The last few weeks, we discussed the fitting protocol, and the importance of fitting the areas with the least variability first. Progress through the variables one by one; tackling the remaining variable that has the least amount of variability next. Doing so makes it easier to address the ones with more variability since the amount of variability will decrease each time you finish another variable ahead of it. Think of it like a jigsaw puzzle. Would you dump 1000 pieces on the dining room table and start looking for matches?? Haha. I hope not. You start with the edges (because you know they go on the outside). Once that’s done, you work your way in. We are doing the same thing with a club fitting.

Once you have the head, loft, shaft flex and shaft type dialed in, you can move on to fine tuning. For irons, this could be the lie angle of the club. Ask yourself “why would he wait until this point in the process to look at lie angle?” Hmmm. Each shaft and each length will cause the shaft to bend uniquely. If you fit it in the beginning, you will have to re-fit it once you come up with a head/ shaft/ length combination. If you are more comfortable fitting with a correct lie head throughout the process, go for it – keep in mind that the lie may change as you adjust other things (head, flex, shaft, length), so fitting it at the beginning can make it incorrect with changes. 

Lie is a way to correct the way the sole interacts with the turf. You want the sole to hit the turf square (level), and lie angle is the tool for that. It will have a determination on the initial start line of the shot, and it will make it easier for a shot to curve one way or the other depending on which way you need to go. I do NOT use lie to correct for hit location. Changing the lie WILL change hit location (another reason I do it at the end). Suppose a player fits to a STD Lie on a lie board (or a line on face tape, or on your launch monitor), but his impact is consistently off center. So you move the head up or flat to move the impact point. Now the sole digs on the toe or the heel, but the mark is centered. Which is better? Being soled level at impact or a mark closer to center? My opinion? The impact off the center is a swing issue and should be corrected that way. Keep the sole level at impact for your best results.

Can you fit a driver with lie too?? With a Callaway Driver, you can!! The Opti-fit hosel has a “D” setting. This setting should be a “U”, since it moves the head about 1* Upright. It will start the shot a little left of the intended starting line. Take a look at the driver head lofts in your Callaway Flip Book as you embark on this pathway. The standard Paradym Driver and the Triple diamond Driver are both 57*, while the Paradym X is 60*. Interesting to note that not all of the drivers are the same lie. This means that the Paradym X, even though it doesn’t have an external weight in the heel or a sliding weight, (it does have a weight pad inside the head), will be very anti-right due to it’s upright lie angle – much more so than the Standard Paradym head with the slider set to max D and the hosel set to “D”. Just food for thought.

Contrast this with the Rogue MAX ST line. The MAX and MAX D were BOTH 60* lie angle, while the MAX LS and the Triple Diamond were both 57*. For reference, the Great Big Bertha and the Big Bertha 21 are both 60* lie angle as well. The takeaway here is that the Paradym driver is a players golf club. It’s designed to play very neutral. The 57* lie angle is testament to that. It is much more of a players club the the Rogue MAX was last year. We said we split the Rogue Max LS from last year into 2 clubs this year – Standard Paradym and Paradym Triple Diamond. I hope you can see now how this makes sense. 

Enough with lie. Let’s chat some more about the Opti-fit hosel. It will also adjust the loft in the event you need to fine tune. It will go 1* strong, stated loft, 1* weak, and 2* weak. Doing so will have an effect on the squareness of the face as well. In a normal loft/lie machine bend, for each degree of loft you add or take away, it will open or close the face the same amount (1* stronger will OPEN the face 1*, 1* weaker will close the face 1*). It will also change the bounce of the club, but that is a different story for a different day. In our case, we use a 2 cog system, so the loft and lie can be isolated – almost… Making 1* strong will only make the face 1/4* open, and vice-versa with adding loft. SO… let’s say you have a player who needs a 10.5* loft head with his driver. He misses a little to the right, so you try the “D” setting. Better!! but not quite there. If you drop him to a 9* head and add 2* on the hosel, you can have him at 11*, 1* Upright, and 1/2* closed (D/+2). Tinker with the slider and you might just be able to find what you need without going to a draw biased head that he will probably start to hook. Keep in mind that if you change the loft on the head, you are essentially back to stage 1 of the fitting process. Launch angle will change by a half degree or so, spin will be reduced with a lower loft head, and it may be a little less forgiving with a stronger lofted face – so you need to revisit all that before you move on. You can’t simply change the head, make a few adjustments, put a headcover on it and send the player on his way. Pssst!! If you have a player who hooks it and you’re afraid of an 8* setting, switching to a 10.5* head at the -1 setting. It will be 9.5*, with a little more spin, and a face that is 1/4* open… Might be a nice ace to have in your pocket.

Last two things on the Opti-fit hosel. FIRST, We have different options!! In addition to the Standard shaft adapter, we also have a FLAT adapter (the lofts are the same, but the “D” is replaced by an “F” (sounds like a bad report card that got worse hahaha)), and a Tour adapter that will go -2, -1, S, +1, with N & D the same. You can change the cogs on an adapter to make them strong, but you need to swap the entire adapter if you want flat (the angle is different). SECOND, what if you have a LEFTY?? A Left handed tip is different than a RH Tip. The lofts are opposite. The N & D are the same regardless of handedness. The lofts are flipped if you use a shaft with a RH Tip to fit a LH player (S=+1 (and vice versa), and -1=+2 (and vice versa)). So, if you have a LH player and you want to fit him, but the only shaft options you have are RH SHAFTS, if you want an N/S setting – use N/+1. If you want D/+2 – use D/-1. Wait, wait, wait, hold on… How do I know if the shaft is Left Handed? Are you even kidding me right now?? Haha. If the NUMBERS ON THE COG RINGS ARE UNDERLINED (see how I did that?), it is a LH SHAFT. ALL of this is true for FW Woods AND hybrids that have the Opti-Fit 3 shaft adapter.

The slider on the Paradym driver head will give you 11 yards of correction (in robot testing), so =/- 6.5 yards. Good for reference. Fine tuning is just that. You are not correcting. You are trying to keep a player in the right rough instead of the right trees. Damage control. That’s it. Lastly, never underestimate what hit location can do to a ball flight. You have to factor that in BEFORE you start making corrections.

I hope this helps. Happy Fitting!!