Last week’s Fitter’s Corner was a snoozer, but that material is essential to understanding what the new products are capable of, and, in this application, how to use them to the best of their ability. This week, let’s talk about two more. Length and lie.

These aren’t tech terms, though, you might say. Perhaps true, but they are a technical part of the golf club that we are trying to fit. So, they’re a tech term.

Length

The correct length is a combination of several things – the players height, build, and body proportion, the players comfort in a certain posture or address position, and the club fitter/ instructors preference of the correct set up position for that player. Other things like inflexibility, joint replacements, surgeries, or any other limiting factor can influence length for a player.

Length is a critical spec for every player – getting it wrong can have serious detrimental influence on a players ability to play and enjoy the game. Typically, length is done for irons, wedges and putters, and even hybrids. Most players will go standard length for FW Woods and Drivers, but this can change based on several factors with hit location on the club face being the biggest of those.

Lie

Lie angle is the angle created by the center of the shaft and the ground on a level, flat plane. The idea is to get the angle set so that the club strikes the ground squarely (not toe up or toe down). By examination of a divot, it’s easy to see if the club is too upright or too flat for a player without having to do a lie test. If the divot is not the full width of the sole, the lie is incorrect. If the divot is the full width of the sole, but it is toe deep or heel deep, the lie is incorrect.

Lie will tend to start the ball right or left of the intended target line if it is incorrect. It will also tend to force a player to introduce excess hand action (holding on or releasing) if the lie is incorrect for a player. A club that is too upright will tend to start/ go left, while one that is too flat will tend to start/ go right. Picture yourself with your correctly fit clubs on a ball above your feet lie. It will tend to start left and go left, correct? The lie angle changes as the lie of the golf ball relative to the stance of the player changes. The result is the same with a flat lie & stance, but an incorrect lie angle on the club.

Length and lie for fitting

The single biggest thing we are looking for in length especially (but also for lie) is center contact on the club face. If we can’t find it with the length we are using, we need either instruction, or quite possibly different length golf clubs. Clubs that are too long OR too short will be difficult for a player to hit in in the center of the face. One thing we don’t want to do is adjust lie to move the impact position to the center of the face. Will it move it? Sure. But, doing so will also make the ball curve more. If impact is always in the same spot on the club face, but not in the center, this is a time for instruction to take over. If it’s all over the face, this is a time where a more forgiving head with a larger sweet spot may be in order.

One thing I wanted to talk about in here is what does increasing or decreasing the length of the shaft do to a players spine angle – in degrees. The answer is there is no answer. It’s player dependent as torso’s, arm lengths, preferred postures, etc. are different for everyone. The spine is not at 90* to the shaft angle, and the shaft is rarely straight (often curved or leaning one way or another) so it is difficult (if not impossible) to measure. This means that the right amount of spine tilt (read: length of shaft) is up to your eyes and the players feel. You should decide together, see the results, and adjust as necessary.

When it comes to lie angle, there are a couple things to keep in mind. The droop (or bending) of the shaft downwards towards the ball through the hitting area will be the biggest factor in determining the lie angle of the club. The amount of this that happens will be the same on every swing – regardless of contact. Yep, a top, a sky ball, a toe hook and a center strike will all produce the same lie for a given player. You can check this in one swing. Literally. A different shaft will droop more or less, so it’s important to re-check the lie if you change the shaft to a different anything (length, flex, weight, manufacturer or model).

So, for fun… what happens if you make the club longer or shorter? First, the swing speed for the player should go up (assuming it’s not too heavy for the player). To the tune of about 1.5 to 2 MPH per half inch. That’s 2-3 yards of carry. Second, the players posture will change. As clubs get longer, the player will stand up taller. This tends to produce a slightly flatter swing. The opposite is also true – shorter = more bent over & more upright swing. Third, the lie angle will change if length changes, so you’ll need to re-check the lie once you decide on a length.

Also for fun, I mentioned above that we don’t use lie to correct for center contact. Why not? A club that is 1 degree off will start roughly 4 yards off target and curve from there. Suppose the player needs 2* up to get the contact in the center, but needs standard lie to get the club to sole squarely at impact… That shot starts 8 yards left and curves from there. That’s 24 feet and hooking. This poor guy has to aim right of every green because you did this to him. Haha. In this scenario, is it better to hit it off the center of the face (so shorter), but straighter, or in the center of the face (longer) but crookeder? Short & straight vs. long & wrong?? What do you pick? My pick is short & straight and use instruction to correct center contact the right way… Fortunately, it’s not up to you, but be aware to the consequences of the results of your fit.

See? They were tech terms after all. Also funny that “crookeder” doesn’t come up as a mis-spelled word. 😉

Happy Fitting!!!

Jim Yeager, PGA