How important is Lie Angle

[Paiste]

Just curious as to how important lie angle is. Like I`ve mentioned before, I just picked up a set of Scratch EZ-1 irons and they seem to be just right. The only thing that I`ve noticed is that when I`m at address, the toe of the club seems to be a little bit pointing upwards, slightly off of the ground. I don`t think that it`s going to affect me all that much but some people seem to think that it`s a big deal.

[iacas]

Just curious as to how important lie angle is. Like I`ve mentioned before, I just picked up a set of Scratch EZ-1 irons and they seem to be just right. The only thing that I`ve noticed is that when I`m at address, the toe of the club seems to be a little bit pointing upwards, slightly off of the ground. I don`t think that it`s going to affect me all that much but some people seem to think that it`s a big deal.

For the definitive answer… .

Your lie angle at setup is largely unimportant. There's shaft droop during the swing, and most people return their hands higher at impact than they are at setup.

[Nemicu]

Like any club, they either fit the end user or they don't. If they don't match your physique and swing, then you are not making the most out of your equipment. And also like any other club too, the truth is in the results. If you find your shots going one way more often than another, then your lie is wrong. If you are right handed and the toe is up at address, then the chances are the lie is too upright and shots will have a tendency to go left. The shorter irons is where it gets more noticeable. The chances of buying a set of irons and getting them to fit perfectly to your swing and physique are minimal - contrary to whatever you may believe or what any OEM would have you think. Thankfully, forged irons like Scratch are a doodle to alter for loft and lie. If the shafts are too long, short, too heavy, too stiff, too flexible - then you have bigger problems. If you get fit, then you have one less thing to worry about.

[PirateJim]

Altering the lie angle of an iron correctly requires a special tool/machine.  But for someone with the machine the task itself is really easy.  You have a pretty fancy set of irons; I'd immediately find a pro that can test the lie angles on those irons and adjust them as needed.  It'll cost a few bucks, but if you are already sufficiently concerned to be asking here about it, it should give some peace of mind and will make the clubs work even better if the angle is currently off.

[ztexz]

Lie angle is extremely important.  Keep in mind that it doesn't matter what the angle is at address -- it matters what the angle is at impact.  If the lie angle is not correct, you're going to get a lot of lateral spin on the ball -- in other words, it's going to draw or fade more than it should.  As a result, you give up both distance and accuracy.

As a general rule of thumb, each degree of error in the lie angle corresponds to about 5 degrees of error in accuracy.  (The actual number varies based on club and distance.)

You can measure your lie angle really easily: just put some masking tape or painters tape on the sole of your club.  Hit some balls.  Assuming you have a relatively consistent swing, you'll see where the tape gets marked.  It should be pretty much over the center of the club.  If not, it will need to be adjusted (very simple if you have the right machine -- Golf Galaxy or someplace similar can do it in about 4 minutes).

Important: do this for EVERY club in your bag.  We tend to swing our clubs differently, so while you might need to go upright 1* on your PW, maybe your 4 iron needs to go 1* down.

[saevel25]

Lie angle is extremely important.  Keep in mind that it doesn't matter what the angle is at address -- it matters what the angle is at impact.  If the lie angle is not correct, you're going to get a lot of lateral spin on the ball -- in other words, it's going to draw or fade more than it should.  As a result, you give up both distance and accuracy.

As a general rule of thumb, each degree of error in the lie angle corresponds to about 5 degrees of error in accuracy.  (The actual number varies based on club and distance.)

You can measure your lie angle really easily: just put some masking tape or painters tape on the sole of your club.  Hit some balls.  Assuming you have a relatively consistent swing, you'll see where the tape gets marked.  It should be pretty much over the center of the club.  If not, it will need to be adjusted (very simple if you have the right machine -- Golf Galaxy or someplace similar can do it in about 4 minutes).

Important: do this for EVERY club in your bag.  We tend to swing our clubs differently, so while you might need to go upright 1* on your PW, maybe your 4 iron needs to go 1* down.

Really only that important with the shorter irons. Higher the loft the more effect lie angle has on the club. For something like a putter, it hardly matters at all. Some putters on tour putt with the heel up or down, doesn't hurt them. I would say 1 degree wont hurt you at all.

[geauxforbroke]

Easiest thing to do is just hit them on a lie board. There are a ton of DIY ways to do this if you don't want to go to a club fitter. I have a small scrap of plexiglass from when my father built a deer stand and I just put a piece of masking tape on the sole and color most of it in with a dry erase marker. Works just fine when I need to double check lie angle.

[saevel25]

Easiest thing to do is just hit them on a lie board. There are a ton of DIY ways to do this if you don't want to go to a club fitter. I have a small scrap of plexiglass from when my father built a deer stand and I just put a piece of masking tape on the sole and color most of it in with a dry erase marker. Works just fine when I need to double check lie angle.

I'm still kinda the fan of putting a dry erase marker line on the ball. If you have one of those plastic ball line devices were it allows you to draw a straight line, that helps. Though its best to tee up the ball so you can get it as close to vertical as possible. It will give a decent idea if the lie angle is off or not. I never really liked striking a lie angle board

[iacas]

I'm still kinda the fan of putting a dry erase marker line on the ball. If you have one of those plastic ball line devices were it allows you to draw a straight line, that helps. Though its best to tee up the ball so you can get it as close to vertical as possible. It will give a decent idea if the lie angle is off or not. I never really liked striking a lie angle board

In my experience people swing a bit differently when there's a lie board there.

[MS256]

In my experience people swing a bit differently when there's a lie board there.

I get a false reading off of a lie board. I seem to unintentionally adjust my swing to "fit" the board so the mark on the bottom is always in the middle no matter how the lie angle is set.

A better check for me is a vertical line on the ball, hitting the ball off of the turf, and checking the transfer of the line on the club.