I was speaking to Ken at PPGS.com Customer Service and he asked me to comment on a question a customer called in to ask. Since he changed from a rotational swing to the PPGS limited turn vertical swing and was doing well with it, the customer asked, “Do I need to change the lie angle on my irons because I’m now swinging more vertically?”

If I could have spoken to him the first come back question I would ask him how his swing was, how he was hitting the ball, and how were his divots? If his answers were ok to good to swing, impact and divots are OK to good, then I would say his lie angles are probably fine. But I would still delve a little deeper in the following questions and points to be evaluated and considered.

The first and most important issue to deal with is the present lie of his irons. If they have been set to fit him and he has been hitting the ball well after changing to the PPGS, that is solid and with the ball flight trajectory and shape he likes and wants, then I would say he is probably ok leaving them as is.

The way to check your lie angle is: First, you need someone to help you as you are going to do a static lie angle check. Take your stance and setup with any iron and have your helper slide a piece of paper (business cards work well because they are rigid) under the heel of the club and slide it forward toward the center. Then from the toe, slide it toward the center. If the lie angle is correct the card should slide from the heel inward a little just short of the center and from the toe it should slide almost to the center.

Sliding the card from the heel inward, if it cannot get to near the center, the lie angle is likely too upright, especially if the card barely slides forward and definitely if the card can’t slide inward at all. Not being able to slide the card inward from the toe to the center is showing that the lie angle is too flat. In both cases the lie angle needs to be adjusted to correct the lie to where the card slides inward from the heel and toe to the center.

Many PGA Professionals and club fitters use hitting off a lie board, with tape on the bottom to check the scuff marks on the tape to determine if the club is bottoming out too much on the heel or toe and needs to be adjusted. I am not a big believer in the lie board because for one, it is hitting the width of the board above ground contact and is not going lower, as a divot would, into the ground after contact with the ball, even with the shallow divots I like to see. Because of these two issues, I believe lie boards do not give a true impact reading. That is why I have an expression about lie boards that goes like this. “Why do you think they call it Lie Board? It Lies.”

Now, a big point to consider is that if you get a good static reading (the one I believe the most because it is your natural arm extension in a real close to impact position) and then do a lie board analysis and the lie board shows scuff marks on the heel or toe, you now need to consider that you have shaft flex issues involved as the problem.

Another issue the customer has to consider is the depth of his divots. If your divots are relatively the same depth, and definitely not deeper, then you are OK with the same lie. Also to consider regarding your divots is that they are the same depth from heel to toe. That is the divot is level, the same depth across it from the heel to the toe. This is a key that will tell if your lie angle is correct. It the divot is deeper on either side, it means that your lie angle is off and needs to be adjusted. Again, if your static measurement is Ok and a lie board impact is bad, you have to start looking at your shaft flex and kick point.

But as I said in the beginning of this article, if you are hitting the irons well in the beginning, you’ll t likely have the correct shaft flex and kick point and only need to check for lie angle. This would mean a static setup check with the business card is good and is compared to your divots. Hitting the irons poorly means the first issue is checking and finding out the correct shaft length, flex and kick points, and then checking your lie angle. Any PGA pro and club fitter will always check lie angles after re-shafting. If they don’t you need to ask. It is another process and they may charge you a nominal fee per club or reduced rate for the whole set. But, it is a necessary and must do check-up. Perfect length and shaft flex can all be ruined with bad lie angles in any or all of your irons.

Now, re-capping the original question as to whether changing to the PPGS automatically needs a lie angle chang, the simple answer is NO, as long as your irons fit you before and after the swing change and your ball striking and divots are good.

The Surge!

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