weten2

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I've played upright clubs for several years and recently was fitted by Mizuno to 2-3 degrees upright. My current irons are Ping G with yellow dot (1.5 deg upright) and regular AWT steel shafts which I often push or fade. I also am trying out Ping I e1 with orange dot (2.25 deg flat) 110 stiff Recoil graphite shaft that has a slight draw. I thought I would really fight a fade with this setup. Is there a logical reason for this? Head or flex make a greater influence than the lie?
 
Are the clubs the same length from set to set? How do the lie angles compare? One manufacturer's neutral is not necessarily the same as another's. My 6 iron is 61 degrees, in lie, and 37 3/4 in length. The same company makes 6 irons with lie angles of 61.5 and 62. Mine are flat compared to the others; but seem to me a bit upright...and I'm considering, next time I re-grip, knocking them down a quarter.
 
They are both Pings so the standard lies should be the same or within 0.5 degrees. The I which is the 2 degrees flat is 1/2" longer. So the I is approximately 3 1/2 degrees flatter yet has more of a draw bias than the G. The only thing I come up with is the I is a smaller head and less offset. Doesn't make sense. Can I be subconsciously manipulating the swing with the I?
 
Increasing the length of a club will change the "effective" lie. Shortening a club, or gripping down, will also alter the effective lie. Grip size matters as well; a club will play more upright with a larger grip. Combine those factors with one's posture, proximity to the ball, etc...and it isn't at all unusual to obtain what seems an odd result.
 
4Regal
I played my first round today with the Ping I e1 orange dot and was quite encouraged even with the flat lie. To get the best lie fitting would you recommend using the line on ball and impression on the club face method? I’ll probably have Ping make the lie adjustment.
 
You might lose some right if it’s too flat


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My experience with fitting dates back to the lie board days and I've been using the same specs for 20+ years. I don't think I'm familiar enough with more modern methods to say one way or another. The last fitter I spoke to, however, uses two methods: the line/impression you mentioned and impact location. His idea is that a club that is too upright will show impact marks closer to the heel and a club that is too flat will show (on average) impact marks toward the toe. Ultimately it is the ball flight that determines what is and is not suitable for a particular player. My default miss is a pull and my preferred flight is a fade. Could be I like a club to play on the flat side of optimum. So...long story short...I think any method is better than no method; just keep in mind that you are fitting clubs to your swing and not to that of a robot.
 
A club that is too flat at impact will result in a fade.
 
The last 2 time I've been fit really were not great experiences especially my last fit which was for the CF16 irons. Lie was the biggest error in that he had me at 2* upright and most of my shots were either going way left or drifting to the left. I went back and they tried to tell me it was my swing which it could have been but since I've never been a 2* up before I doubt it plus they also added a 1/2" in length. My fitting was done indoors with a lie board only which was probably a mistake on my part. I learned the hard way.
 
The last 2 time I've been fit really were not great experiences especially my last fit which was for the CF16 irons. Lie was the biggest error in that he had me at 2* upright and most of my shots were either going way left or drifting to the left. I went back and they tried to tell me it was my swing which it could have been but since I've never been a 2* up before I doubt it plus they also added a 1/2" in length. My fitting was done indoors with a lie board only which was probably a mistake on my part. I learned the hard way.

It has been my experience when being fitted for clubs, that an increase in club length has,at least in my case which is also 1/2" long, always required a 2 degree upright lie angle adjustment. However, there is more to it than club length alone. How far you bend over, how far you stand from the ball, and your personal swing idiosyncrasies also effect lie angle.
 
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