Lie Angle and Effect on Ball Flight

[BoadieBroadus]

A mention in this month's mag about how irons too flat will make the ball go right and too upright will make it go left.

It goes on to talk about how this is "caused" by the club impacting the turf before the ball... too flat and the toe catches the turf, causing the club to open and aim right. conversely for upright clubs the heel catches first and closes the club...

I thought that this explanation had been debunked as the club doesn't hit the turf until after the ball and it is just the effect that lie angle has on the angle of the face which causes the misdirection.

I only question because the explanation is attributed to a titleist fitter, so is he right or wrong?

 

[Huwey12]

It has been explained to me that the club impacting the turf has no relevance to the lie whether too flat or upright

For example a too upright lie makes the ball go left (RH golfer) simply because the face points left and opposite if too flat

This is magnified as you go through to to the shorter irons and wedges

 

[BoadieBroadus]

yes that is what i thought, and that makes sense to me as well, that there is no turf interaction, but even after i posted this, i read in another golf mag the same explanation about flat clubs opening up because they catch the turf before the ball

 

[Huwey12]

I can see that point as well. If the lie is ridiculously flat it will catch the turf on the toe end and turn the club open

All the clubs I've bought, usually second hand, have never needed adjusting. Unless clubs are bought stating they've been bent to suit the previous owner, it seems all come in standard lie which suits me

To have a set of clubs bent to hell causing turf interaction, the previous owner must have had a very unorthodox swing or arm length/body length/ leg length ratio must be way from normal IMO

 

[Ethan]

Nothing to do with impacting turf. It is simple physics, and operates just the same with a driver off a tee where you don't strike the ground.

Imagine you have a club sitting perfectly square to the target line and on a perfect lie, neither upright nor flat.

Then keeping the leading edge square, lower the handle towards the ground, making it too upright. The face points left.

Lift the handle away from the ground, making it too flat. The face now points right.

End of story.