Getting your clubs set up correctly is vitally important to ensure they perform to their best. You can have the best swing in the world, but if your clubs are too flat or too upright, too long or too short, you are going to have to make compensations in order to hit the ball correctly. If you consistently miss green on one side or the other then there is a good chance that your irons might be set up either to flat or too upright. If you are struggling for distance or hit the ball too low or too high, it may well be that your equipment is set up badly for you, either in terms of weight, length, swingweight or clubface loft. For the importance of getting properly fitted golf clubs have a look at these video's by leading clubmaker, Tom Wishon
If you miss to the left, especially with the short irons, your irons may be too upright. The toe of the club will be up in the air, causing the face angle to be aiming way left and sometimes will cause the ball to fly to far. If you miss shots to the right, it may be that your irons are too flat, causing the face angle to be aimed right of where you think it is.
Another really destructive aspect of having improperly fitted clubs will be the tendency for the golfer to adjust their setup to accomodate for this fact. The clubmaker provides much of the information needed for us to set up to the ball correctly. The distance from the ball and the amount of spinal tilt is dictated by the club being used. If your clubs don't fit, your setup, posture and address position will be wrong. You will then have to make adjustments during the swing to accomodate.
I have one of GolfSmith's excellent machines for adjusting the lofts and lies on iron clubs here at the Explanar Academy at Collingtree Park Golf Club in Northampton. Forged clubs in particular have a tendency to 'move' gradually over time, especially if you practice regularly on driving range mats. I check the lofts and lies on my irons every month to make sure everything is as it should be. It is not unusual for the lofts to be two or three degrees out on the clubs I practice with most regularly. This can mean a difference of 6 or 7 yards of carry with a 5 iron. That's the difference between being by the flag, or plugged under the lip in the front bunker.
The best way to check your lofts and lies is to come to Collingtree for a fitting. We will check your grip and posture and find your optimum biomechanical swing plane using the Explanar. We can measure your wrist to floor distance to make sure your clubs are the correct length and check your hands to make sure you have the correct grip size. We can then get you hitting the ball solidly using your best setup, and from here make the adjustments to your clubs to maximise the improvments to your swing. Good fundamentals and correctly fitted clubs go hand in hand. If one isn't right, the chances are neither will the other.
If you would like more information about getting your loft and lies adjusted, please get in touch via the Contact Page or call 07976 401 545.
(The amount that different clubs can be adjusted will vary considerably. Forged clubs are much easier to move than cast clubs. Please give me a call to check on the make and model of your clubs before booking a fitting session.)
