A question our Master Fitters at GolfBox Custom often get asked during a fitting session is “what is dynamic loft and why is it so important?”
Golfers are familiar with static loft, which is the amount of loft installed on a club. Dynamic loft, however, is a measurement of a club’s loft at the point of impact, or the amount of loft actually delivered by the club to the back of the golf ball.
Dynamic loft is one of the most important parameters in the fitting process and optimising it to suit a player’s unique swing traits has a major impact on performance.
Dynamic loft is influenced by a number of factors in a golf swing, including angle of attack, release sequence, club path, face angle, and gear effect, which is associated with the strike location on the face.
It is also impacted by shaft choice, a variable our Master Fitters manipulate to optimise dynamic loft. Altering the flex and torque of a shaft has a huge bearing on dynamic loft and getting it right optimises trajectory and spin to maximise carry distance.
STATIC LOFT VS DYNAMIC LOFT
Some golfers erroneously believe dynamic loft should match the static loft of a club to achieve optimal launch and spin.
Golfers generally attempt to compress the ball with their irons, which delofts the face at impact. This results in a dynamic loft that is less than a club’s static loft. However, because golfers tend to hit the ball on the up off the tee, the dynamic loft of a driver is often greater than its static loft.
Fortunately, optimising dynamic loft throughout a bag is GolfBox Custom’s forte.
HOW DYNAMIC LOFT IS MEASURED
The GC Quad launch monitor we use at GolfBox Custom is the most accurate in the game.
Its high-speed cameras capture a precise measurement of dynamic loft at impact to provide our Master Fitters with an instant assessment of how the head and shaft combination is influencing dynamic loft.
Finetuning this process achieves the most optimal dynamic loft to sync with a player’s swing type.
WHY DYNAMIC LOFT MATTERS
GolfBox Custom Master Fitters are experts at identifying dynamic loft and optimising it to suit the way the club head is being delivered into the back of the ball.
Dynamic loft generally varies according to a player’s level of skill and ability. For instance, an elite tour pro’s dynamic loft with a driver is about 12.8°, while a 15 handicapper’s is closer to 15°.
If a club’s dynamic loft is too low for a particular player, it will produce a closed club face, low launch angle and low spin — characteristics that can severely impact distance. If dynamic loft is too high, it will generate a ballooning, high trajectory, high spin ball flight which will also reduce distance.
Our Master Fitters at GolfBox Custom appreciate the influence dynamic loft has on performance. Their expertise at optimising such an important metric for all types of golfers enables them to build custom clubs that maximise performance.
Is dynamic loft optimised for your swing? Book a Fitting Session at GolfBox Custom to find out.
