Do not let anyone lead you to believe that not having properly fit golf clubs is fine. It is extremely important to make sure your equipment is right for your body type and swing style. One of the important items with clubfitting is the “Lie Angle” of the club. This, in essence, is how the clubhead is positioned as you strike the ball in the impact area. Terms you may have heard are “Upright or Toe-Up”, “Square”, or “Flat or Toe-Down”. Let me give so more insight into these terms and how you can test your own golf clubs.
First, the definition of “lie angle” of any clubhead is the angle between the center of the shaft and the sole.
The lie angle affects the accuracy of the shot. The lie angle is said to be fit properly when the sole of the club arrives parallel to the ground. If the lie angle is incorrect then there can be some accuracy issues. If a clubhead is too upright, the heel of the club will tend to dig into the ground first and cause the clubface to close. Conversely, if the toe of the club digs into the ground (too flat) it will cause the clubface to open. Lie Angle is generally discussed more with the irons as the more loft a club has it will tend to fly off-line further.
One of the best ways to check if your club has the right lie angle is to perform a simple test:
1. Draw a straight line on a ball with a marker
2. Put the ball down so the line is perfectly vertical
3. Hit the golf shot
When you look at the shot afterwards, you will receive valuable feedback. If the line on the club is pointing straight up and down then you know your lie angle is fit properly for that club. If the line is pointing to the toe of the club then your club is too upright and needs to be flattened. Conversely, if it is pointing at the heel of the club then it needs to be more upright. This is a good test to do when you are out practicing.
If you need a full audit of your irons and wedges or you are looking into some new equipment and would like to get custom fit please let me know.
Have a great holiday season and I look forward to working with you on your game soon.