Golf Club Trajectory

What Is the Loft of a golf club?

Loft angles are expressed in degrees with respect to vertical rather than the ground. The more highly lofted a club is, the higher the golf ball will go on impact. The below diagram represents the loft angle of a club blade and the trajectory angle it has.

                                                                                   



























So what are the official loft angle for each golf club?

There aren't any official values. Manufacturers are allowed to set the angles to whatever they wish. By slightly reducing the loft angle of a club, the ball travels farther. In this sport, distance sells. In the industry they call it creep when changing the loft angle for more distance. Below is a chart that shows the typical loft angles for a set of irons.

Club	Loft Degree
4 Iron	25
5 Iron	28
6 Iron	31
7 Iron	34
8 Iron	37
9 Iron	41
Pitching Wedge	45
Gap Wedge	50
Sand Wedge	55
Lob Wedge	60

Mean x (x̄): 5.5

Mean y (ȳ): 40.6
Intercept (a): 19.4
Slope (b): 3.8545454545455
Regression line equation: y=19.4+3.8545454545455x
*club 1= 4 iron, club 2=5 iron...ect

When looking at the graph, we can conclude that Club 1 (4 iron) has the smallest degree of loft and Club 10 (Lob wedge) has the largest degree of loft.



What are the official distances with each golf club?

Club	Distance (yards)
4 Iron	170
5 Iron	160
6 Iron	150
7 Iron	140
8 Iron	130
9 Iron	120
Pitching Wedge	105
Gap Wedge	90
Sand Wedge	70
Lob Wedge	40

Sample size: 10
Mean x (x̄): 5.5
Mean y (ȳ): 117.5
Intercept (a): 191.33333333333
Slope (b): -13.424242424242
Regression line equation: y=191.33333333333-13.424242424242x
*club 1= 4 iron, club 2= 5 iron...ect

From this graph we can conclude that Club 1 (4 iron) can hit the ball the farthest out of all the clubs (approx 170 yards.) We can also confirm that Club 10 (Lob wedge) has the shortest range out of all the clubs (approx 40 yards.) When comparing this graph to the above one, we can get an idea of the club loft vs. its distance. For example, Club 1 (4 Iron), has the lowest possible loft degree of 25 but in return it can be used to deliver the longest distance of all the clubs. The 4 iron, when used, is able to hit the golf ball the farthest out of any irons. If we take a look at Club 10 (Lob wedge), it has the absolute highest degree of loft (60 degree) out of all the irons but the shortest distance (40 yards.) The lob wedge when used has the shortest range out of all the irons.

When trying to determine what club to use, it all depends on your yardage to the hole. If you have a far shot that is around; 170-200 yards then pick the 4 iron, if your only 100 yards away from the pin then the pitching wedge would applicable for this situation. If you would like to hit a longer shot, then a lower loft degree on the club face is needed. For a shorter shot, a higher degree of loft will need to be used to launch the ball high and controlled instead of long.

There are two regulations in golf club production, 1. Form and Make of clubs, and 2. Foreign Materials. These regulations are needed so that no club has the potential to out perform another club based on what it is made of. If a producer added some foreign materials in or on the club face, and a player was able to hit farther and more accurate, the player and the producer would then be investigated by the USGA (United States Golf Association.)



Dylan Pescod



Research:

http://www.leaderboard.com/loftinfo.htm
http://www.alcula.com/calculators/statistics/linear-regression/
http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-on-Clubs-and-Balls/Rule-4-%E2%80%93-Clubs/