Club Specifications

Lie angle is the angle created by the centerline of the shaft and the horizontal grooves on the clubface [or the sole of clubhead]. 

The same lie angle does not suit all players. Physical differences, e.g. height, arm-length, may dictate a different lie angle for Player A than Player B. Proper lie angle is essential to achieving consistently solid, accurate shots. 

Simply, flat lie angles cause the toe of the club to dig in, resulting in heel coming thru first and, thus, push.  Thus, it is physically impossible to hit a straight shot with a square clubface at impact if your lie angle is incorrect. 

If your lie angle is "toe up," you'll tend to hit the ball from right-to-left, and will benefit from a flatter lie angle; if your lie angle is "toe down," you'll have a tendency to slice the ball, and will benefit from a more upright lie angle. 

There are two ways to check a lie angle. 

One is statically measuring how high the tow of the club is from the floor or surface at the address position.

The second method is measuring the lie dynamically with the individual swinging the club. The individual swings a club with a piece of tape attached the sole of the club, hitting the ball off of the surface. Where the smudge is on the tape will give an accurate read of the lie. Each quarter inch the center of the smudge is away from the center of the sole represents a degree of error in lie.

In this example, the distance between the 2 marks is 1/2". This equates to 2° upright adjustment. The rule of thumb is : ¼" = 1°.

Bounce refers to the shape of the sole. A club whose sole protrudes below the leading edge of the club is said to have positive bounce, while a club whose sole is level with the leading edge and parallel to the ground is said to have zero bounce. 

As the name implies, this feature enables the clubhead to "bounce" out of the sand or rough without digging in. Positive bounce is useful for preventing the clubface from digging deeply into the turf; it is especially useful for playing explosion shots from sand, helping the clubhead to bounce upward and out of the sand instead of digging downward. 

If you look at the sole of a sand wedge, for instance, you'll notice that the trailing edge hangs below the leading edge. Bounce (maximum 16°) , the angle formed by the leading edge and the ground, doesn't sound like much, but it's what makes it worthwhile for you to carry a good sand wedge in your bag. Without bounce, you may just stay in that bunker forever. 

 

This is measured from the leading edge of the hosel (where the shaft enters the clubhead) to the farthest front portion of the clubface. Why is it important? A club with offset contacts the ball later than a club without offset. This helps "square" the clubface at impact and reduces the tendency to slice (ball going right for right-handed golfers). 


There are varying amounts of offset; TaylorMade's 360 Series Irons feature a lot; the 320 Series Irons feature a moderate amount; and the 300 Series Irons have no offset at all. 

 

PING Hosel Code: For the TiSI drivers and fairway woods, PING used hosel code as a measure of designating a particular combination of a club's lie angle and face angle [the angle between the shaft and clubhead face] . However, the hosel code is not used for newer products anymore.

Hosel Code	Lie Angle	Face Angle
RX3 or RX5	4° Upright	Square
RU3 or RU5	2° Upright	Square
RS3 or RS5	Standard	Square
RF3 or RF5	2° Flat	Square
The first letter "R" indicates right-handed. Left-handed(indicated by "L") also available. 3 or 5 indicates #3 or #5-wood.
S1O	Standard	1° Open
S2O	Standard	2° Open
F1O	2° Flat	1° Open
F2O	2° Flat	2° Open