Explanation of Loft and Lie

Understanding Your Club Alignment

When shopping for golf equipment, it's important to understand how loft and lie angle affect your game. Here at Brugtegolfkøller.dk, we have collected some important information about these terms, so that you can get the most out of your clubs.

How does Lie Angle work?

The lie angle refers to the angle between the shaft and the club head, and this angle can have a big impact on your stroke. If you are tall or short, or have a particularly flat or steep swing path, it may be a good idea to check whether the lie angle of your irons suits you. At impact, if the clubhead is too upright (with the toe pointing down), it may hit the ground first, which will cause the face to turn to the right, and the ball will then fly in that direction. If, on the other hand, the club is too flat, the heel will hit the ground first and the ball will be pulled to the left.

In general, shorter players may benefit from a slightly flatter lie angle, while taller players may benefit from a more upright angle. Most manufacturers offer irons with different lie angles, but this is often something that must be ordered as a special order.

How do you check if the lie angle is correct?

It's easy to check if your clubs have the right lie angle. Your local golf pro can help you by putting some impact tape on the sole of the club and letting you hit a few balls from a bearing test plate (a hard plastic strip). After the strikes, the tape will reveal whether the contact point is in the middle of the sole, indicating a correct lean angle. If the mark is toward the toe, the club is too flat, and if it is toward the heel, the club is too upright.

Playing with an incorrect lie angle can have a major negative impact on your game as it can cause the face and loft to tilt incorrectly. This is especially important to get adjusted on your shorter irons where precision is essential.

How does Loft work?

The loft angle refers to the angle of the club face, which affects how high and far the ball will fly. It's a good idea to have the loft angles of your clubs checked at least once a year, especially if you play with forged irons, which are made of softer metal. Over time, repeated hitting the ground can change the loft of the clubs, and even brand new clubs can vary by up to +/- 2 degrees from the factory specifications.

Why is this important? The loft angle of your clubs is crucial to ensure the correct distance between them. For example, there is typically a 3-4 degree difference between each club, which corresponds to a 10-15 meter difference in distance. If the loft on your 7-iron has become too weak (more loft) and your 8-iron is too strong (less loft), they may end up having the same loft and you will hit the same distance with both clubs. This can lead to unwanted overlap in your set and negatively affect your game.

Get Your Clubs Checked and Improve Your Game

By having both loft and lean angle checked regularly by your local golf pro, you ensure that your clubs function optimally and suit your playing style. Give your local pro some well-deserved work and optimize your golf game by making sure your clubs are properly aligned.

At Brugtegolfkøller.dk we want to help you find the right equipment, and we always recommend that you have both loft and lie checked to maximize your performance on the course.

Our equipment

See our selection of used golf clubs and equipment here: Golf clubs

Also see our stand system to understand how each club stands: Stand Rating