Adding loft to a golf club seems like a simple adjustment, but it creates a whole chain reaction of effects on your ball flight, distance, spin, and even how the club interacts with the turf. Understanding these changes isn't just for tour pros, it's a practical skill that can help you get out of trouble, attack difficult pins, and manage your game more effectively. This article will break down exactly what happens when you add loft and show you how to use it to your advantage on the course.
When you manipulate the clubface to add loft, three primary things happen. These are the effects most golfers are trying to achieve, and they form the foundation of why you’d ever make this adjustment in the first place.
The most immediate and noticeable effect of adding loft is that the ball launches higher. When you add loft - either by opening the face of a wedge or simply choosing a more-lofted club - you are changing the angle at which the face strikes the ball. Instead of a more direct, forward-pushing impact from a lower-lofted club, you get a more glancing, upward blow.
Think of it like this: A 7-iron is designed to send the ball forward with a medium trajectory. A sand wedge, by contrast, is designed to pop the ball up quickly. When you take that 7-iron and manually open the face to add loft, you're essentially turning it into something more like an 8 or 9-iron at impact. This is the go-to technique when you’re stuck behind a tree and need to get the ball up and over it in a hurry.
More loft means more backspin. As the loft angle increases, the clubface slides under the golf ball more at impact, allowing the grooves to "grab" the cover and impart a greater rate of spin. This is why your sand wedge spins significantly more than your 5-iron. That high backspin is what allows the ball to stop quickly on the green, sometimes even backing up.
Knowing this is a huge advantage. If you have a short-sided approach to a firm green, adding loft not only helps the ball land softly due to its steep descent angle, but the extra spin will prevent it from running out too far. However, this can also work against you. On a windy day, adding too much loft can cause the ball to "balloon" - climbing too high on a cushion of air and spinning, ultimately losing distance and getting knocked around by the wind.
Physics dictates a trade-off: what you gain in height, you often lose in forward distance. When you add loft, more of the swing's energy is used to propel the ball upward rather than forward. The result is a shot that carries a shorter distance than a standard shot with the same club.
For example, if you normally hit your pitching wedge 120 yards, and you need to hit a high, soft flop shot over a bunker from 50 yards, you might open the face of that same pitching wedge. Even with a fairly full swing, the added loft will bleed off a lot of the distance, enabling you to take an aggressive swing without flying the ball way over the green. This intentional reduction in distance is a fundamental part of scoring from close range.
This is where a deeper understanding separates the average golfer from the savvy player. Adding loft does more than just affect ball flight, it changes the very geometry of the club head and forces you to adjust your setup accordingly.
One of the most powerful but misunderstood ways to manage loft is by changing your shaft lean at address and impact. When you press your hands forward, toward the target, you are delofting the club.
You use this technique for punch shots under trees or for hitting low, running chip shots that check up and then release toward the hole. It gives you a much more predictable and controllable rollout.
The opposite holds true. When you open the clubface to add loft for a high, soft shot, you are not only presenting more loft to the ball but also engaging the bounce much more.
Here’s a critical point that many golfers miss: when you open the clubface to add loft, the face no longer points at the target. It points to the right (for a righthanded golfer). The more you open it, the farther right it aims.
To hit the ball towards your target, you must compensate by aiming your body - your feet, hips, and shoulders - to the left of the target. Then, you swing along your body line. The ball will start left of your target and then curve back towards it due to the open face, ideally landing right on your intended line. Failing to make this alignment adjustment is the number one reason golfers hit their flop shots offline.
Understanding the theory is great, but applying it on the course is what saves strokes. Here are common situations where adding loft is the smart play.
This is the classic scenario. You’re blocked by a tree, and your only path is up and over. Grab a club with enough loft (a wedge or even a short iron), open the face to increase the launch angle even more, aim your body left to compensate, and commit to the swing. The ball will pop up quickly and descend steeply on the other side.
The pin is just a few paces over a deep bunker, with very little green to work with. A standard chip will run out too far. This calls for a high, soft shot. By adding loft to your sand or lob wedge, you increase both the launch and the spin, allowing you to fly the ball to the pin and have it stop almost immediately upon landing.
Your ball is sitting up nicely in the rough, or you're in a bunker with soft, powdery sand. In both cases, you want the club to glide under the ball, not dig. By opening the face and adding loft, you also add bounce. This creates a wider, more forgiving sole that will skim through the turf or sand, popping the ball out effortlessly.
When the ball is on a steep slope running away from you, the slope itself naturally delofts the club. A pitching wedge can feel more like a 7-iron. To counteract this, you need to add loft, often by taking a more lofted club (e.g., your lob wedge instead of your sand wedge) to achieve your desired high and soft ball flight.
In short, adding loft is a dynamic tool that affects much more than just the height of your shot. It influences spin, carry distance, and how the club itself interacts with the ground via bounce and lie angle. Learning to control these variables unlocks a creative element to your short game and gives you the tools to handle a wider variety of situations on the course.
Mastering these feel-based shots takes practice, and knowing precisely when to add or subtract loft on the course can be challenging. We built Caddie AI to be that instant, expert second opinion. When you're facing a tricky lie in the rough or nervous about a shot over a bunker, you can get a simple recommendation on how to play it. By describing the situation or even snapping a photo of your lie, our AI gives you clear, strategic advice to help you commit to your shot with more confidence.
Thinking about hosting a golf tournament fundraiser is the first swing, executing it successfully is what gets the ball in the hole. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, from laying the initial groundwork months in advance to watching your happy golfers tee off. We’ll cover everything from securing sponsors and setting your budget to planning the on-course fun that makes an event unforgettable.
A golf handicap does more than just give you bragging rights (or a reason to demand strokes from your friends) - it’s the game’s great equalizer and the single best way to track your improvement. This guide breaks down what a handicap is, how the supportive math behind a handicap index a is, and exactly how you can get one for yourself. We’ll look at everything from Course Rating to Adjusted Gross Score, helping you feel confident both on the course and in the clubhouse.
The compression of a Pinnacle Rush golf ball is one of its most defining features, engineered specifically to help a huge swath of golfers get more distance and enjoyment from their game. We'll break down exactly what its low compression means, who it's for, and how you can use that knowledge to shoot lower scores.
Figuring out which spikes go into your new (or old) pair of Puma golf shoes can feel like a puzzle, but it’s much simpler than you think. The key isn't the brand of the shoe, but the type of receptacle system they use. This guide will walk you through exactly how to identify your Puma's spike system, choose the perfect replacements for your game, and change them out like a pro.
The Golf Genius app is one of the best tools for managing and participating in competitive golf events, but figuring it out for the first time can feel like reading a new set of greens. This guide cuts through the confusion and shows you exactly how to use the app as a player. We’ll cover everything from logging into your tournament and entering scores to checking the live leaderboard so you can enjoy the competition without any tech headaches.
Walking onto the first tee with sweaty palms, worried you’ll be a good partner to paly wtih...or even asked back again ...We’ve all been there - trust me! The real trick of feeling confortable... is about how you handle you’re ready to plsy. THIS guide explains the simple rules of the rode to show you hnow t play golf while staying calm relaxed and focused... an having much morse fun while you,',re aat it? You'll also play with confidence a dn make fiendsa while you're at i
Just ask a question or share a photo and Caddie gives personalized guidance for every shot - anytime, anywhere.
