Are your lofts what you think?

[slicer79]

Interesting video I saw today. Gary martin golf, been following his channel with a while

Tested brand new wedges with loft & lie machine. No wedge matched it's stated loft despite being new and straight from factory

I thought machine must be off as most seemed to be 3 degree off , but he addresses that in the comments, says machine was tested and is correct

I'm kinda shocked by those results, especially on clubs that are so expensive and from the big brands. You'd expect to get what you pay for really

 

[Jason.H]

Our assistant pro had a new ping iron set custom fit at Gainsborough and checked them out the box with the head pro and the lofts were out enough to send them back.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Surprised to see that. Ping in particular are normally very good with their custom fits from personal experience. I do get my lofts checked at the start of each season (March time) and all my clubs from 7-SW are normally way off where I've been practicing off range mats over the winter. New grips and loft check every year

 

[Captain_Black.]

Does it really matter?
Surely what really counts is a couple of good practice rounds out on the course in real world conditions.
Knowing your distances & getting the gapping right in good calm conditions.
That's the way I've always done it & it works for me.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Does it really matter?
Surely what really counts is a couple of good practice rounds out on the course in real world conditions.
Knowing your distances & getting the gapping right in good calm conditions.
That's the way I've always done it & it works for me.

Of course it matters. If you work on yardages and then batter the lofts awry over the winter how can you be sure how far the ball will go on a course.

 

[Imurg]

Does it really matter?
Surely what really counts is a couple of good practice rounds out on the course in real world conditions.
Knowing your distances & getting the gapping right in good calm conditions.
That's the way I've always done it & it works for me.

It does if your 7 iron is 2° weak and your 8 iron is 3 degrees strong - you've got 2 clubs doing the same thing.
Less of an issue if the gaps are out but consistent - say all 2 ° strong or weak...at least the gapping will be right but it'll mess up the gapping to the clubs either side of the irons.

 

[Alan Clifford]

How is a club fixed if it's loft is 2 or 3 degrees awry?

 

[Jacko_G]

There will be "acceptable" manufacturing tolerances in all golf clubs. It's a bit of a nin story this.

Mass produced goods will always be thrown out slightly during the manufacturing process.

 

[slicer79]

I'd get over a degree maybe but 3 degrees is very disappointing if you've spent a nice chunk of cash on a set of wedges

 

[pokerjoke]

I’ve always gone by what you don’t know doesn’t hurt you.
As long as you keep practicing and keep checking your yardages regularly.
I’ve never ever checked my lofts,in fact I wouldn’t have a clue what they are.

 

[Captain_Black.]

I've never ever had the lofts of any of my clubs checked & I've never had an issue.
Providing I put a decent swing on it, they perform year in, year out.
I think at most amateur golfers level it's a bit ott.

 

[WGCRider]

How is a club fixed if it's loft is 2 or 3 degrees awry?

Just bend it straight

 

[WGCRider]

There will be "acceptable" manufacturing tolerances in all golf clubs. It's a bit of a nin story this.

Mass produced goods will always be thrown out slightly during the manufacturing process.

May be total nonsense but I've been told by an instructor that the standard tolerance for both loft and lie is 4 degrees - which honestly I've always thought is huge

 

[Bratty]

May be total nonsense but I've been told by an instructor that the standard tolerance for both loft and lie is 4 degrees - which honestly I've always thought is huge

I have also heard 4° is an acceptable tolerance for loft... which I also think is bizarre as its a huge difference.
Luckily, when I needed new irons, I needed 2° upright, so they had to be altered before sending. I've had them checked twice since to ensure they've stayed that way.

 

[Oddsocks]

My old TM CB’s were slightly off and it gave a massive gap between the 9i and 8i, for almost a season I struggled until deciding to get them checked. The 9i was the same loft as the wedge.

It’s a shame club manufactures can’t address this but I find it appalling that on scoring clubs they are that far out! Why but a 52* wedge as a scoring club with a desired flight if you’re getting a 49* or 55*? And all this gumpf about grinds and bounces becomes twoddle if the manufacturing tolerances are so far out.

Looking at my new bats the loft difference averages 4* per club, if the tolerance is 4* they are effectively saying lofts need checking from new. Poor!

 

[Crow]

As I pretty much change clubs each week I need to know the lofts of all my clubs as it's the only way I can gauge how far each club is going to hit the ball, so I check every club before playing it using a simple rig and a cheap digital angle gauge.

I find that most sets of clubs follow a reasonable progression through the set (and some are almost spot on 4 degree gaps which is amazing for 50 or 60 year old clubs).


You get a few outliers but I can't remember ever coming across two clubs in the same set with the same loft, to hear that 4 degrees is an acceptable tolerance is shocking, particularly with modern sets often having only 3 degrees between clubs.

Taking the Titleist 718 AP2 as a random example (other brands are available):
5 iron spec = 27°, could be 31°
6 iron spec = 30°, could be 26°
That gives you the potential to have a 6 iron with 5 degrees of loft stronger than a 5 iron, I can't believe that happens.

 

[Orikoru]

May be total nonsense but I've been told by an instructor that the standard tolerance for both loft and lie is 4 degrees - which honestly I've always thought is huge

That is weird. My 6 & 7 iron are only 3 degrees apart in the specs so in theory the 7 iron could be stronger than the 6 and the manufacturers think that's fine? ?

 

[WGCRider]

I have also heard 4° is an acceptable tolerance for loft... which I also think is bizarre as its a huge difference.
Luckily, when I needed new irons, I needed 2° upright, so they had to be altered before sending. I've had them checked twice since to ensure they've stayed that way.

Again, I'm speaking with absolutely no authority on subject but just passing on what I've been told. My clubs are generally 2d upright and either 1 inch (Taylormade) or 3/4 inch (Titliest) longer - I'm told different manufactures measure the length from different places. I also use jumbo grips. I tell you this cause every new set of irons I've owned has ended up being bent and covered in lead tape. The reason - I'm told - is that all the heads have small defects either in shape or weight when they are made. When they are quality checked they are sorted and the "standard" ones are used to make the "standard" clubs. If your clubs are longer/shorter or your grips or shafts are different then you will likely need a heavier or lighter head to maintain the swing weight throughout the set. The "non-standard" heads are used for these custom fits.
(All of this may be nonsense but is what I've been told when I asked)

 

[evemccc]

Agreed 4 degrees ‘tolerance’ is shocking, but even if the 9i and 8i are the same loft if the 9i club/shaft is shorter as is usual, then it will still fly a bit less far compared to the longer 8i - as club length affects swing speed and therefore distance

 

[Imurg]

Agreed 4 degrees ‘tolerance’ is shocking, but even if the 9i and 8i are the same loft if the 9i club/shaft is shorter as is usual, then it will still fly a bit less far compared to the longer 8i - as club length affects swing speed and therefore distance

At amateur level the 1/2 inch longer shaft is going to make so little difference it's almost not worth worrying about.
A minimal increase in speed that can easily be swallowed by inconsistency of swing or strike.
On a robot you'd see a yard or two difference....in reality? Next to nothing.