Loft-jacking has become a pretty popular term within the industry, and refers to the lofts of iron sets becoming stronger and stronger to promote more distance. On the surface it doesn’t seem like a very trivial topic, but there are so many misconceptions around what this term may actually mean, and the derogatory ways in which it is usually used. Today with some help from our sponsor at Edel Golf, we’ll get into what exactly loft-jacking really means, and why you should actually be thankful for this evolution in technology.
The term loft-jacking is often used in negative connotations. It’s become a term that is used to complain about the engineering of golf equipment over the last 15 years or so, and mainly comes from traditionalists of the game concerned with golf losing its true DNA. In reality loft-jacking, or the strengthening of lofts in golf clubs, comes from the necessity to keep up with not only improved technology, but also the modern, stronger golfer.
Most people think that loft-jacking is simply taking a pre-existing design and strengthening the lofts of the clubs with no other changes, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Engineers are not building these clubs with specific lofts in mind, especially when you consider more game-improvement type designs. They are building the clubs to do a job, and then wherever the lofts of that set lie at the end of their engineering is where they lie and subsequently numbers are placed on the soles to make it a set of clubs. These numbers are more so there so you know which one to hit for which shot, not actually anything to do with how you should view the clubs themselves.
So why is loft-jacking actually a good thing?
Where the concept from the previous video gets tricky is in more game-improvement style irons, and is usually where most of the controversy falls. Because these irons are starting to have more “wood-like” faces and properties, decreasing the lofts on these clubs is significantly increasing distance and lowering spin, resulting in a combination of launch characteristics that can make the ball fly significantly further than an iron from the old days with the same number on the sole. But that’s because the players that are playing these irons need that help. There’s zero reason why these golfers should be forced into “traditional” lofts just for the sake of being able to tell somebody else that they are.
Thanks to our sponsor Edel Golf for supplying us with the product used to demonstrate this topic. For more information on all Edel Golf products or to find an authorized fitting center near you visit edelgolf.com
