9 Iron has the most loft and least distance. 3 iron has the least loft and most distance.
9 wood or 5 iron
Usually the loft for a 9 iron is right around 41 or 42 degrees. Some professionals have their irons tweaked to match their specific yardages. I play on the mini-tours and my 9 iron is right at 41.5*
Normally the loft of a 7 iron.
Two things, primarily: 1. The 3-iron has a longer shaft (the skinny metal part between your hands and the clubhead) 2. The 3-iron has less loft, meaning that the ball doesn't fly as high as with a 9-iron. I don't recall exactly but I think a 3-iron has about 21 degrees of loft compared to maybe 48 degrees for a 9-iron. These two things make the 3-iron hit the ball much farther than a 9-iron, maybe 200-225 yards vs. 100-125 yards for the 9-iron. But it is also a much harder club to make good contact with, due to the longer shaft and lack of loft.
A 9 iron is shorter, and has a little more added loft to it, so you can hit the green and not go over. A 7 iron is a mid iron, and is a little longer, and the loft is less than a 9 iron so you can have a little more added distance than a 9.
protractor
You must be opening the club face at impact or else you have the ball too far forward causing a launch that is too high.
The number relates to the loft of the club and the length of the shaft. For example a 3 iron has the lowest loft and longest shaft. A 7 irons has more loft and a shorter shaft than the 3 iron.
A number 1 iron typically has a loft of around 16-18 degrees.
7 iron
PW - lie 64°, loft 45° 9 - lie 63.75°, loft 40° 8 - lie 63°, loft 36° 7 - lie 62.25°, loft 32° 6 - lie 61.5°, loft 29° 5 - lie 60.75°, loft 26° 4 - lie 60°, loft 23° 3 - lie 59.25°, loft 20°