Okay, so yesterday I was messing around at the driving range, right? Trying to get my iron game dialed in. And I started wondering, like, “What actually is the deal with the loft on a four iron?” I mean, you hear people talk about it, but I never really dug into the specifics.
So, first thing I did when I got home was jump online. Did a quick search – nothing too fancy. Just wanted a general idea. Saw a bunch of stuff saying a four iron is usually around 21 to 24 degrees. But then I started thinking, “Okay, but why that much? And how does that compare to my other irons?”
Then I remembered my buddy Mark, he’s a club fitter. So, I shot him a text, being all casual, like, “Hey Mark, quick question about four irons…” He’s a good dude, always willing to nerd out about golf tech. He told me that the loft angle is what helps get the ball up in the air and gives it distance. Lower loft = more distance (usually), but harder to control. Higher loft = easier to get up, but less distance.
That got me thinking about my own clubs. I dug out my iron set – they’re a few years old, nothing special, just a standard set from Callaway. I couldn’t find the exact specs printed on the clubs themselves, so I went back online and searched for the model. Turns out, my four iron is supposed to be 22 degrees. Huh, right in the middle of that 21-24 range.
Next, I wanted to see how that related to the rest of my set. I found a spec sheet online. My five iron is 25 degrees, six iron is 28, and so on. Each club goes up about 3 degrees in loft. That makes sense. It’s all about consistent gaps.
Then I had a wild idea. I grabbed my cheap protractor from my kid’s school stuff. Figured I’d try to measure the loft myself. It was super janky, I’m not gonna lie. Holding the club perfectly still and getting the angle right was tough. Plus, a protractor is flat and clubs are curved, it was a pain! But I did my best.
I think I got somewhere close to 22 degrees on my four iron, maybe a degree off. But hey, for a freehand measurement, I’ll take it! It kind of proved the spec sheet was in the right ballpark.
What I Learned:
- Four irons are generally around 21-24 degrees loft, but can vary.
- Loft affects ball flight and distance.
- It’s worth knowing the specs of your own clubs.
- You can try to measure loft yourself, but it’s not super accurate with basic tools.
Overall, it was a fun little experiment. Made me think more about how my clubs work and how I can better control my shots. Maybe next time I’ll try measuring the loft on my driver… that could be interesting.
