How to Check the Degree on a Golf Club

Understanding the degrees on your golf clubs is one of the most direct ways to control shot distance and trajectory. It might sound technical, but it's a fundamental part of your equipment that directly influences how the ball flies. This guide will walk you through exactly how to check the loft on your clubs, what other important angles mean, and why paying attention to these numbers will help you play smarter, more consistent golf.

Understanding the Numbers on Your Clubs: What is Loft?

When golfers talk about the "degree" of a club, they are almost always referring to its loft. In simple terms, loft is the angle of the clubface in relation to the shaft. Imagine the shaft is perfectly vertical, the loft is the angle the face tilts back from that vertical line.

This single number is the primary factor that determines a club's purpose. It controls two things:

• Trajectory: A club with a high loft angle (like a 60-degree lob wedge) will launch the ball very high. Conversely, a club with a low loft angle (like a 21-degree 3-iron) will produce a much lower, more penetrating ball flight.
• Distance: Loft and distance are inversely related. As loft increases, the ball flies higher and shorter. As loft decreases, the ball flies lower and farther. This is why your driver, with its low loft, is built for maximum distance, and your sand wedge, with its high loft, is designed for short, precise shots around the green.

Think of your set of irons as a staircase of loft. Each club is designed to go a specific, repeatable distance, creating predictable gaps between them. Your 9-iron has more loft than your 8-iron, which has more loft than your 7-iron, and so on. Understanding this principle is fundamental to good course management and confident club selection.

The Simplest Method: Where to Look for the Loft Number

For most modern golf clubs, finding the loft is straightforward. Manufacturers make it easy by stamping the number directly on the clubhead itself. Here’s where to look:

The Sole of the Club

This is the most common location. Flip your iron or wedge over and look at the bottom (the part that rests on the ground at address). You will typically see the club number (e.g., "7" for a 7-iron) and, often right beside it or nearby, the loft in degrees (e.g., "34°"). This practice has become standard for most manufacturers' irons and wedges in the last 15-20 years.

The Hosel

If you don't see it on the sole, check the hosel. The hosel is the small, cylindrical part of the clubhead where the shaft connects. Some manufacturers, particularly for forged "players'" club models, prefer to stamp the loft number here for a cleaner look on the sole.

What About Wedges with Letters (P, A, S, L)?

This is where things can get a little less obvious. Many wedge systems use letters instead of numbers to denote their purpose:

• P or PW: Pitching Wedge
• A, AW, or GW: Approach Wedge or Gap Wedge
• S or SW: Sand Wedge
• L or LW: Lob Wedge

While some of these will also have the loft number stamped on them (e.g., "S 56°"), others will not. Over the years, "standard" lofts for these clubs have changed. A pitching wedge from 20 years ago might be 48 degrees, while a modern one from a "game improvement" set could be as strong as 43 degrees. If your wedge only has a letter, finding the exact loft might require checking the manufacturer's website for the original specifications or having it measured professionally.

Older or Custom Clubs

If you're playing with a set of clubs from the 1990s or earlier, there's a good chance the loft isn't stamped anywhere on the head. In those days,club numbers were the only identifier. The only way to know the true loft of these clubs is to have them measured on a loft and lie machine.

Beyond Loft: Other Important Angles to Know

While loft gets most of the attention, two other "degrees" are just as important for getting the most out of your clubs: lie angle and bounce angle.

Lie Angle: A Factor in Directional Control

The lie angle is the angle between the shaft and the ground when the club is soled correctly at address. Why does this matter? Because it dictates how the clubface is pointed at impact.

• If a lie angle is too upright for your swing, the toe of the club will be off the ground at impact, causing the heel to dig in. This shuts the clubface and makes the ball go left of your target (for a right-handed golfer).
• If a lie angle is too flat for your swing, the heel will be up, causing the toe to dig in. This opens the clubface and makes the ball go right of your target.

Lie angle isn't usually stamped on a clubhead because it's a specification that is meant to be fit to you - your body type, posture, and swing. A simple test is to put some impact tape on your clubface and hit balls off a lie board at a pro shop. The mark on the sole will tell you and the fitter if your lie angle is correct.

Bounce Angle: Your Wedge's Best Friend

Bounce is an angle specific to wedges and is often stamped next to the loft (e.g., 56°-12°, where 12 is the bounce). Bounce is the angle between the leading edge of the wedge and the lowest point of the sole. Think of it as a rudder on a boat, it helps the club glide through turf or sand instead of digging in.

• High Bounce (e.g., 12-14°): Excellent for soft turf, fluffy sand, and for golfers with a steep angle of attack. The extra angle prevents the club from digging too deep.
• Low Bounce (e.g., 4-8°): Ideal for firm turf, hardpan lies, and for players who "sweep" the ball with a shallow swing. It allows the leading edge to get under the ball without the sole skipping off the firm ground.

Choosing the right bounce for your typical course conditions and swing style is a game-changer for your short game.

Why You Should Check Your Club's Degrees

So your club has "56°" stamped on it. That means it’s 56 degrees, right? Not necessarily. Here are a few important reasons why you should have your lofts and lies checked periodically:

• Forged Irons Bend Over Time: Softer, forged irons (which many better players prefer for their feel) can bend slightly from repeated impact with the ground, especially hardpacked range mats. A 7-iron that was 34° when you bought it could easily become 33° or 35° after a season or two of use, throwing off your distance gaps.
• Manufacturing Tolerances: Not every club comes perfectly to spec from the factory. While tolerances are very good these days, it's not uncommon to find a set where the loft gap between two irons is slightly off (e.g., a 2-degree gap instead of the intended 4 degrees). This creates awkward distance overlaps.
• Buying Used Clubs: You never know if the previous owner had the lofts or lies adjusted to fit their own swing. It's always a good idea to have a used set checked and reset to standard specs (or fit to you) before you play with them.
• Gap Fitting: As your swing changes and improves, you may want to performance-tune your lofts. If you have a big 20-yard gap between your Pitching Wedge and your Sand Wedge, a fitter can "weaken" the PW loft and/or "strengthen" the SW loft to create a more useful distance in between.

How to Accurately Check and Adjust Your Club Specs

The Professional Method: Using a Loft and Lie Machine

Without a doubt, the most accurate and safest way to check and adjust your club specs is to visit a qualified club fitter or your local golf professional. They use a specialized device called a loft and lie machine.

Here's what the process looks like:

1. The club is securely clamped into the machine to prevent damage.
2. A gauge measures the loft of the clubface to a fraction of a degree.
3. Another gauge measures the lie angle relative to the sole.
4. The fitter compares these readings to the manufacturer's standards or to the specs needed to fit your swing.
5. If an adjustment is needed, they use a long bending bar that fits over the hosel to gently and precisely bend the club into the correct loft or lie angle. This is safe for most forged and some cast-carbon steel irons, but is a major risk for other clubs. Attempting to bend certain cast irons or any hybrid/wood will likely snap the hosel.

This process is usually quick and inexpensive, and it provides total peace of mind that your equipment is performing exactly as intended.

The DIY Home Check (With Cautions)

If you're just curious and want a rough idea of your lofts at home, you can get a ballpark measurement. However, it is important to understand this isn't as accurate as a pro machine, and you should never attempt to bend your clubs without the proper equipment.

For a basic loft check, you need a digital angle gauge or protractor.

1. Place the club on a perfectly flat surface, with the score lines (grooves) on the face perfectly horizontal. This confirms the face is "square." Many people find it easiest to prop the club up against a wall to keep it steady.
2. "Zero" your digital angle gauge against the flat surface you're working on.
3. Carefully place the magnetic base of the gauge flat against the clubface, ensuring it's centered and sits flush.
4. The number you see is a rough estimate of your club's loft.

Again, this method is prone to error depending on how you position the club, but it can tell you if your lofts are at least in the right ballpark or if one club seems way off from its neighbors in the set. For anything more precise, or for any adjustments, always go see a pro.

Final Thoughts

In short, checking the degrees on your golf clubs empowers you to understand your equipment on a deeper level. Knowing your true lofts, lies, and bounce angles clears up confusion on the course and gives you the information you need to build a consistent, predictable set that truly works for your game.

Of course, knowing your club’s specs is just one piece of the puzzle, you still have to select the right one on the course. We designed Caddie AI to give you that on-demand expert insight right when you need it. When you're facing a tough approach shot or are unsure what a certain bounce can do from a tight lie, you can get an instant, clear recommendation. It helps bridge the gap between technical specs and practical application, giving you the confidence to commit to every swing.