched to a proper fitted set of clubs, I improved dramatically off the tee.

Junior golf drivers almost always come with a very high loft. The loft is usually 13 degrees or more. As a young aspiring professional, I always found this a bit too much.

The reason that junior drivers are built with the high loft is to accommodate those with slower swing speeds. However, not all Junior golfers have these lower swing speeds, which is why it is so important to get a driver lofted to you particular needs.

Golfers that are looking for what loft driver they need are going to have to pay more attention to the detailed specifics about their individual game than just choosing an option based on what is available on the market.

As I grew older and my swing speed increased, I also moved from a 12.5 to a 10.5 degree loft in my driver which was a natural progression, that can also happen just by improving your swing mechanics and speed naturally over time.

 

How Important Is Loft For Your Driver

The loft of your driver is one of the most significant factors to consider when purchasing a club.

If you choose a club with the wrong loft, you will continually struggle with both distance and forgiveness.

 

How Does It Affect Performance

If you play with a driver that is too high lofted for you, then you will miss out on distance.

If you play with a driver that is too low for you then you will also miss out on distance.

The distance is impacted both by drivers that are too low lofted and too high lofted.

This should help to show you how important it is to find that perfect driver loft. In addition to distance, you must also consider forgiveness.

A driver with more forgiveness is going to have a higher loft. Therefore golfers that need forgiveness in their club need to choose something that has plenty of lofts.

 

What Is The Main Factor That Goes Into Determining What Loft To Use?

The main factor that determines what loft you should be using in your driver is swing speed.

The faster your swing speed, the lower the loft you can play with.

Golfers with high swing speeds have the ability to launch the ball high because of the spin that they create.

If you do not have a high swing speed, you are going to need to keep the loft down, so you don’t hit a ballooned type golf shot.

Slower swing speed players struggle to launch such a lower lofted club, and that is why they do better when given a driver with 13 or more degrees of loft.

 

Are There Other Factors Besides Swing Speed?

Aside from swing speed, it is also important that golfers pay attention to the natural tendencies of their swing.

Do you have a tendency to hit line drive shots or hit high fly balls?

There are many different types of golf swings and player capabilities. There are options on the market that will work for all players; it just takes a bit of time to find them.

The shaft weight can also impact the height that a golfer can hit the ball.

IF you are struggling with hitting the ball too high and your loft has already been turned down quite a bit, then the best choice could be to put a heavier golf shaft in place or slightly lower your loft.

 

What Type Of People Should Use A Higher Lofted Driver?

Beginners and higher handicap golfers with slower swing speeds are going to benefit greatly from a higher lofted driver.

It is best to purchase a higher lofted driver that is adjustable. This way, as you improve, you can change the loft on your club to match your swing.

 

What Type Of People Should Use A Lower Lofted Driver?

Lower lofted drivers are for the golfer with the fastest swing speeds.

If you swing more than 100mph or more, you are going to need a driver with a lower loft.

 

Swing Speed Vs. Driver Loft Chart

Golfer Swing Speed	Recommended Driver Loft (in degrees)
50	15°
60	14°
70	13.5°
80	13°
90	12.5°
100	11.5°
110	9.5-10.5°
120 +	9°

 

What Driver Lofts Do The Pros Use

Most professionals on the PGA golf tour are using a driver with a loft between 9 and 10.5.

The golfers will change the loft based on the shaft they have on their club and how the shaft impacts the ball flight as well.

Most golfers on the professional circuit have a very fast swing speed. These high swing speeds lead the players to need more decreased driver lofts.

 

Lowest On Tour

Some golfers on the PGA Tour can get a little extreme when it comes to driver loft. One such player is Bryson Dechambeau.

The loft that Bryson plays with is 5.5 degrees. With 5.5 degrees of loft, it’s amazing the launch that he can still get from his drives.

Most amateurs would never be able to get a 5.5-degree driver off the ground.

 

What Loft Should Women Use?

Women golfers typically have between 13 and 16 degrees of loft in a stock woman driver.

If a woman golfer has a slower swing speed, this is a perfect amount of loft.

However, for women with faster swing speeds, this may not be enough loft to make it really a good fit.

The faster-swinging women golfers should use something with 12.5 degrees of loft or less.

 

What About Seniors?

Senior golfers will notice that their swing speed starts to slow down a bit. This is natural and to be expected with senior golfers.

If you notice that your swing is starting to slow down more than usual, it could be time to increase the loft in your driver.

Most senior golfers are going to do best with a loft around 12 to 14 degrees.

This tends to give the best balance of both distance and forgiveness in the club.

 

What If I Am Hitting The Ball Too High – What Should I Do

If you find that you are hitting the golf ball too high, it is likely time to look for a driver with a lower loft.

If you don’t want to purchase a new driver, you can sometimes add weight to the golf club or stiffen the golf shaft to be able to hit the ball a bit lower.

 

What If I Am Hitting The Ball Too Low?

Hitting the golf ball too low can be very frustrating. When the ball is too low, the distance you can get is extremely impacted.

You will end up getting plenty of roll but not enough launch and ball flight. When drivers don’t have enough loft, you may also notice that you can’t get the ball heading to your target the right way either.

Many players tend to hit a slice with a driver that is too low. The best thing to do is to adjust your driver to a higher loft or purchase one that is a better fit for your game.

 

Can Driver Loft Affect A Hook Or A Slice?

If your driver does not have enough loft, you are going to notice that you have a hard time keeping the ball straight.

The lower lofted drivers are much less forgiving, and those with slower swing speeds often have a hard time hitting them straight.

Sometimes a slice is caused by a player incorrectly swinging at the ball, but it absolutely can be related to the equipment as well.

 

Does Tee Height Affect Driving Distance?

Lining your golf tee up at the perfect location is very important. If your golf tee is too low or too high, you could miss the sweet spot as you hit your shots.

If you miss the sweet spot, your drives are not going to be nearly as long as they could be.

Always check to make sure that the tee height of the golf ball allows you to hit the drive directly in the center of the golf driver.

 

Who Should Swap Their Driver For A 3 Wood?

Sometimes golfers continue to struggle with their driver.

It can sometimes mean that you are hitting shots that are too low or too left, but there is just no confidence in these golf shots.

If you have tried with a driver for quite some time and have had no results, the 3 wood may be a better choice.

Although you will lose a bit of distance switching to a 3 wood, the results are going to be well worth it.

 

What’s The Best Way To Ensure Correct Loft In Your Driver?

The best thing a golfer can do when it comes to choosing a driver based on loft is to choose an adjustable loft.

Adjustable loft makes it much easier to change your loft and adjust as necessary.

You may find that you are playing great at 11.5 for a while and then notice that your game really needs 10.5.

This adjustable driver gives you that option without having to replace your driver.

 

Best Driver – Mini Reviews With Pros And Cons

Best Choice: Callaway Mavrik Driver

The Callaway Mavrik Driver is one of the best choices on the market for loft adjustability.

You can set the Mavrik to work for your individual needs for your game and get the results you need.

We love that the Mavrik is so naturally long and has an excellent feel when you hit it.

Pros

• One of the faster clubs faces in golf
• Easy to launch
• Long-distance and adjustability

Cons

• Tinny sound at impact sometimes

Overall Score: 96/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Best For Slow Swingers: Cobra Speedback Driver

The Cobra Speedback driver is highly adjustable and built for speed.

If you are a golfer that struggles to get the ball in the air and to hit it a long distance, the Speedback is going to be a very smart choice.

This driver has drooped in price through the years and now comes at a very fair value.

Pros

• Good pricing
• It helps slower swing speed players get distance
• The adjustability range is wide

Cons

• Not as long as the Speedzone when perfect contact is made

Overall Score: 95/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Best For Fast Swingers: TaylorMade SIM 2 Max

The TaylorMade SIM 2 Max is going to be a very fast and forgiving driver.

This driver is built for speed, and those with the fast swing speeds will love the results that they can get with this club.

The SIM 2 Max driver is a high speed and easy to adjust for the proper loft.

Pros

• Long distance
• High ball speeds
• Forgiving

Cons

• High priced new club

Overall Score: 98/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Conclusion

As you can see, driver loft is a very important factor when you are choosing a golf club. If you choose a driver loft that is not right for your game, you will struggle with distance, launch, and forgiveness.

The higher you can launch the ball and send it down the fairway, the longer you are going to be able to hit the ball. For most players, this ideal loft is going to be around 10.5 degrees.

However, if your swing speed or player profile is not in the average range, you need to consider both higher and lower lofted golf driver loft options.