Understanding how to read lies and use the right club for different situations is an essential skill for every golfer. If you don’t read lies correctly, it can lead to choosing the wrong club, having the wrong strategy, and ultimately, much higher scores.
Today, we’ll help you understand how your lies angles can impact your equipment, how to read lies, and a new club that can help you hit even the worst lies.
Difference Between Reading Lies vs. Lie Angle
Let’s start by differentiating a few golf terms; lie angle vs. reading lies to avoid confusion.
Lie Angle in Golf Clubs
Lie angle refers to the angle that is formed between the ground and the shaft of the golf club. It’s important to have the right lie angles for your swing, or you can lead to a lot of pushed or pulled shots.
You can adjust your lie angle a few ways.
The first way to adjust your lie angle is by going to a professional club fitting to have them adjust your irons and wedges to your exact measurements and specifications. Everyone varies, and some golfers might need their clubs one degree flat or two degrees upright based on their swing.
This is determined during a club fitting session and is often the key to hitting straight, accurate shots. You can also adjust the lie angle on your driver and fairway woods if they have adjustable hosels.
For a simple, free alternative, you can also change the lie angle by simply adjusting how far or close you are to the ball. If you stand closer, it creates a more upright position and sharp angle. If you stand further away from the ball, you’ll end up with a less harsh angle, or a flatter position.
3 Tips for Reading Lies on the Golf Course
Once your club’s lie angles match your swing, then it comes to part two; which is learning how to read lies on the golf course. This isn’t something you’ll have to worry about in golf practice, if you’re hitting on a range or a training mat with flat surfaces.
However, as you know, this is not always the case when you’re on the golf course. Every golf course (and every hole) varies, and their specific lies will impact the club you should use, the alignment, and target selection.
1. Evaluate the Grass First
Start by evaluating the grass and how the ball sits when sitting on top of it.
If the ball is in the fairway, see if there is any mud, if it’s sitting in a divot, or if it’s sitting up nicely. Fairways are much easier to make solid contact; you can hit any good fairway lie with just about any club in the bag.
However, missing fairways is part of golf, so you need to learn how to read lies in the rough too. Start by evaluating how thick the grass is – the thicker the grass, the harder it is to make solid contact. This will likely mean taking less club, as the thick grass will twist the clubface at impact.
You’ll also want to consider if the ball is sitting up or down in the rough. If it’s sitting up, the ball will launch very similarly to a fairway lie, without quite as much spin. If it’s nestled down in the rough, the ball will generally come out lower and have more forward spin.
Learning the type of grass and how the ball is sitting is key to your approach shot strategy.
2. Check the Slope
Unlike a driving range, you won’t have a flat lie on every single shot when you’re working your way through a golf course. You’ll want to check the slope of every shot, because they will all vary! This is why it’s important not to forget this step, or you’ll likely select the wrong club for your approach.
Start by evaluating if the ball is above or below your feet and if it’s uphill or downhill. Here’s how each type of lie will impact the ball:
- Ball is uphill: Use a higher launch so you’re not short of the green
- Ball is downhill: Use a lower launch and plan for less backspin on your shot
- Above your feet: The ball likely will curve left (for right-handed players: lefties it will likely go right), especially with longer clubs
- Below your feet: The ball will curve left to right (again, vice versa for left-handed players)
3. Use the Correct Club
Once you analyze the lie, how the ball is sitting, and the slope, then you can pick the right club for the shot.
With fairway lies, you can hit almost any club without having to worry about the lie impacting your strike. If the ball is on a slope, you’ll need to adjust your target left or right accordingly.
However, the rough is a different scenario entirely, and one where you need to have better course management skills. From the thick rough, you’ll want to use less club to avoid big mishits that can lead to errant shots.
In general, you’ll want to avoid fairway woods and even hybrids from very thick lies in the rough. However, there is a new club that is transforming the game and making it easier than ever to hit from all types of lies…yes, even from thick rough.
The AnyLie Hybrid is a revolutionary new hybrid golf club that makes it simple to make solid contact even from tricky lies.
The AnyLie Solution
The AnyLie Hybrid is designed to perform well from various lies, making it an essential club for your bag. The unique design of this hybrid allows it to cut through thick rough and glide over tight lies for a clean strike.
If you’re tired of fat or thin shots and too many mishits, this is the club for you.
The AnyLie Hybrid is offered in 21 or 24 degrees, so you can replace those hard-to-hit irons. Get ready to watch your long-game confidence improve with these game-changing features.
- Speed Response Spoiler: The “Speed Spoiler” makes it easy to accelerate through thick rough with no twist technology. This means straighter, more clean strikes even from the worst lies.
- 4-Way Chunk Resistant Forward Sole: The softly curved heel to toe curve and aerodynamic design ensures it won’t grab, dig, or twist (even on mishits).
- Fast Face Technology: The heel-to-toe curvature ensures you set up square to the target every time, even from uphill or downhill lies.
- AL1 Steady Strike Shaft: The 40-inch, lightweight shaft makes it easy to generate speed and hit high-launching shots with ease.
Say goodbye to unforgiving fairway woods or long irons and add one of these hybrids to your bag for instant improvement.
Start Using the AnyLie Hybrid For Better Approach Shots
Having the right equipment and understanding how different lies will impact the ball flight, distance, and direction is key to playing your best golf.
Start by making sure your clubs are fit for you and experiment on the range with different lie angles. However, it definitely helps to have a go-to club for tricky lies without needing to change your swing.
With five different shaft options, two loft options, and right or left-handed versions available, it’s the club every amateur needs for tough-to-read lies.
