Golf club lofts and lies are important specifications that can significantly impact a golfer’s performance. The loft of a club refers to the angle of the clubface, while the lie refers to the angle between the shaft and the ground when the club is soled in playing position. A common lie specification seen on irons and wedges is “2 degrees flat.” But what exactly does this mean and how does it affect ball flight? Let’s take a closer look.
Understanding Golf Club Loft
The loft angle of a golf club refers to the angle between the clubface and a vertical plane when the club is in proper address position. Loft creates backspin and lift on golf shots, which affects trajectory and distance. Here are some key things to know about loft:
- Driver lofts are lowest, generally between 8-12 degrees
- Fairway woods increase incrementally from 15 up to 25 degrees
- Irons increase progressively from 18 degrees in a 3-iron up to 50 degrees for a pitching wedge
- Wedges go from 50 to 64 degrees for a lob wedge
- Higher lofted clubs launch the ball higher with more backspin
- Lower lofted clubs launch the ball lower with less spin
Club manufacturers have progressively strengthened lofts over time, meaning a modern 7-iron may have the same loft as a 5-iron from 20 years ago. This allows golfers to hit clubs farther without needing more swing speed.
What is Golf Club Lie Angle?
The lie angle of a golf club refers to the angle between the shaft axis and the ground line when the club is properly soled. This generally ranges from 59-63 degrees in most standard iron sets. Here are some key factors about lie angle:
- Upright lies are greater than standard (64-70 degrees)
- Flat lies are less than standard (57-58 degrees)
- Lie angle affects left/right ball flight direction
- Upright lies promote draws and flatten swing plane
- Flat lies promote fades and steepen swing plane
- Standard lie angles fit most players’ swing planes
Getting properly fit for lie angle is important so your shots go where you aim. Now let’s look specifically at what “2 degrees flat” means.
“2 Degrees Flat” Explained
When an iron set is stamped as 2 degrees flat, it means the lie angle is 2 degrees less than standard. For example, if a standard 7-iron is 60 degrees, a “2 degrees flat” 7-iron would be 58 degrees.
Some key things to know about 2 degrees flat clubs:
- Promotes slight fade bias to ball flight
- Lowers trajectory slightly
- Marginally closes clubface
- Benefits moderate to shallow swing planes
- Not ideal for very upright swings
- Requires less wrist manipulation at impact
Two degrees flat is a relatively small change, so the effects on ball flight will be modest. But for some players, it can provide just enough fade bias and trajectory lowering to optimize performance.
Who Benefits from 2 Degrees Flat?
There are a few key types of golfers who may perform better with irons that are 2 degrees flat:
- Moderate to shallow swing plane: Flatter lies help shallow out overly steep downswings.
- Faders: The built-in fade bias suits repeat faders who struggle drawing the ball.
- Better players: Minor equipment tweaks like lie angle can help lower handicaps optimize launch conditions.
- Higher swing speeds: Flatter lies launch the ball marginally lower to compensate for faster swings.
- Iron shot inconsistencies: Consistent toe or heel misses may indicate non-ideal lie angle.
Getting properly fit by a professional clubfitter is the best way to determine if 2 degrees flat irons are right for your swing.
How Lie Angle Impacts Ball Flight
Let’s take a closer look at how lie angle, including 2 degrees flat, influences ball flight:
| Lie Angle | Ball Flight Impact |
|---|---|
| Upright | Closed clubface promotes draw |
| Standard | Square clubface, straight flight |
| Flat (2°) | Slightly open face, fade bias |
| Very Flat (4°+) | Open face, high fades/slices |
As you can see, small variations like 2 degrees flat have subtle but noticeable effects. The timing of delivery into impact is also changed, as flatter lies require less wrist manipulation compared to upright lies.
How Lie Angle Affects Launch Angle
In addition to horizontal shot shape, lie angle also influences launch angle and trajectory. Here’s a summary:
| Lie Angle | Launch Angle |
|---|---|
| Upright | Higher |
| Standard | Neutral |
| Flat (2°) | Marginally Lower |
| Very Flat (4°+) | Significantly Lower |
Again, the effects are progressive, with just 2 degrees flat producing a small reduction in launch angle. This results in a slightly lower ball flight useful for faster swing speeds or high-launch players.
Playing Shots with 2 Degrees Flat Irons
Making proper swing adjustments is important to control shot patterns with flat lie irons:
- Align clubface square: Set up with clubface aimed at target to offset built-in fade bias.
- Weakening grip: Turn hands slightly anti-clockwise to square face.
- Delay unhinging: Keep lead wrist firmer early in downswing.
- Shallow downswing: Avoid steepening already flat shaft.
- Sweep contact: Ensure low point is beyond ball at impact.
With practice, most golfers can learn to control trajectory and shot shape despite a small lie angle change. However, very flat lies require more adjustment.
Clubfitting for Lie Angle
For golfers unsure about how lie angle affects their ball striking, a professional clubfitting analyzes impact and recommends the optimal iron lie angle. Here is the clubfitting process:
- Static measurement of arm length, hand size, and wrist-to-floor to predict ideal lie
- Impact tape on clubface to see gear effect and location of hits
- Launch monitor data helps fine-tune loft, lie, length specifications
- On-course validation of new specifications
This detailed fitting analysis removes the guesswork so golfers can get iron sets tailored for their swing.
Other Ways to Modify Lie Angle
Rather than buying all new irons, some golfers have existing clubs professionally bent to tweak lie angle:
- Upright: Lie angle increased by bending hosel downwards
- Flat: Lie angle reduced by bending hosel upwards
- Adjustments up to 4 degrees available
- Lie boards used to precisely measure angles
- Benefits golfers wanting minor adjustments
However, bending alters the designed progression of the iron set, so new irons built to specifications are recommended for most players.
Conclusion
Understanding golf club lie angle helps select optimal iron specifications. For golfers with moderate to shallow swings seeking to tame a leftward miss, irons with 2 degrees flat lie angle subtly promote a rightward fade and marginally lower trajectory while retaining playability. However, proper clubfitting maximizes the probability of improving ball striking across an entire iron set.