PGA Advanced Professional

Playing from awkward lies... sloping lies

Friday, September 15, 2017

Being a golfer in Wales, we rarely play a round of golf without experiencing a sloping lie.  Whether you have one foot below the other in a downhill or uphill lie, or the ball is above your feet or below; these golden rules will help you play more confidently every time:

Whenever, faced with a shot on a slope you must “even off” the slope… i.e. recreate a flat lie.  You need to create as much normality for your swing as possible. 

The closer you can get to playing a “normal” shot with your setup, the easier it will be.  If you don’t move your body into a position that allows you to make a good contact, you will create fat and topped shots.

Here are my top tips:   (if you are left handed swap your lefts and rights)

Downhill or uphill slope – here I’m using the downhill slope (i.e. slope goes downhill to your left side when you address the ball) as a guide

  1. Move the ball slightly nearer your higher foot (right foot)
  2. Shift your weight onto your lower side (left side) so that you can get your spine at 90 degrees to the slope – just as it would be if hitting from a flat lie.
  3. The ball will come off the slope lower, so use a more lofted club.

For a ball below your feet:

  1. Gravity wants to pull you down the slope, so sit back a little on your heels and keep your knees bent.
  2. Play normal ball position but stand with a wider stance – enforces better balance through the shot
  3. The ball will always follow the contours of the slope so in this situation the ball will fall off to the right, so aim more left.

For a ball above your feet:

  1. You need to choke down on the handle, the amount depends on the gradient of the slope.
  2. Get your weight onto the balls of your feet, feel that you are digging into the slope.  This will help enforce better balance through the shot.
  3. Aim a little right as the ball will follow the contours of the slope so in this situation the ball will fall from right to left.

 

So next time you are playing golf and have a sloping lie, stick to these tips and you can't go wrong!!!

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Playing from awkward lies... sloping lies
Playing from awkward lies... sloping lies | Nicola Stroud Golf

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