Golf Club Loft and Lie

Did you know the importance of having the loft & lie
checked on your clubs periodically?
And especially the importance of having a qualified
clubfitter perform a lie board test for your swing?

Let's do a quick Q & A.

Q.- What exactly is the lie angle of a club?
A.- It is the angle that is created by the shaft and the bottom of the club.

Q.- What is the correct lie angle for my swing?
A.- At impact you should make contact at the center of the sole.
This can only be determined by doing a dynamic lie test where you
would put impact tape on the sole and hit balls from a lie board to
determine how the lie angle should be set for your clubs.

Q.- What if the lie is too flat or too upright?
A.- If impact is made towards the heel, the lie is too upright.
These shots will tend to fly left of the target.
Toward the toe means the lie is too flat and shots tend to go right.

Q.- Do the offline shots have anything to do with the heel or toe digging into the ground?
A.- No. More that the actual plane of the face of the club is
tilted at impact if the lie is incorrect for your swing and causes
misdirection of the shot.

Q.- How about loft. What do I look for?
A.- Check to see that they are set to the manufacturers specifications.

Q.- So if I bought new clubs does it mean I don't have to mess with all of this?
A.- Even from the manufacturer there is a + or - tolerance.
They should be checked for verification. You could have
one iron too weak and the next one too strong and have
two clubs with the same loft!

Q.- How are lofts and lies changed on a club?
A.- A professional clubmaker will have specialized equipment designed to bend the clubs and a specification gauge to check for accuracy.

Q.- How often do I need to worry about all of this?
A.- Well initially be sure they are fit to you and then have them
checked each year. They can easily be beaten out of whack
especially if you have a forged set or a set made of a soft carbon metal.


So the bottom line is if you are serious about playing better golf,
seek out a qualified clubmaker and have a dynamic lie board test done.
This game is tough enough without playing equipment that doesn't fit!

Enjoy the game!

Golf Club Reviews and Clubfitting commentary for www.bigdogeat.com
provided by Don Coyle of www.countryacresgolf.com
Don is an avid golfer and a Class A Certified Clubmaker
by the Professional Clubmaker's Society.