The Lie Board
An old school tried and true method is the trusty lie board. Place a piece of lie tape on the sole of the iron and having the player hit a few shots off of this 16”x6” piece of carbon graphite shows which part of the club is striking the ground at impact first. If the scuff marks are in the center, than whatever lie that player just hit fits them. If the marks are out near the toe, they fit into an upright lie. And lastly, if the marks are towards the heel, they need something flatter. On paper, players that are 6’3” and taller generally fit into an upright lie angle because they are farther away from the ball and their hands flatten the clubhead (toe down). Players that are 5’7” and shorter typically fit into a flat lie angle because they are closer to the ball and their hands manipulate the club too upright (toe up). Players that are of average height between 5’8” and 6’2”, you guessed it…normally fit into a standard lie angle.
Download the Ping Color Code Chart [PDF]
Can A Players Lie Angle Change?
Yes. If a player is taking instruction and working on their swing the lie they fit into can change. That is why I recommend getting your lies checked every couple of years. If a player orders a new set of irons and gets a red dot (1° flat) and after some body and swing changes now fits into black dot (standard), the clubs can be sent to Ping to be bent accordingly and they will color in the dot to represent the current lie. Not all clubs can be bent once they are built, however. In store here at Golf HQ we can adjust all forged irons and some of the softer cast cavity-back irons out there. Ping is one of the brands that make a soft cast head. Some cast irons are too hard and will break in the loft and lie machine if too much pressure is applied. With the breakthrough in materials like carbon steel, more cast irons can be bent these days, at least 1° in either direction.