Most professional golfers check the lofts and lies of their irons at least every other month, but how often should you, the average golfer, check yours? First, let's look at what causes your lofts and lies to change on your irons.
Digging in the dirt - taking a divot over thousands of golf swings is going to eventually alter your club specs over time. If you practice hitting off of mats, or play on dry firm fairways, then your clubs will get out of spec even faster.
How often you play - The average golfer plays approximately 3.5 times per month. If you play 3-4 times a week you can expect your clubs to get out of spec faster.
Swing speed -The faster you swing the club the more stress you put on it. So the golfer that swings 110+ mph should check their clubs more often than us 85-95 mph duffers.
Club material & manufacturing process- Forged made clubs tend to be softer than cast manufactured clubs which can lead to better feel, but it also can lead to clubs going out of spec faster. Some metals, are by nature, softer than others and can require more frequent checks.
Damage from natural, or unnatural, causes - Irons bouncing around on golf carts, being thrown in and out of the trunk of your car and checking them with the airlines, thanks DELTA Airlines, can alter your clubs over time. If you've got a hot temper and are prone to slamming your wedges into the ground after chili dipping one into a sand trap - your clubs are going way, way outta spec!
So how often should you check you lofts and lies? According to most club manufacturers, the recommendation is to have your lofts and lies checked every other year. Of course, if you play, and practice, a lot you may want to have them checked at the start of every golf season. Here are a number of other situations when you should consider having your lofts & lies checked:
Buying a new set of irons off the rack.
Wait! What? Yep, if you are buying a stock set of irons from a retailer you should have them checked to ensure they are to factory spec. If you are buying a custom fit set of clubs the builders are most likely checking every iron to get them to your exact specs. However, with mass produced iron sets expecting every club in the set to be to on spec is, well, silly. Think about this-most iron heads are built in one country, then take a boat ride to another country where they are assembled, then sent to the equipment company warehouse, then to the retailer and then ultimately to you. Do you really believe the tens of thousands of irons following that supply chain are going be on spec?
Pro Tip: When you buy a new set of irons, whether off the rack or custom fit, get a copy of the spec sheet with the lofts & lies listed so you have a baseline. Finding a spec sheet for an older set of irons can sometimes be a challenge.
When you notice changes in your ball flight
If you've always played a baby draw and all of a sudden, assuming no swing changes, you're now hitting a cut, it's time to have your clubs checked. If you are hitting the ball higher or lower than normal, better get 'em checked.
Adding a new club to the bag
If you've added a new club with a different loft, or lie setting, you may want to alter some of your older clubs. For example, you decide to ditch that 60° wedge that was too hard to hit and add a 58° wedge in its place. You may want to change the amount of loft between your other wedges to have a consistent gap. If you had all of your club's lies moved up 2°, then you will want any new clubs added to your bag moved up to the same spec.
Having your loft and lies checked is one of the easiest and least painful club maintenance items you can do. Most pro shops and club builders only charge $5-$7 to check and adjust a club, with many offering a flat fee to adjust your whole set.
Golf Gear Box offers loft and lie checks and adjustments in our Oconee Club WORX studio for our Lake Oconee customers using a state of the art Mitchell digital loft and lie machine.