'Lie' your way to a lower score

You’ve all probably heard that lie angle affects direction.

What you may not know is how far off-line your shots actually go with the wrong lie angle, and why your wedges may need to be less upright relative to the rest of your irons.

To make sure we’re all on the same page let’s start with a quick explanation.

Lie angle is defined as the angle between the shaft and the sole of the club.

The angle varies throughout the set to accommodate the varied shaft lengths.

If your lie angle matches your swing the sole of the club will be flat, or level with the ground at impact, giving you the best chance to hit straight shots.

If the lie angle is too flat for the swing (toe digging in the ground) the ball will go right, and if it’s too upright (heel hitting ground first) the ball goes left.

The only way to know for sure is to be tested using a lie board, which can be done with your local PGA Professional.

The chart on the right illustrates the effect lie has on direction.

Reflection of the impact of lie angle on ball flight direction.

Now let’s give this some real-life meaning.

A 6-iron that is 2-degrees too flat or upright will start 1.15 degrees off-line and end up 9.7 yards off-line on a 160-yard carry.

Note that the greater the distance, the greater the amount off-line will be, so if you carry your 6 iron 180 yards you can expect another 3 to 5 yards off-line.

Let’s take a look at the sand wedge; notice that it will go farther off line even though the carry distance is 60 yards less.

This is because loft increases the influence of a misfit lie angle, and is one of the reasons why you may miss your wedge shots to the left or right more than the rest of your clubs.

Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of lie angle and the importance of making sure your clubs have the correct lie for your swing.

If you have doubts or want to confirm your clubs are right, your PGA Professional can help.

Talk to your Pro today and they can help you find out if your clubs have the right loft and lie.