I have a question regarding lie angles on putters and face-balanced status...I am hoping somebody can help.

Anyway, my question is this: In order to make a standard putter (71 degrees, slight toe hang) more face balanced, would you want to make the lie angle flatter or steeper? I thought that you would want to bend it flat (say 65 degrees) to make it more face-balanced, but I'm not sure.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Although I don't think face balanced and shaft insertion is a direct corollary, I believe there is some relation.


The first thing it depends on is what kind of neck it has, if it is plumbers neck type where the shaft would theoretically insert more towards the heel than the toe in relation to center, then bending it flat would angle the shaft closer towards center.

I'm no expert, I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong on this

Yes, it is a plumber's neck I am interested in, not a slant neck.

That's what I thought too- if you bend it flat wont the shaft point more toward the middle of the head, thus making it more face-balanced?

And obviously I think it's impossible (or nearly impossible) to make a perfectly face-balanced putter just by bending the shaft...I am just curious how you would lessen the toe hang and make it as close to face-balanced as is possible

Your lie angle should not be adjusted for purposes of influencing toe hang. Lie angle should be adjusted to make the sole of the putter parallel to the ground at impact.

If you need a different amount of toe hang, I strongly advise buying a different putter.

Adding weight to the heal can assist in reducing hang....or eliminating it from the toe I guess.

You would need to bend it significantly flat to see any difference or add a ton of weight. Why not find a center shafted putter, or go with a mallet?

You would virtually have to "S", or goose neck, the plumbers' neck in order to position the shaft angle sufficiently to face balance an anser style putter. This would involve.... first, bending the plumber, from its base, toward the middle of the putter's center line. You would then bend the upper half of the plumbers' neck again, this time bending from just under the hosel and back toward a standard 71 or 72 degree lie angle. A tricky proposition, but if the putter is "milled carbon" steel, it could be made to quarter less. A good club fitter and loft/lie machine are invaluable, if you are going to try this........