If you are a weekend warrior golfer, then I am sure you had these thoughts: "I don't play enough golf to get fitted." "At my skill level, fitting isn't going to fix anything." "It is too expensive to get fit and order custom clubs." While these thoughts have crossed the minds of many, they are untrue. Every golfer ranging from the person who plays a handful of times per yer to the person who plays three times per week can benefit from properly fitted equipment. There are many misconceptions about club fitting and I want to help justify its importance. Today I am going to focus on just one aspect of the club fitting process and that is the lie angle. 20 years ago, if you wanted to buy a set of irons, you would go to the store and pick a set off the shelf and head to the links. This is not the case anymore.
One of the biggest factors in getting fit, is to have a proper lie angle fitted to you. Do you find that almost every time you feel like you hit a shot solid, it seems to hook more than you would like? If so, you could very well need irons that have a flat lie angle. If you find yourself noticing that when you make good contact, the ball drifts into a slice then you may very well need some irons with an upright lie angle. From the above image you are able to see the differences if your lie angle is off. You may buy a set with a standard lie angle, but based n how you swing yo may have the heel of the club impacting the ground the most or the toe of the club. If this is the case, you need to get properly fit so that you can start seeing the ball taking a straight flight!
There are varying degrees of how flat or upright you need to produce a straight shot and figuring this out during a fitting session is not that hard. I recommend going through a fitting session with your local PGA Professional even if you do not need new equipment. A fitting session is not that long, generally about 30 minutes for your irons and it is possible that if your clubs are not properly fitted, they can be adjusted to the proper specifications without investing in a new set.
The image above shows the most common way that PGA Professionals fit for lie angle. Most companies provide fitting tape that is similar to the Callaway ones shown above. One sticker goes on the face to show where contact on the club face is taking place. The second sticker goes on the sole of the club and shows where the sole of the club is making contact with the ground. A plastic board about the size of a clipboard and called a lie board is used to hit golf balls off of. This helps show the impact of the sole with the ground. Normally, a handful of shots are requested, so that the Professional is able to take an average and get a good sense of where the swings that made good contact were contacting the tape. Based on these variables, the Professional is able to recommend what specifications will work best for you to achieve the straightest ball flight.
Fitting can easily help your game. Please take the time to contact your local PGA Professional and get fitted!
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