Let’s Talk Fitting: Length, Lie and Loft
With club fitting and club building, there are a lot of factors that can be measured and taken into account. When it comes down to it, though, there are three critical factors that will create the biggest effect on your ball flight. They are known as the 3 L’s: length, lie and loft.
In this video, I explain why the three L’s are important and why you should always ask for your measured specs.
Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.
Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.
First, meet Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.
Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter
The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.
Third, meet Martin Kaymer
Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.
Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler
Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.
Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger
Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!
On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.
I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.
To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.
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Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s
5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag
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frank
Feb 6, 2018 at 2:04 pm
If someone does not have access to Trackman or other photographic devices, what is the next best option to determine proper lie angle? You mentioned that a lie board is not recommended?
St. Donald
Jan 13, 2018 at 12:39 pm
I did no say Haiti was a sh••hole country… even though it’s TRUE.
x-out
Jan 12, 2018 at 5:12 pm
If your swing is inconsistent a fitting will not rescue your incompetence. If you are consistent you may improve your swing with a fitting to enable you to generate more power or control in your swing.
The old Ping fitting diagrams which measures your ground to wrist joint and your body type is a good start for most golfers without messing around with a costly fitting.
The danger with a dynamic fitting is that it will destabilize your swing and you have to evolve a new swing dynamic to be consistent again.
John Comninaki
Jan 12, 2018 at 8:53 am
In my opinion club length does not fit neatly into toe strikes=longer, heel strikes=shorter. This may apply in a one hour club fitting, but 35 years of teaching has shown me once the player has become accustomed to the new length, the player often returns to the same swing pattern that created the toe and heel strikes. I think it is important to be fitted by someone who knows the players game or the player can return to for follow up and tweaking. Thanks for your videos, lots of good information!
Darren
Jan 12, 2018 at 8:04 am
Good video, do you as a fitter still use wrist to floor measurements? And could you do a actual fit on camera to show how you plan and execute that !
Ryan Barath
Jan 12, 2018 at 9:13 pm
Hi Darren, glad you enjoyed the video.
I don’t often use wrist to floor and rather use the players current clubs as a baseline and get the specs from there. After that its a matter of going through the fitting process and finding out what combination of specs and components are going to end up offering the best results.
Darren Merrihew
Jan 11, 2018 at 9:31 pm
Length of iron question. Does a club that is too long or too short cause heel strikes?
Ryan Barath
Jan 12, 2018 at 9:09 pm
Typically a club that is too long will cause heel strikes.
Cons
Jan 11, 2018 at 6:04 pm
I question flatter lie angles on wedges just to hit half shots better as players hit wedges typically with the steepest attack angle, which in most cases makes the ball go more right.
Ryan Barath
Jan 11, 2018 at 7:11 pm
My philosophy on flatter wedges isn’t just me. There are lots of coaches & fitters that also promote this view based on solid Trackman / other system data. Although shorter clubs, the likelihood of hitting full shots with a wedge is quite low compared to other clubs in the set and since the face is opened up so often you need a flatter lie to prevent the launch direction to be to far left of target.
Edward Pollack
Jan 12, 2018 at 11:44 am
Where along the winding road did you decide to correlate start direction with Angle of Attack? You literally made that up. I honestly don’t think that is anywhere else on the internet. Impressive stuff.
the Y
Jan 11, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Why is Mizuno the best iron ??
BIGSEAN
Jan 11, 2018 at 10:47 am
good stuff here!
Carmen Sandiego
Jan 11, 2018 at 9:48 am
Hamilton, Ontario what! Brantford native here (home of the great one)