Uneven Lies

Welcome back, continuing on our quest to improve your game; this week we will discuss “uneven lies”.   All uneven lies create a tendency for you to err, resulting in incorrect distance, faulty direction or both. Most golf is practiced on “flat as a pancake” terrain, but hardly any of it is played there. Here at the Meadows you find yourself faced with these uneven lies in most of your approach shots to the green, knowing how to play these shots is essential to scoring well. In this segment we will discuss what to do when you are faced with an uphill, downhill, or side hill lie (ball below or above your feet). We will look at each scenario and give you some tips that will give you the confidence to execute these difficult shots. Here are the basic considerations and adjustments for these shots:

The Downhill Lie

This shot requires more concentration than any of the others. With this shot you will have the tendency to push or push-fade the golf ball because it is difficult to square the clubface at impact and gravity is pulling your swing center ahead of the ball. You may also have a tendency to hit behind the golf ball, skull, or top it. Figure 1 is a severe downhill lie, you should rarely encounter this shot but it gives us some excellent visuals. So, how do we play this shot?

• Play the ball slightly back of the middle of the stance.
• Set-up perpendicular to the ground, but resist being pulled down the hill past the ball.
• Tilt the shoulders as much as possible to match the slope of the ground. This makes it easier to “stay with the shot”.
• The club will be de-lofted, this will cause the ball to go lower, hotter, and roll farther. If the yardage calls for a 6-iron, hit a 7-iron.
• Take a controlled ¾ swing rather than a full swing
• Aim to the left an amount commensurate with the slope to allow for a “push” shot. If you are a better player you may try closing the face a little rather than aiming to the left.
• Take a few practice swings to get a comfortable feel, and then make a controlled swing following the level of the ground (figure 1).

 

Figure 1

 

The Uphill Lie

The most common tendencies from the uphill lie are pulling, chunking and under clubbing. This is due to gravity attracting the player toward the player’s right (right handed golfer). It is difficult for the golfer to transfer his weight to the front foot as he normally would. When the weight stays back, the swing path travels left, causing a pulled shot. In addition the slope of the terrain tilts the golfer’s stance upward, adding loft to the club causing the ball to go higher and a shorter distance (figure 2). To overcome these tendencies we use these set-up guidelines:

• Set-up perpendicular to the ground (try to match your shoulder angle to the ground slope).
• Put more weight on your left side to resist gravity’s pull.
• Play the ball near the middle of the stance to make it easier to contact.
• If the yardage calls for a 7-iron, hit a 6-iron to get the ball to the target.
• Choke down on the club for better control
• Aim to the right an amount sufficient to compensate for the slope. The better player may try opening the face a little rather than aiming to the right
• Take a couple of practice swings to adjust to the different condition, and then make a comfortable, controlled swing.

 

Figure 2

 

The Side Hill Lie – Ball above your feet

When the ball is above your feet, on the side of a hill, the three most frequent errors are; chunking, pulling and hooking (figure 3). The higher the ball is above your feet the more right of target you need to aim. In addition the more lofted the club, the more right of target you will need to aim. Here are some solutions you can use to offset these tendencies:

• Stand as perpendicular to the lie as possible so the body position in relation to the ground approximates a normal lie.
• Your weight should favor the balls of your feet.
• Choke down on the club so the club can clear the ground.
• Position the ball near the middle of the stance since weight transfer won’t be as strong.
• Keep the distance from the ground to the base of the neck constant to maintain balance.
• Allow for the pull or hook by aiming to the right. Remember, the steeper the ball lies, and the more lofted the club, the more you must compensate.

 

Figure 3

 

Side Hill Lie – Ball below your feet

Playing a shot when the ball is lying lower than the feet is one of the harder shots in golf and it’s easy to understand why. With the ball below the feet the tendency is for the ball to be topped, it’s difficult to “stay down with the shot” with this type of lie. You will also have a tendency to push or push-sliced your shot (figure 4). To make the proper compensations for a ball positioned below the feet you should:

• Go the full length on the grip.
• Stand close enough to the ball to easily reach it with the club head
• Angle the body close to perpendicular with the ground, but sit deeper in the knees at address.
• Keep your weight more on your heels
• Stay in posture through the shot, don’t pull up or fall forward
• Aim to the left an amount relative to the tilt of the clubface and allow the ball to go to the right.

 

Figure 4

How much should you aim right or left on these shots? The answer will come from practice. Here is a tip that you give you a starting point:

• Select the club you are going to hit.
• Mimic with the palm of your hand in the air the club’s loft and the soling of it on the uneven terrain.
• Note the amount of deflection the face presents from the target line
• Compensate that amount plus a little more for the curve of the shot and swing naturally.

 

Here is a quick guide you can cut out and take with you to the practice range or course

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Ball above your feet



Problem: Ball will go left, pull, hook, chunk shot    

Solution: Aim right, weight on balls of your feet



Ball below your feet



Problem: Ball will go right, push, push slice, top or blade shot

Solution: Aim left, weight on heels, stay down



Uphill lie



Problem: Shots travels high and short/Shot pulls left and hit behind

Solution: Aim right, lean into hill, follow terrain



Downhill lie



Problem: Push, push fade shot to right/Hit behind, skull or top

Solution: Position ball back, sit more in knees, follow slope

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Hope this helps you for these challenging shots.

 

Later,

Al Pehrson, PGA Professional