Iron Bending to fix terrible ball flight

[Cesar]

Maybe I'm wrong, but the toe being up at address doesn't necessarily mean the lie angle is wrong, what really matters is during the swing.

That's right, where the club lies at address doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is where the clubface lie angle is at impact. The only way to really do find that out is by using the board/tape fitting.

Clubs that are too upright at impact will tend to cause a pull tendancy while the opposite is true for clubs that are too flat.

[bunkerputt]

I've played in Hilton Head and at courses around here that have Zozia fairways "I couldn't spell that if my life depended on it". From what I remember it seemed like it was sitting up better, teed up almost.

I've never gotten to play on anything but bermuda. Occasionally I'll run into some St. Augustine on the tee-box and a lot of courses seed with winter rye during the winter months, but I haven't found that I strike the ball better on any particular kind of grass. Now I do get better feel and rhythm for impact when the ground is soft and the divot doesn't deflect the shaft 3 feet followed by rupturing a wrist tendon, but I haven't noticed that it affects the contact portion of the swing. David Feherty said talking about a tight fairway lie a few weeks ago, "This is the kind of lie pros love and amateurs hate." I tend to think something like this is going on in this thread. Lie angle problems don't cause serious misses left or right like the kind most people describe when they refer to a miss.

[Dub]

If you decide to get them adjusted and don't have anyone in mind to do so then I recomend you give Pete, Steve or Leigh a call at U.S.Golf on Bobby Jones Expressway in Augusta. (706) 855-5153...I believe their hours are 9-6 on weekdays...not sure about Saturday hours.


Your symtoms sound very, very close to what happened to me on my first range session with my current irons. They were fitted to me, board, tape, etc. They are a bit more upright and longer than my previous irons.

First dozen balls I hit went left. I was getting peeved. I thought about how it reminded me of hitting my hybrids the first few times....best results were found when I stood just slightly closer to the ball.

I made the same set-up adjustment with the irons....and the flight straightened out nicely as well as the trajectory going higher.

Good luck with the sticks....I know that it's aggravating when things take an unexplained turn in our games.


The Aiken course is pretty neat. Those greens can be unreal tough when they get fast....probably some of the toughest bermuda greens in the area. Cedar Creek is a cool track in your area. I've not played there in a few years, not sure of the current condition....but I'll bet it's pretty decent.

[CJL]

Thank you all for your input! I think what I'm going to do is play this weekend, make minor adjustments to my set up, and see what the results are. I figure I might as well seen as it'll take a day to get the clubs bent anyway. They can do that while I'm at work during the week. The weekend is made for golf . If I'm still hooking balls Saturday and Sunday, I'm headed to US Golf as soon as possible.

[Dub]

Good luck and hit 'em good. Stay in the shortgrass!!!!!!!!


We played this morning at 10:00am....overcast the entire round which was a pleasant break from the sun....but it was humid and hot.

I'll bet I've drunk a gallon of water on the course each round this month. Three musts down here right now:

1. plenty of water
2. sunscreen
3. extra golf gloves

Wishing I was playing this weekend as well but I'm working. It's been great playing these last few days, though. Funny thing is my game started off better and then got worse during the week.

[CJL]

Water, sunscreen, and extra gloves are an absolute definite down here. I'm always well equipped with all of the above! I played a round with some guys a few weeks ago who drank beers the entire round. They must have each had four or five. I've got nothing against drinking beers on the course (even though I wait til after the round for beers ) but I can't see how they do it. I have to drink a TON of water on the course just to stay somewhat hydrated. It truly is a different game down here from upstate NY.

[WUTiger]

CJL,

Any chance you have started crouching more in your swing? This might cause you to catch the heel of the club and draw/hook the ball.

I went to a golf clinic a couple of years ago, and the instructor showed me that I was crouching too much. Often this threw my balance off and keeping me from moving through the ball fully.

When I switched clubs back in 1994, I got irons with a 2 degrees flat lie, because I had trouble hooking the ball with standard clubs. As I redid my swing recently to stand more upright, I started hitting the flat-lie irons toward the toe end of the club, and pushing most iron shots.

My X20s I got this spring are standard lie, and I hit the ball pretty straight on decent swings.

Also be aware that some types of irons can be bent more than others, and any major bending weakens the metal. If you definitely have changed your swing plane, you might want to swap irons and get a set manufactured with a flatter lie.

[ks8829]

If you have your old set of clubs go to the range and see if you hit the ball the same way as your new irons and you can eliminate whether the clubs or your swing is the problem, my quess is it's your golf swing.

[CJL]

I don't have my old set of clubs, as I sold them to a friend in NY. I will investigate the crouching thing this weekend.

[flanagan]

Given your concern, I disagree with your approach.

If your lie angle needs adjusting and you are going to make swing "adjustments" and see what happens this weekend, you may work yourself into an unnecessary compensation in your swing that will not be good for you. All you may accomplish is a swing change that results in good contact with improperly fitting clubs.

Check the lies and do it under the eye of someone that is also checking your swing. A few minutes out of your weekend made for golf can include checking the lie angle on your clubs.