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is golf club lie angle as important when you get down to wedges

by Trey Carter III Published 1 year ago Updated 1 year ago

While lie angle is a very important factor in iron and wedge fittings, it can have some bearing in drivers (and woods) as well, although historically, adjusting the lie angle in these clubs was always much more complicated (or impossible!) than in an iron, where the metal can be adjusted via bending.

Having the correct lie angle on your irons and wedges is vitally important when it comes to consistent ball-striking and accuracy. For those who need a refresher, “lie angle” is the angle that's created between the shaft and ground line when the club is in the playing position.Feb 20, 2020

Full Answer

How important is the lie angle on a golf club?

"The greater the loft on the face of the clubhead, the more off-line the face will point when the lie angle is not correct for the golfer," Wishon explains. "Thus, the lie angle is much more important to be fit to the golfer in the irons than it is in the woods, since irons have a little to a lot more loft than do woods."

Are wedges too upright for Your lie angle?

During a recent interview on GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast, the wedge guru pointed out that while most wedges sitting on retail racks have upright lie angles, the elite players you see on television every week are playing scoring clubs with a decidedly flatter lie angle. “Wedges are typically too upright and fit for full swing,” Sieckmann said.

Is Your lie angle correct on your Irons?

Not everyone has access to these systems, and there is actually an easy way to measure if your lie angle is correct on your irons. All you need is a marker. Draw a straight line on the back of the golf ball, and have it facing the clubhead. After you make impact the line will appear on the face.

What happens if you don’t Adjust Your lie angle correctly?

There are only two scenarios that occur when your lie angle is not adjusted properly for your swing. The club is too upright, and the toe is not making contact with the ground at impact. The club is too flat, and the heel is not making contact with the ground at impact.

Should my wedge lie angles be the same as my irons?

The vast majority of amateur golfers should have wedges with the same lie angle as their irons to give consistent feel and results. Alongside matching iron and wedge shafts and club lengths, this produces better loft and distance gapping between your clubs which is critical for short game shots.

What lie angle should my wedges be?

So generally think about putting in a gap wedge that's 48 or 50 degrees, a sand wedge that's between 54 and 56 degrees, and a lob wedge that's between 58 and 60 degrees. These are general guidelines, make sure you're working with your fitter to get the gapping that works best for you. 3.

What lie angle should my golf clubs be?

Lie angle is the angle the club shaft makes with the ground when you HIT the ball and your club head is parallel with the ground....Determining and Selecting Your Lie Angle.IronsStandard Lie Angle156.0 deg257.0 deg358.0 deg459.0 deg7 more rows

Does 1 degree lie angle make 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.

What happens if lie angle is too upright?

If your lie angle is too upright, then you will tend to hook the ball. It can even cause you to develop swing compensations to correct for it, preventing you from ever developing a consistent, repeatable, and powerful swing.

What lie angle do most pros use?

Lie angles almost always range from the mid-50 degrees (in drivers) to the mid-60 degrees (in short irons). In irons, the range is typically from 59 or 60 degrees to around 64 degrees.

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.

Should I adjust my lie angle?

Simply put, having the correct lie angle can make you a more accurate golfer. For every degree your clubs are off in lie angle, it can cause your shots to travel four yards off your intended target line.

Does lie angle affect distance?

On average, our testers were 3 yards closer to their target with their best fit lie angle. That's the difference between a birdie putt inside 10 feet and one that's closer to 20. Bonus myth: do more upright clubs produce shots that go further left?

Does flattening lie affect loft?

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.

Does lengthening a golf club change the lie angle?

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.

Do tall golfers need upright lie angle?

Tall players will benefit from a more upright lie angle. If your club is too flat, the ball will pull to the left (known as a hook). So you'll want to check that the angle between the shaft and the ground is larger than it should be, making the club shaft more upright compared to the ground.

What is the standard lie for a sand wedge?

54º – 58ºWhat degree is a Sand Wedge? A sand wedge has a loft of 54º – 58º. A wedge with more than 58º degrees of loft is usually called a lob wedge. Golfers tend to hit a sand wedge 60 – 80 yards.

What is the lie angle of a pitching wedge?

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.

What Is Lie Angle In Golf Clubs And Why Is It Important?

Your lie angle of your clubs can directly impact your distance, accuracy, shot shape and consistency. I believe lie angles are the most overlooked aspect of your golf clubs.

What Exactly Is Lie Angle?

Lie angle is the angle between the shaft and the ground when the club is measured in normal playing position with the center of the sole touching the ground.

How Does It Affect Your Shots?

If your lie angles are too flat, the toe of the club will be down at impact, making contact with the ground, this will open the face and cause the ball to start slightly right and have a fading shape.

What Lie Angle Should My Irons Be?

Your lie angle will match your swing. Each set of clubs has a standard lie angle, depending on how you deliver the club at impact will determine what lie angle you should have.

Cast Irons

Irons that are made from cast steel are harder to bend, the molding process doesn’t allow much movement of the material.

Forged Irons

On the other hand forged irons aren’t made from a mold, and rather forged into position from a press.

Should Wedge Lie Match Irons?

Not necessarily, again it comes down to how you deliver the club into the ball. For example, I have all my irons upright, but I have my wedges flat.

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 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.

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 ...

Why is it important to get the lie angle of your wedges and irons correct?

Overall it is more important to get the lie angle of your wedges and irons correct compared to woods. This is due to the fact they have more loft. The more loft there is on the club-face the more offline the face will point for each degree the lie angle is incorrect.

What is the lie angle of a golf club?

Lie angle is the angle between the shaft of the club and the ground when the club arrives at impact parallel to the ground. The lie angle is known as ‘too upright’ when the toe of the club is lifted too high above the ground. This will cause the heel to strike the turf first, shutting the club-face and sending the ball to the left.

What does it mean when your divots are too flat?

Your divots can therefore give clues about if your lie angle is incorrect. If your divots are deeper in the toe it is likely they are too flat compared to divots which are deeper in the heel which would indicate an upright lie angle.

What is the lie angle of a 7 iron?

For example Titleist’s lie angle for a seven iron is 63° compared to 62° in the same Ping iron.

What happens when the heel is too high?

Oppositely a ‘too flat’ club has the heel too high causing the toe to dig into the ground. This opens the clubface sending the ball to the right. Your divots can therefore give clues about if your lie angle is incorrect.

What is the lie angle on a golf club?

For those who need a refresher, “lie angle” is the angle that’s created between the shaft and ground line when the club is in the playing position.

Why does my toe get into the ground when I shoot a wedge?

With less force being imparted on the shaft during a wedge shot, there’s not nearly as much shaft droop occurring , which causes the toe to get into the ground. Without the same force and shaft droop, it makes sense to at least consider the idea of going to a flatter lie angle, particularly in the lob wedge.

What happens if your golf club isn't flush with the turf?

If the sole of your club isn’t flush with the turf, there’s a pretty good chance you’re playing a set of misfit clubs — and if that’s the case, it really doesn’t matter how good a swing you put on the ball. You’re going to be constantly frustrated with the results as the ball finds the heel or toe with regularity.

Can you stick to the same lie angle across the board?

While getting properly fit for a set of clubs can lead to more consistency and lower scores, there are times when you don’t always want to stick with the same lie angle across the board. Wedges.

What is the lie angle of a golf club?

Lie angle is defined as the angle between the shaft and the ground line when the club is measured in normal playing position with the center of the sole touching the ground line. The most important thing about measuring lie angle for each particular golfer is how the club is interacting with the ground at impact.

What happens when the angle of the club is not adjusted properly?

There are only two scenarios that occur when your lie angle is not adjusted properly for your swing. The club is too upright, and the toe is not making contact with the ground at impact. The club is too flat, and the heel is not making contact with the ground at impact.

What is the lie angle on irons?

Lie angle is one of the most important, if not THE most important thing to get right when you buy a set of irons. Each manufacturer has a different spec for the lie angle on their clubs, and a majority of golfers never get them adjusted for their particular swing.

Why is the lie angle important?

Wrapping it up. To briefly summarize, the lie angle of your irons is extremely important because it will greatly affect the initial direction of your shots. Not all irons are created equal, and most players are using irons that likely do not have the right specifications for their swing.

How far off the target line does the ball travel?

For every degree that your lie angle is either too upright or flat, the ball will initially travel 4 yards off your intended target line. Some players have lie angles that are as much as 2-3 degrees off, which means they are making things very difficult for themselves on approach shots!

Do golfers get adjustments when buying irons?

When golfers buy a new set of irons they don’ t usually get any kind of adjustments made , most notably their lie angle. They incorrectly assume what they are buying is right for them. Today I want to talk about one of the most important things players are overlooking when they purchase an iron set. If this specification is not adjusted properly ...

Is there a standard for lie angle on 7 irons?

There is no standard. Showing up to the store and buying irons off the shelf without testing out the lie angle is a coin flip, because there is no standard for lie angle in the golf industry. I went to the websites of some of the most popular manufactures and got the standard lie angles for 7-irons; here are the results:

WATCH: The importance of proper lie angles on your wedges

We are always told to make sure we get custom fit for irons, even if it’s just a simple loft and lie adjustment. But what about wedges? Do they need to be custom fit, or is it OK to buy them off the rack?

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Why is a lie angle important in golf?

Lie angle is the most important component in irons and wedges that will determine how well you hit and how fast you will improve your game.

How often should you check your golf club lie angle?

So you should always check you lie angle first on your iron and wedges. We recommend getting checked at least once a year but could be more frequent when going through swing changes or club changes. Here is how a lie fitting procedure usually goes: Choose a club head that you like to play.

How to tell if you have an incorrect lie angle?

Symptoms of incorrect lie angle: Let’s say the green mark is where you see your wear mark on the sole of your irons or wedges. Lie is too flat or you are closing your face too much. A good club fitter will be able to tell you if it is a lie issue or a over rotation of the club head during the swing. When you see the wear mark on the heel, the lie ...

What happens when you practice with a wrong lie angle?

When you are practicing with a wrong lie angle, you end of getting use to bad habits. If irons are too flat, ball should go high right but when you practice hard to make it go straighter, you compensate for the incorrect lie by shutting the face to make it go straighter but not very efficient ball striking. When you have a proper lie, your ball ...

What does it mean when you see a wear mark on your heel?

When you see the wear mark on the heel, the lie angle is too upright. In both cases (toe and heel) you are not getting the nice feel when you get when you hit the sweet spot (unless the ball is teed up, sitting up on the grass or hitting from a ball above or below your feet.)

What happens if you lie too upright?

Basic theory: If lie is too upright, ball will go left (for righthanded golfers ) and if lie is too flat, ball will go right. Golfers who have never checked his/her lie angle goes out to practice and work on compensating with their swing for the incorrect lie angle. (i.e.

Can you hit the ball left or right?

You may still hit the ball left or right but now you can focus on your swing since it is now the swing (or other parts of the club like shaft and grip) that may influence ball flight. Always blame the club spec first and if all looks good, it is your swing.

What is the lie of a stock wedge?

Most of the stock wedges (50-60 degrees) have a lie of 64. In many cases the lies for the 9I thru LW have the same lie. Usually 64. Do most bend ALL their irons the same up/down degree throughout the set. I've typically, go +2 or 3 up to 5-9/PW and go +1 or 2 up for wedges.

Why is toe up and toe down important?

This toe up or toe down thing is one of the most important fitting variables in wedges because the greater the loft angle (all the wedges), the greater the ball misdirection control when the lie angle is not set properly for the golfer.".

Do skilled players use wedges?

Skilled players are more likely to use wedges whose lie angles are the same as their PW rather than more upright despite the fact that wedge shafts are often slightly shorter than even one's PW. The skilled player usually wishes to avoid the "pulled" wedge shot, one which over shoots the target.

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