How to Hit the Ball Well from Uneven Lies

January 30th, 2010 by articles

Before I go any further, I am going to first give you the definition of the 4 uneven lies in golf.

Uphill Lie - The easiest of the four uneven lies. The ball is level with your feet but the slope is up-hill, we refer to this as an “uphill lie”.

Downhill Lie - A ball that is level to your feet but the slope is down hill, probably the second most difficult shot in golf.

Ball Below Feet - The most difficult shot in golf is when the ball is below your feet.

Ball Above Feet - The fourth uneven lie is when the ball is above your feet.

Don’t get confused between an uphill lie, and when the golf ball is just above your feet. These are two different lies, and should be addressed separately. Also, don’t get mixed up with the downhill lie, and the ball being below your feet. Once again, these are two different lies.

Uphill Lie

Let’s start with the easiest shot in golf, the up-hill lie. If you struggle with this shot, you probably swing the golf club to vertical into the ground and hit a fat shot. Before you prepare for the uphill lie, you need to think of a few important items first. Make sure you take a less lofted club. When you have an uphill lie, it will make the ball go SHORTER and HIGHER.
The ball will have a tendency to hook to the left, so aim a little to the right.
To avoid hitting the shot fat, check your shoulder alignment and make sure they are parallel to the ground you are standing on. If you are on an uphill lie, your back shoulder should be a little lower that your leading shoulder.
The golf ball should be positioned according to what club you are using, as though your on a level lie. (A bit forward for longer clubs.)
You want to make sure you follow through HIGH after impact.

Downhill Lie

Now we can move on to one of the hardest shots in golf, the down hill lie. If you tend to struggle with this shot, the miss hit is usually a top. Follow the steps below and you will see a really big change in your down hill shots.

Because the ball will fly lower, you can take a more lofted club to help the ball go a little higher.
The ball will have a tendency to curve to the right, aim a little to the left.
If you have your shoulders at address tilted level to the down slope of your lie, this will encourage the club to swing DOWN into the ball (correct) and not up in the down swing. Thus, you will hit the bottom of the golf ball and not the top.
Approach the ball in your stance according to the club you are using (again, a little forward for a longer club).
You want to make sure you follow through LOW to the ground after impact.

Ball Below Feet

THE HARDEST SHOT IN GOLF. The ever dreaded, (I can’t believe this is happening to me) BALL BELOW YOUR FEET golf shot. You have come to the right place, below is the answer.

When the golf ball is below your feet, you will have a tendency to top it to the right, miss the ball, or shank it.
The address is the most important part of this shot. Bend your knees and bend WAY over at address. You ALMOST can’t bend TOO much.
The ball will have a tendency to go to the right, aim farther left.
The golf club wants to swing down and up, NOT around. LEAVE IT…It will feel like a lob swing, this is right. IF you take your normal swing, you will whiff the ball completely.

Ball Above Feet

Now we are back to an easy shot, the ball above our feet. If you follow the steps below, you will not hit the ground behind the ball anymore, and the ball above your feet will become your absolute favorite shot in golf

If you struggle with hitting the ball fat in these shots, make sure you are standing taller than your normal stance.
The ball will have a tendency to fly to the left, aim a little farther to the right.
DO NOT BEND YOUR KNEES
This is the main point, the golf club wants to swing more AROUND your body, let it…DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE A NORMAL SWING…let the golf club swing around you.

Now, erase everything you knew about uneven lies and give this a try. I KNOW IT WILL HELP!

For more golf instruction like this, check out our golf videos and our online golf lessons program at http://www.purepointgolf.com