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what happens if you have the wrong lie angle on a golf club

by Prof. Carleton Bradtke Jr. Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Bad things can happen to your golf shots. 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.

Having an incorrect lie angle on your golf club can have a huge impact on your ability to hit the ball straight. If your lie angle is too flat, you will tend to slice the ball. If your lie angle is too upright, then you will tend to hook the ball.Feb 15, 2020

Full Answer

Why is my lie angle wrong on my new clubs?

The more loft there is on the club-face the more offline the face will point for each degree the lie angle is incorrect. Getting the lie angle correct when you are fitted for new clubs is key but is also important to have them checked periodically as overuse can cause the lie angle to become bent over time.

Does lie angle matter in golf?

In a word, yes. 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.

Can a lie angle change make your game worse?

Beware though, tall players who hook the ball, and shorter players who slice the ball, may make their problems worse by making a lie angle change, so it's always worth going through the process with a knowledgeable fitter or professional. How far should I adjust my lie angle?

What is an upright lie angle in golf clubs?

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.

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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.

How do I know if my lie angle is wrong?

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.

How does lie angle affect golf club?

For every degree your clubs are off in lie angle, it can cause your shots to travel four yards off your intended target line. If you are not making square contact with the ground, it can throw off your clubface in relation to the target, which causes hooks and slices.

Does golf club lie angle matter?

Why is Lie Angle Actually Important? In a word, yes. 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.

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.

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 lie angle affect ball flight?

Being fit for lie angle is important because it affects the direction and flight of the ball. 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.

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.

Does lie angle affect strike location?

3:336:53Jason has his Day, and how does your lie angle affect strike - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo you can see here I've got the club lying flat to the ground. And if I put this shaft. Right inMoreSo you can see here I've got the club lying flat to the ground. And if I put this shaft. Right in the middle of the club that shaft comes directly back at the camera okay.

Does changing lie angle change loft?

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. Loft changes the ball flight vertically and lie changes the ball flight horizontally.

How do you test a lie angle at home?

9:0011:13HOW TO CHECK LIE ANGLES ANYWHERE - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMaybe putting a piece of tape on it need be putting the line on the wiffle ball. And going throughMoreMaybe putting a piece of tape on it need be putting the line on the wiffle ball. And going through the process you will get the exact same. Results.

Can lie angle be adjusted?

Although lie angle can be adjusted on golf clubs, it is not something you are going to want to have to change back and forth day in and day out.

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.

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 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 is the lie angle of a golf club?

Your lie angle is the angle between the centre of the shaft and the sole of the club , and it’s important as it can affect how your club enters the turf at impact, and consequently, which direction the ball travels in.

What is a perfect lie angle?

A perfect lie angle, commonly referred to as square, is when the sole of your club is parallel with the turf. To find out your current lie angle, most professionals and fitters use a couple of methods; a static fitting and a dynamic fitting.

What happens if you swing with a flatter plane?

In a similar way, if you swing with a flatter swing plane you are more likely to make contact with the heel first, which can cause hooks. Continues below. Collapse 10 Things That Could Be Wrong With Your Golf Gear.

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.

How to know if you stand at address?

It's also important to know how you stand at address (more upright or flat), your height (taller players tend to stand more upright, but not universally) and the distance from your hands at address to the ground with your clubs.

What is lie angle?

WHAT IS IT? Lie angle is the angle created between the center of the shaft and ground when you put your iron down in the address position. If you have the proper lie angle, the center of the sole will rest squarely on the ground when you put the club down behind the ball.

How does lie angle work?

HOW IT WORKS. 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. If you are not making square contact with the ground, it can throw off your clubface in relation to the target, ...

What does it mean when your line is slanted toward the toe?

If the line is near the middle of the face but slanted toward the toe, then your lie angle is too upright and the toe is up at impact. This is an easy way to check your lie angle at home. Most clubs can be adjusted by a pro shop to match what you need.

What does it mean when your golf line is straight up and down?

If the line is straight up and down in the middle of the club face, then your lie angle and swing are right on target. If the line is near the middle of the face but the line is slanted toward the heel, then your lie angle is too flat and the toe is down at impact.

What happens if you don't make square contact with the ground?

If you are not making square contact with the ground, it can throw off your clubface in relation to the target, which causes hooks and slices. If your clubs are too upright, then the toe will not make contact with the ground at impact and your shots will travel left of your target.

Can you use the PING color code on golf clubs?

You can also use the PING Color Code chart to match your height and wrist-to-floor measurement, but because there is no standard lie angle across all club makers, it may not always translate to every iron. There is one easy test you can do at home and all you need is a marker, some golf balls, and your irons.

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.

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 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.

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 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 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 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.

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