Does the stronger loft on todays irons make you hit it farther? Well, duh, of course it does. But… there is more to this story.

Stronger lofts on todays irons are a byproduct of the design. There is a loft of weight down low in almost every iron. Usually this is tungsten, so it is very dense and very heavy. Having weight like that will force the ball to launch higher. It will make 7-iron not launch like a 7-iron. Lofts are made stronger to make the launch window match a players eye, so a 7-iron looks like a 7-iron – despite the weight placement inside the head.

How much difference does it make? Think of it this way. the difference between a 6-iron and a 7-iron is 1/2″ and 4 degrees. Typically, they go about 10 yards different. Half of the 10 yards comes from the length, and half from the loft. That means that 4 degrees gets you 5 yards. Roughly a yard and a quarter per degree.

If a club today is 6 degrees stronger than a club from yesterday, that is 7 1/2 yards. The new club might go 2 clubs (or more) further. The reason? Todays iron has variable face thickness designed by Ai, Tungsten, face cup, AND stronger lofts. Essentially, today’s iron is made like a hybrid or a FW Wood – it just happens to be shaped like an iron.

So, does loft matter? Of course it does, but perhaps that is only half of the reason for the extra distance found in todays irons.