March 16, 2001, Newsletter Issue #33: Golf clubs have Loft and Lie

Tip of the Week

Loft and Lie and what they mean to your golf game


Last issue we learned to properly size or at least test for
proper size of our golf clubs for a good fit. We learned a
new term called the reference club. I`m sure you all thought
5 iron as soon as you read it. Well done. As we closed the
last newsletter, I briefly mentioned that our standard
reference club has a length of 38 inches and it has a "Lie
angle" of 60 degrees. It also has a loft angle of 28
degrees. Does it sound complex. The truth is it should not,
and after this issue it will not be complex. I hope!

Lets talk about getting the ball in the air. What is the
mechanism that gives a golf ball lift. Take a good look your
putter and your pitching wedge. The putter is pretty flat,
while the wedge is an inclined plane, liken to a ramp. The
angle of this ramp from the front to the back is the angle
of loft. The loft of a typical wedge can vary from 49 degrees to more than 60 degrees. The greater the angle, the greater is the degree of loft and the higher a ball will fly when struck. Some club makers use a different degree of loft then the normal standard for clubs. This can really throw a golfer off his game. He used to use a 5 iron from 170, but with the new clubs he has to hit a 6 iron or a 4 iron depending on if the manufacturer decreased or increased the loft. So the next time you consider buying a set of clubs have the store compare your reference club to its counterpart of the new set.

Last but not least is the Lie angle. The actual number is not really important for you to remember. The relationship it has to your stance and posture is vitally important. If you remember from last issue we learned about club length. Clubs that do not fit our body type can make us distort our normal good posture and / or change the lie of the club at address. When correct the `lie of a club sit flat or level with the center of the clubs bottom touching the ground.

Why is lie so important? A club with a flat lie favors a
straight and square club face at and through impact. When a
club has its toe below center it tends to favor pivoting open to some degree. This can cause a slice side spin to occur, which no one wants. Conversely, having the heel below center can cause the club to close or angle inward. This can cause a hook side spin to occur, which will put you in the woods on the other side of the hole. So do yourself a favor and get your clubs measured and checked for lie.

Here is a quick check for correct `lie angle`. Take your
reference iron and put a strip of light colored tape on the
bottom of it (the club`s flange). Stand on a plywood board
or tape some old newspaper to a mat or the ground. Address a point on the board or newspaper and check for correct posture.

Make 4 or 5 normal swings making contact with the newspaper.
Now take a look at the tape on the bottom of the club. A good lie angle has scuff marks in the middle section. Scuff marks on the heel section tell you the club`s lie is too upright.

Scuff marks on the toe section tell you the club`s lie is
too flat. Don`t worry about too upright or too flat, if the
scuffs marks are not in the center have a club maker check
them out. It could help you avoid a ton of problems and many
unnecessary lessons.

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