Fitted or standard?

[Clubswinger21]

I've been giving some thought to getting my clubs bent. Something else I've never done. I stand 5'10, with a fairly upright stance. Would I benefit from a degree or 2 upright?

Are your clubs fitted? people say it helps but does it really noticeably change your game for the better ie. distance, playability, accuracy?

[golfchief]

Do you hit the ball just off center toward the toe or heel most of the time? if the answer is yes getting the clubs adjusted should help and those little miss hits become birdie chances if that's important to you.

[Guest]

I too have a similar situation and believe that I might benefit from a +1 or 2 degree adjustment to my irons. Ideally, for both sentimental and cost reasons, I would like to have my current irons bent (if it turns out that I do need a more upright angle), rather than purchase a new set.

Will shops or golf pros bend clubs you already own? I am obviously willing to pay to have this done. The clubs are hand-me-downs, so it is not possible to go back to where they were purchased. I don't know whether the type of club matters but I am playing Ping i3+ black dot irons.

Has anyone done this? Is it worth paying to have the irons bent, or should I think about picking up another set if I do need a different lie angle?

[jorruss]

  Clubswinger21 said:

I've been giving some thought to getting my clubs bent. Something else I've never done. I stand 5'10, with a fairly upright stance. Would I benefit from a degree or 2 upright?

If you are going to spend $500+ on a set of clubs, you owe it to yourself to be fitted. Every player has a different swing and body type. You cannot possibly think that a "standard" set will fit everyone. To play your best you must have a properly fitted set of clubs. A number of years ago I took the time to have a professional clubfitter set up my new irons. The fitter had me hit about 30 or 40 balls with a swing speed meter, a tempo meter and impact tape. Once he had all the data about my swing he needed, he took my off the rack clubs and re-shafted them with the right shafts for my swing speed, tempo and desired ball flight. He bent them to the right loft and lie angle based on my impact condition, and installed grips that were the right size and feel for me. It cost me more than the off the rack price, but the difference was well worth it. Anybody that plays golf for a living will tell you that having properly fitted clubs makes a huge difference. The better player you are, the bigger the benefit. Better players can tell the difference right away if their clubs are not set up right. It's not uncommon for tour players to have their lie angles adjusted by half a degree, to get the right set up. Sergio Garcia's driver loft is 8.6, and he can tell if it's off. I've seen John Daly send back a new 4 iron and have it bent half a degree upright. I even have my putters adjusted to the right lie angle. Take your clubs to a well known, reputable clubfitter and have your clubs adjusted, you won't be sorry!

[allin]

  Clubswinger21 said:

Are your clubs fitted? people say it helps but does it really noticeably change your game for the better ie. distance, playability, accuracy?

Your stance isn't the issue. When you hit the clubs on a lie board if the mark is towards the toe then you may need a more upright lie. Length of the shaft and flex both shaft and tip are factors also.

Yes it makes a difference in your consistency. I feel that when you are playing off uneven lies it is especially noticible. If you push a lot of shots that is often a sign of to flat a lie.

[jorruss]

  allin said:

Your stance isn't the issue. When you hit the clubs on a lie board if the mark is towards the toe then you may need a more upright lie. Length of the shaft and flex both shaft and tip are factors also.

That's correct. The shaft tends to deflect downward at impact. The effect of gravity and your swing does this. To test your lie angle, place a few strips of electrical or masking tape on the sole of your 5 iron, and hit 5 or 6 balls off a piece of 1/4" plywood or some other hard surface. Note where the wear on the tape is. If it's right in the middle, your lie angle is correct. Towards the toe, too flat - towards the heel, too upright.

[Jeepthrills]

  jorruss said:

If you are going to spend $500+ on a set of clubs, you owe it to yourself to be fitted. Every player has a different swing and body type. You cannot possibly think that a "standard" set will fit everyone. To play your best you must have a properly fitted set of clubs.

I agree 100%. I am 6'8" and can't play off the rack. My irons are all 2 degrees up and +1". I play a standard Driver, but I lengthened my 3 wood, hybrids and both wedges by 1-1 1/4". They are all standard lie. My new set was just ordered with the same specs and I will be having my Vokey bent upright. I would like to do the same with the 3 and the hybrids, but I understand that it's not as easy.

[GoFlyers]

  jorruss said:

That's correct. The shaft tends to deflect downward at impact. The effect of gravity and your swing does this. To test your lie angle, place a few strips of electrical or masking tape on the sole of your 5 iron, and hit 5 or 6 balls off a piece of 1/4" plywood or some other hard surface. Note where the wear on the tape is. If it's right in the middle, your lie angle is correct. Towards the toe, too flat - towards the heel, too upright.

The above and what Allin said.

I would add a couple of things. Seeing what clubs needs to be adjusted is really easy. Use a Sharpie on the bottom of your club or the tape idea, both work just fine. Do the test (hitting off of plastic, wood, or a tee mat will work if you use the Sharpie) with all of your irons. I had to tweak only two irons in my set, not all ten. If you want to save a couple of $'s then start with your 6 iron and work your way down to the wedges. Lastly... and prolly should have been first. If your heads are cast they may not be able to be bent. If that is the case then the only way to change your lie angles is by changing the length of your shafts... and that brings up a whole 'nuther list of items...

[FoosIason]

  GoFlyers said:

The above and what Allin said.

that is entirely true. If your clubs are cast and not forged you are taking a huge risk in getting them bent. You generally are not able to bend cast clubs period. Good luck with bending those clubs 2 degrees period. Even two degrees is pretty significant on a forged club.

[niblick]

I say get fitted. I wasn't a believer until I went through the process myself. The biggest difference it's made for me is distance control.

[NEOHMark]

IMHO, you should look at your divots or hit some balls off a lie board. If the divots are triangular in depth - you're either heel down or tow down through impact. Look at the 'dirt line' on your irons - it should be parallel to the scoring lines. If the dirt line goes from 'high toe to low heel', you'd likely benefit from having them adjusted upright. Just the opposite if the dirt line goes from 'high heel to low toe' - adjust flatter.

Fitted - always. Every golfer's swing is unique and if the length and lie combination causes the head to not be parallel to the ground at impact, your shots are GOING to be off line. I'm just a hacker, but saw immediate improvement in my mid and short irons accuracy the instant I had my clubs adjusted to fit me.

[NEOHMark]

  Jeepthrills said:

....My new set was just ordered with the same specs and I will be having my Vokey bent upright. I would like to do the same with the 3 and the hybrids, but I understand that it's not as easy.

Find a club fitter with a Mitchell bending machine with the hybrid fixture. It can be done - I just had a whole set of Adams Idea hybrid irons adjusted 2 degs up and they turned out fine. Newer golf head materials and newer club fitting eq break the old rules of 'cast clubs (and hybrids) can't be bent'. Mitchell's website offers a list of club fitter with their eq.

Mitchell golf

[Thrdroc]

Everyone should get fit for clubs even if they get told after the fitting that off the rack is fine for them. Little things that you learn can really help your game. After getting fit for my clubs, i will get fit every time i want new clubs. It has worked out so well for me.

[Ghost Runner]

My clubs are all off the rack and while I'm comfortable with them I have no doubt that any future purchases will be fitted. It only makes sense.

[wengerlaw]

I am just starting to get serious about golf and recently decided to invest in all new clubs. I am left-handed and stand 6'3", so I didn't want to buy off the rack. However, I also didn't have the time to get custom fit.

I found a good compromise with Golfsmith.com's online custom fitting program. You fill-out a questionnaire online (height, measurements, distance of average drive, etc.) and tell the computer which clubs you are looking to purchase. The computer comes back with recommended shaft flexes, lie angles and grip sizes. The clubs cost the same as off the rack (unless you upgrade the shafts or grips).

Of course, the computer can't take into account the unique aspects of your swing, but my swing is fairly inconsistent right now, so this probably wouldn't have made much difference.

[norcalgolf]

  FoosIason said:

that is entirely true. If your clubs are cast and not forged you are taking a huge risk in getting them bent. You generally are not able to bend cast clubs period. Good luck with bending those clubs 2 degrees period. Even two degrees is pretty significant on a forged club.

Depends on the clubs more than anything. I was able to have my TM LT2s bent 2 degrees upright (It was the taylormade performance van that did it for me), but they said 2 was the limit, 3 would have been too much. (I had heard the same thing from the local shop I use for new grips, etc).

[norcalgolf]

Get fitted :)

Many places will do it for free (assuming you buy). Depending where you live, if they have demo days, you can usually schedule an appointment. I have been fitted 4 times in the past year (trying out different irons, etc). Everyone was fairly consistent which was good to see.

If anything I would recommend getting fitted twice just to confirm. It is not just lie angle, but the shaft flex, the type of shaft, etc.

The biggest improvement for me was finding the right shafts for me. For my irons, I am 2 degree upright, and I see the different. I used to aim to the left a bit for everyone to compensate.

[teebuck911]

fitted all the way, but some clubs ie cast irons can not be oltered so you need to check if you plan to have a certain set of irons altered to fit your swing and set up,