Loft and lie in hybrids and wedges???

Question

I have a couple questions here...

1) I have Cleveland Halo 3 and 4 iron hybrids. The 3 iron is 22* and the 4 iron 25*. Is it possible to bend the lofts to 21* and 24*? They're made of steel, so it seems likely, but I want to make sure before I ask the repair guy at Golfsmith.

2) I will be changing the lie angles of my Titleist DCI 762 irons because I'm shorter than most adult men. Will I have to change the lie angle of my Halo 3/4 iron hybrids as well? Does lie angle matter with hybrids seeing how the bottoms are smooth and rounded?

3) What's the most you can change the loft of a wedge? I have a 60* Cleveland RTG that I'd like changed to at least 58*. Is that doable? Would changing it to 56* be asking too much?

I want to be as informed as possible before I take my clubs to Golfsmith, so your answers are greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance to everyone who helps!

Parker

Answer 1

The guys at Golfsmith are very well informed and would know more than any person on this dumb yahoo questions thing...

Answer 2

Hopefully I can help answer some of these for you. Sorry this is so long, I just couldn't find a way to condense it.

1) Hybrid lofts can sometimes be changed, but no golfshop employee is likely to try it for you due to the high chances of breakage. It has to do with the iron head bending equipment, it's just not set up to accomodate a deep hybrid or fairway wood body. Sooner or later golf shops will probably catch up.

In the meantime, these clubs are usually adjusted by way of shaft length. You may find that if you shorten the shafts to help accomodate you, you actually get more consistent and more accurate and not really lose anything in the trade off. A good clubfitter helps a lot.  

2) Same goes for lie adjustments on hybrids and fairways, they're done in the same machine. You are right though, a cambered sole does help a little. There is an effect called shaft droop, which basically is the head being pulled down by momentum at the bottom of the swing arc. Hense, the head look at address can be different than at impact. Check the sole to see if there is any heavy marking on the toe or heel. That will tell you more than your address position.

3) Yes, you can change the loft and lie of most any wedge. When you change the loft of a wedge you also change the bounce. If you bend a 60* wedge to a 58*, you will also reduce 2* from the bounce. This is sometimes done by Tour pros who want a very low bounce wedge to help from very tight lies where there is no cushion between the ball and ground.

Most of us are benefited by more bounce, which does exactly what it says. It helps the club "bounce" off of, instead of digging into the turf, giving a better chance of hitting the golf ball than laying some sod over the top of it.

Answer 3

1) yes it should be possible to bend your hybrids however 1 degree in long irons or hybrids will be very hard to even tell the difference, and may not be worth risking club breakage. golfsmith will not guarantee against club breakage.

2) yes the lie angle affects the face angle relevant to your target.

If you are shorter playing with regular clubs you should be pulling  everything to the left of your target provided you are a right handed golfer. if your shots are on target then i would not change the lie at all.

3) the most golfsmith as well as any other reputable builder will recommend is 2 degrees either way. I believe golfsmith will try to bend them more at your request, but again they will not guarantee against club breakage.