Loft and Lie Adjustments

[mickeyo]

How often should you have your iron's loft and lie checked? I would assume that these could get out of whack though extended periods of playing.

[joshtpa]

Once a year I have mine checked.

[chingali]

There are quite a few variables to be considered when answering this question so I'll go through each of them one at a time.

Material and manufacturing process
If your clubs are forged stainless steel then the answer is simple, get them checked/adjusted when you first purchase them and don't worry about it again unless something appears to be very wrong as in most cases cast stainless won't shift specs over their lifetime. If your clubs are forged mild steel then you'll need them checked when you purchase them, then if you play and practice a LOT get them checked after three months and then six. If they don't move during this time then again unless something appears really out of order once a year should be more than sufficient.

How often do you play and practice?
Pretty simple really, the more often you play the more often you should check.

Problem club
Quite often one or two clubs will move in either loft or lie more than others, again it's sometimes dependant on how often you use that club. To give you an example, when I practice more often than not I'll hit a lot of 7 irons and 9 irons and they move around more than clubs I usually don't practice with however my 6 iron has moved a degree or so stronger every time it's been checked despite never being a club I practice with. Sometimes a particular club just gives you problems.

Have the clubs ever been adjusted for loft and/or lie?
People are probably going to argue this one but over the years I have found that if I adjust forged carbon steel irons for either loft or lie, they are much more likely to go out of whack over a shorter period of time than clubs that I have never made adjustments to.

Is the club known to have problems?
Check with your clubfitter if the clubs you have purchased are known to go out of whack quickly - if they have been on the market for a while he'll have dealt with them before. To give you an example, years ago I played Ram Tour Grinds and they were a very soft forging prone to bending out of spec every few months. I went through 3 or 4 sets of them and had the same issues with every single set. On the other hand I have used various Cobra mild steel forgings and never once have any of them had problems. If they are a set that is known to give problems your clubfitter will probably advise you have them checked more often.

So in conclusion, get them checked when you first get them and have them adjusted if they aren't spot on. If you play and practice a fair bit then get them checked after three months then after 6 months. If they move around a bit within this period then you are going to have to check them often, otherwise you won't.