Learn to master hitting from an uneven lie.
One of the toughest things to do in golf is transferring what you are working on in your game or your swing to the golf course. With all the practice, the lessons, the buckets of balls, the sweat, and the grind you just can’t get it to come together on the course like you do on the range or lesson tee. This transition is golf’s Bermuda Triangle!
One of the reasons that the practice isn’t transmitting to results on the course is because all of your practice is on flat or level lies from the fairway. Think about it! On the range your lie is always perfect. Is your lie always perfect on the course? Don’t think too hard…the question is rhetorical. You never practice your swing in realistic situations from the rough, uneven lies, or as if you were trying to escape from the right trees. That is why we figured we would help golfers this month with uneven lies and specifically when the ball is above your feet.
There are several things you need that you have to take into account when you have this awkward lie primarily at address. Below are your basic adjustments:
1) Aim
The club face aims more left when the ball is above your feet so accommodate by aiming to the right for a right-handed player. The basic Rule of Thumb is “less loft equals less right, more loft equals more right” as we will explain in the video.
2) Posture
At address stand taller and grip down on the club. About halfway down the handle is a good starting point.
3) Don’t make a full swing!
It is hard enough to control where your club hits the ground on an even or level surface. When the ground is uneven this is even harder! One of the easiest ways to control the quality of our ball contact is to make less than a full swing. Remember, when you do that you will need to take more club. In most cases one or two clubs more is a pretty common adjustment depending on the severity of the lie.
Andy Hilts, Vice President of Instruction & Education at GolfTEC, explains the affect of a lie with the ball above your feet and how to practice adjusting for these shots in the video below:
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