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how does extending the golf shaft affect the lie angle

by Lee Schroeder Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

The lie angle will automatically change if clubs are lengthened. Er, no it won't. Cutting length from or adding length to a shaft will not alter the angle between the hosel and the sole. What it will affect is the "effective lie".

The lie angle will automatically change if clubs are lengthened. Only slightly but it will change. There is no such thing as standard lie as all the manufacturers generally are different. The lie angle that is correct for you can only be tested dynamically - i.e. via a pro or fitter on a lie board hitting golf balls.Jan 21, 2013

Full Answer

How does shaft length affect lie angle?

I explain that with lower SW value and a shorter shaft who bends less than it did, so out and home becomes the same distance, but in general, going longer = need for a lower lie angle just like we see from LOB to the #3 iron

What is lie angle and how does it affect your golf swing?

So let's talk about lie angle, what it is and how it can affect your golf swing and ball flight. First, quite simply, lie angle is the measured angle created by the sole of a golf club when flat against the ground and the angle of the shaft. It's always an acute angle, less than 90 degrees.

Do longer shafts increase distance on golf clubs?

However, some clubs benefit more than others. Installing longer shafts in wedges and short irons will almost always result in more distance, as most players have little trouble swinging the shorter clubs.

Does lengthening the shaft increase swing weight?

Lengthening the shaft increases the swing weight, which makes the club head feel heavier. It may even make the club too heavy for you, which will slow down your swing speed and actually reduce your...

Does increasing shaft length affect lie angle?

Increasing the length also changes shaft flex. For every 1" added, the shaft becomes one flex softer; likewise, a shorter shaft plays stiffer. Shaft length also affects lie angle.

How does shortening a shaft affect lie angle?

If you are shortening irons, every 1 inch you shorten the club will make the iron effectively play 2 degrees flatter. You may need to have the lie angles readjusted after shortening them.

What affects lie angle?

For instance, if the sole of your club at impact is interacting with the grass more toward the toe then the lie angle is too flat. If impact is more toward the heel then the lie angle is too upright. Both of these scenarios can affect the direction of your ball and it may veer away from your intended target line.

How do you increase lie angle?

0:286:07How To Adjust Golf Club Lie Angles - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd down onto the hosel. And on this side. Right there and then you can bend it down for a shallowerMoreAnd down onto the hosel. And on this side. Right there and then you can bend it down for a shallower lie angle or bend it up for a steeper lie angle.

What happens if I shorten my driver shaft?

Shortening the shaft will make the club shorter but it will also make the shaft stiffer and adjust the swing weight as well. Plus, the more length you remove, the less flex your club will have. Depending on how much you cut it down, it could move a regular flex to a stiff or a stiff to an extra stiff.

Does upright lie promote a draw?

The upright lie also promotes a left tilting spin axis, which leads to what's generally described as draw spin. An upright lie angle basically gives you a head start, but depending on the severity of the slice conditions the golfer generates, it certainly won't guarantee a draw.

What happens if lie angle is too upright?

If your lie angle is too upright, typically meaning that it's closer to 90 degrees than 0 degrees, then that means you will typically hit the ground with your club with the heel side of the sole.

Can the lie angle of a golf club be changed?

Using a club bending machine to change the angle on a golf club is among the fastest ways to improve a player's ball flight. Whether it's changing the lie to improve accuracy or changing loft to make sure that the player's clubs are progressively consistent, angle bending is a major factor in club performance.

How do you know if a lie angle is correct?

After you make impact the line will appear on the face. If it's pointing towards the toe, then your club is too upright. If it's pointing towards the heel, then it's too flat. If the line is perpendicular to the grooves on the face, then your lie angle is correct.

Does adjusting loft affect lie angle?

As you change the loft and the face angle, you will also change the lie unless there is a separate setting to alter the lie independently of loft.

Does 1 degree upright make a difference?

Yes it will make a difference, I play 2 degree upright and +1/2. If your hitting the ball left all the while (I am guessing your right handed) won't be to do with having the lye angle to flat.

How much does 1 degree of loft affect distance?

The distance difference between clubs is created equally by the increments in club length and loft angle. The calculations here are based on 1/2″ club length difference = 5 yards distance difference and every 4° loft angle difference = 5 yards distance difference.

Feedback

You are correct, you would need a flatter lie with longer clubs. But no way to know if it's 1* per 1/2 inch. Best bet is to get checked on a lie board. It also depends on brand of clubs. One companies standard may not be the same as others.

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How about if you order a set of new clubs +1/2", standard lie. Does the manufacturer take the extra length into account with respect to lie? Or do you need to order 1* flat because your increasing shaft length. It would seem to me that the manufacturer would make the club standard lie with respect to the length.

Feedback

Your premise seems to be accurate, theoretically: the general rule is: as clubs get longer, the lie gets flatter. In other words, a wedge that is 36" inches long has a more upright lie than a driver with a 45" ( or more ) shaft.

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What happens if the lie angle of your golf clubs is ill-suited to you?

When the lie angle of your clubs is wrong for your swing or body type, you can put a great swing on the ball and still have problems with accuracy. Poorly fitting lie angles create pushes and pulls and other mishits.

What is the lie angle of a golf club?

The "lie angle" of any golf club is the angle formed between the center of the shaft and the sole, or ground line, of the club when the club is soled in its proper ...

What does it mean when your divots are deeper on the toe side than the heel side?

If your divots are deeper on the toe side than the heel side (toe down, heel up at impact) or deeper on the heel side than the toe side (toe up, heel down at impact), that's a sign your lie angles might be too flat or too upright.

What is the lie angle on a 9 iron?

Upright lie angle: A lie angle that is higher than the standard lie angle (a 66-degree lie angle on a 9-iron is more upright than the standard 9-iron lie angle of around 64 degrees). You might hear a golfer (or clubfitter) saying things such as, "You need flatter lie angles on your irons," or "I had my irons bent 1-degree upright.".

Why is a proper lie angle important?

Proper Lie Angle Is More Important in Irons Than in Woods. Don't misunderstand: Lie angle is an important factor in all golf clubs, even the putter. But having improperly fit lie angles causes more problems in irons than in the woods.

What is lie angle?

Lie angle is a factor that affects the accuracy of golf shots. Golfers who use clubs whose lie angles don't fit their body types and/or golf swings are costing themselves strokes. Matching the lie angle of clubs to the specific golfer is one of the goals of a clubfitting session.

What does it mean when your toe is up at impact?

A toe-up position at impact indicates that your lie angle might be too upright; a toe-down position (meaning the club's heel is higher than the toe) at impact indicates that your lie angle might be too flat.

How does lengthening a shaft affect swing?

Timing and Feel. In many ways, the biggest effect of lengthening a club shaft is how it affects your ability to swing the club. The combined changes in length and swing weight make the club feel different. In turn, these changes will affect your timing and even your mechanics, perhaps without you even realizing it.

What does swing weight mean?

Swing Weight. Swing weight isn't an actual weight so much as a comparison of the difference in weight between the club head and the butt end of the shaft. It's expressed as a letter-number combination, such as C9 or D2. Lengthening the shaft increases the swing weight, which makes the club head feel heavier. It may even make the club too heavy ...

Can you add extenders to your golf shaft?

You may add extenders to your existing shafts or you may replace your existing shafts with longer ones. The effects can be very different. Tom Wishon has written extensively about the effects of changing shafts in "The Golfsmith Practical Clubfitting Program" guide.

Does lengthening the shaft make the club head heavier?

Lengthening the shaft increases the swing weight, which makes the club head feel heavier. It may even make the club too heavy for you, which will slow down your swing speed and actually reduce your distance.

Does lengthening a golf club shaft affect accuracy?

Accuracy. As a general rule, lengthening any club's shaft will reduce your accuracy with that club. The longer the club, the more difficult it becomes to hit the ball solidly. This is especially true when the ball is on the ground rather than on a tee, since hitting the ball fat is more likely.

Is shaft length a factor?

Shaft length is certainly a factor in how far you hit a given club. However, some clubs benefit more than others. Installing longer shafts in wedges and short irons will almost always result in more distance, as most players have little trouble swinging the shorter clubs.

Do golf clubs have longer shafts?

Effects of Lengthening a Golf Club Shaft. Tall players like Bubba Watson have to use longer shafts in all of their clubs. Most players consider using longer shafts in their clubs at some time or another, believing that longer shafts equal more distance, although that isn't necessarily true. There are two ways to lengthen your shafts.

Why does lie angle matter?

Lie angle matters because it impacts the direction that the clubface is pointing at the moment of impact. If your lie angles are way off, it’s going to be hard to hit the ball accurately. And, if you do manage to hit the ball accurately, you’ll need to make some adjustments or compensations to make it happen.

What does it mean when your golf club is too flat?

Too upright would mean that the lie angle is too steep for your personal needs, while too flat would mean the lie angle is too shallow.

What is the right lie angle?

The right lie angle for you is going to depend on a number of factors. First, it is often the case that tall players need more upright clubs, while shorter golfers need their clubs built a bit flatter. That’s not a hard and fast rule, but it’s a good place to start. Also, the dynamics of your swing will play a role here, ...

What is the best angle for a pitching wedge?

Why is Lie Angle Actually Important? 1 A common lie angle for a pitching wedge is 64*. If that happens to be a good fit for your game and your swing, you’ll be in good shape. However, for many players, that is going to be either too upright or too flat. 2 It that’s too upright for you, the toe of the club is going to be up in the air at impact, while the heel digs into the turf. This is a problem because the clubface will be effectively shut at impact, and the ball will likely go left. Even if you make a good swing, the result may not be what you want because of the lie angle. 3 On the other hand, if that 64* angle is too flat, the heel will be off the ground at impact and the toe will dig in. This is going to typically lead to misses to the right of the target.

What is the lie angle of a golf club?

It's always an acute angle, less than 90 degrees. The lie angle dictates, in part, where your hands will be positioned on the golf club, relative to the ground, at address.

What does it mean when your golf club is lying?

Well, you need to know how lie angle can affect ball flight. If your lie angle is too upright, typically meaning that it's closer to 90 degrees than 0 degrees, then that means you will typically hit the ground with your club with the heel side of the sole.

What does it mean when your golf club is on the toe side of the sole?

If your lie angle is too flat, typically meaning it' s closer to 0 degrees than 90 degrees, then that means you will typically hit the ground with your club with the toe side of the sole. Hitting the ground with the toe of the sole means you're hitting with an open face, leading to a fade or a slice, meaning the ball will sail well right ...

What does it mean when you hit the ground with the heel of your sole?

Hitting the ground with the heel of the sole means you're hitting with a closed face, leading to a pull or a hook, meaning the ball will sail well left of the intended target. From a visual standpoint, the toe of the golf club will be too much in the air at impact.

What is the lie angle of a golf club?

The lie angle is the angle between the sole of the club and shaft. If the toe is down at impact, the lie angle would be considered flat. A toe up condition would be considered upright. An ideal lie angle would have the sole of the club parallel with the ground at impact. Now that we understand what the lie angle is, ...

What is the lie angle of a soft forged golf club?

Keep in mind that every manufacturer has their own standard lie angle. The standard lie angle between manufacturers could be up to 2.5 degrees different.

What to do if you don't have time to perfect your golf swing?

However, if you don’t have the time to perfect your golf swing. You might try adjusting your lie angle to help cover your swing faults.

How far off the pin should you hit the golf ball?

When you consider that you almost never execute a perfect swing, 1 degree off could easily cause you to be in the bunker instead of on the green. If you hit the ball 10 feet left of the pin, your lie angle would cause you to be an extra 6.5 feet left. There are many bunkers that are less then 16.5 feet from the pin.

How far would a shot pulled 10 feet left end up?

With a lie angle 1 degree flatter than it should be, a shot pulled 10 feet left would end up 3.5 feet from the hole for a tap in. When you take this into consideration, it really depends on your swing faults as to how much an incorrect lie angle would help or hurt.

Is a lie angle incorrect?

The first thing to know is that lie angle being incorrect is the most important on clubs with more loft. The more loft a club has, the more magnified an incorrect lie angle will be when it comes to the direction of your golf ball. A 3 iron will be much less offline than a PW with the same lie angle. Let’s take a real world example based on an ...

Does lie angle affect direction?

Yes, Lie Angle Affects Direction. Everything about the golf swing eventually comes down to one question. Did my golf ball go where I wanted it to? Let’s talk about how much affect lie angle has on the direction of your golf ball.

Why is it important to have clubs with the right lie angle?

However, if your equipment is always working against you, you will constantly be fighting your golf swing on the course. This is no fun and leads to lots of frustration during your rounds.

What happens if you have a wrong lie angle?

If you have the wrong lie angle on your golf clubs, you will struggle with making solid, consistent contact. In fact, an improper lie angle can force you into making negative compensations in your swing to make solid contact. This will eventually turn into bad habits. Golf is hard enough as it is, so you don’t want your equipment working ...

What happens if the ink is angled toward the heel of the clubface?

If the ink is angled toward the toe of your clubface, the club you are using has too much of an upright lie angle. Conversely, if the ink points toward the heel of the clubface, the lie angle is too flat for your swing.

What is an upright lie angle?

An upright lie angle is when the toe of the club is up off the ground. Though it depends more on the golfer’s individual swing, their overall height plays a role. As a general rule of thumb, taller golfers usually need a tad bit more of an upright lie in their irons.

Why does my club toe not touch the ground?

On the other hand, if you are playing with golf clubs with too much of an upright lie angle , the toe of your club will not even touch the ground at impact. The club toe will often be pointed slightly up at impact, and the heel may hit off the ground. This will lead to lots of mishits like hooks and pulls (and lots of time looking for your ball in the woods) because the clubface becomes too shut at impact.

How to tell if your golf club is too flat?

You may also notice that the heel of your golf club will never touch the ground if the lie angle is too flat .

How to tell what angle you need for a golf ball?

Another decent way to tell what type of lie angle you need is simply using a magic marker. Take the marker and draw a straight line on the back of the golf ball. Make sure that line faces the center of your club and hits the ball. Look down at your clubface and study where the ink is on it.

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