The Big Lie

[numberonecoog]

I am going to get some feedback from this one from people saying I dont know what I am talking about. I'll also get some push back from people saying I dont have any experience and yadda yadda. I agree with the 2nd point I dont have the experience of many a lot of people.

Here is my experience with golf club fitting

-Certified fitter through DSG/Golf Galaxy
-Worked for a Top 100 Club Fitter for over a year. I had many conversations about fitting with him and he has influenced my thinking in many ways and also challeneged me to think differently about golf club fitting.

To me the biggest lie in golf club fitting and equipment is the Lie Board.This piece of equipment is far less useful than it gets credit for. I see fittings taking place all of the time that use the lie board. Lie boards create perfect divots not perfect golf shots. If I told you that you can have a perfect divot or a straight shot which would you choose? I know I would choose the shot every single time. The lie board tells us what is going on at the bottom of the swing. I dont care what my turf interaction is if I hit it dead straight every time.

This is not to say Lie Angle isnt important when fitting a golf club. I would argue its one of the most important factors when fitting for irons. The fitter I worked with LOVED messing with lie angles. In every iron fitting he would grab a club that was 3* up and one that was 3* down. Watching the ball on Trackman and down range was something to be amazed by. The ball would differ by 30 yards. Again lie angle is important.

With all of that being said, The solution is to watch the ball flight and adjust the lie from there. I believe in a dynamic fitting. Watch the flight if its fading pull that toe up. If its hooking a little push the toe down. I once saw a guy come get fit who was hitting a fade/slice. If you put him on a lie board he needed 2* flat. Now I ask why would I want to make this guy flatter who he is already hitting a fade. Who cares what happens on the ground. I care about ball flight. Before I changed my swing I would measure for 1 degree flat. I tried that and my fade was even worse. Moved it 1.5 degrees upright and it straightened out. If you play for pretty divots I applaud you. I play for low (ish) scores.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Not sure you'll get much pushback.  Had a fitting last year at 2nd Swing and the fitter - Thomas Elsberry - was as good as they come.  For him, the lie board was a starting point, but he was much more concerned about ball flight and how to make the clubs and your swing work together. He also used the term "dynamic" fitting - in that a good fitting is really a 3 or 4 month process.  Go out and play with the newly fit sticks and then see how they work for you - things may need to be tweaked as you go.  

[fozcycle]

Thanks #1coog, now find me a local guy (Tampa ) that can do that.

[hckymeyer]

No push back here. Lie boards lie.

 

For me a better tool is a vertical sharpie line on the ball and see if the line is still vertical on the club face after you hit.

 

Ball flight trumps all though. All the tools in the world can't match watching the ball flight, but they can help you find a good fit faster

 

 

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[Fireinthehole]

I would agree with you on that. I always change my swing not to "hurt" the board.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

For me a better tool is a vertical sharpie line on the ball and see if the line is still vertical on the club face after you hit.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy mobile app

 

Thomas used that as well -- it's about as true as you can get...

[jbil8802]

I hate lie boards. They say I need 3° upright but my natural shot shape is a draw. 3° upright makes it stupid to control.

[numberonecoog]

Thanks for the feed back guys! I hate the lie board and think its deceitful and places love to use it. I am trying to start my own blog and like seeign what topics generate some interest. I wont link to it in the forums out of respect to MGS. I do appreciate the feedback. Thank you! 

[BIG STU]

Not sure you'll get much pushback.  Had a fitting last year at 2nd Swing and the fitter - Thomas Elsberry - was as good as they come.  For him, the lie board was a starting point, but he was much more concerned about ball flight and how to make the clubs and your swing work together. He also used the term "dynamic" fitting - in that a good fitting is really a 3 or 4 month process.  Go out and play with the newly fit sticks and then see how they work for you - things may need to be tweaked as you go.  

Exactly what I have found out over the years it can be a lengthy process or a work in progress. On some of my experimental stuff I will make written notes drive around the corner to the house make adjustments and try it again

[apprenti23]

The lie board is a pretty useful tool if you know how to interpret the markings correctly based upon ones path and face angle. Small adjustments in lie will not only fix turf interactions, but they'll account for more centered hits as well. Going upright/flat will move toe/heel shots closer to the sweet spot. It's not all about having a perfect divot.

 

Until there's something better out there, I will continue to use a lie board.

[revkev]

How about the most important part of fitting being common sense on both the part of the player and the fitter. I've had lots of fittings and the best ones were always the ones that included multiple forms of data including lots of interaction between myself and the fitter.

 

I can't speak to the lie board as much as the divot. The divot tells a part of the story. My general ball flight is a high draw, not surprisingly my divots are shallow and point to the right of the target, when they get deeper or point too far right my attack is too far to the inside.. Seeing that divot helps confirms why the ball is flying as it is and changing the divot will change my ball flight. Sounds simple, doesn't it.

 

At any rate the lie board provides a piece of the puzzle when fitting, it's a starting point or a confirmation of what the experienced fitter has already observed.

[Rtracymog]

The only fitting I use a lie board for is a wedge fitting and I use that to narrow down the sole width and then we go to the turf from there. Putting a sticker on the face with a line on a ball is much more accurate when determining lie angle.

 

 

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