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Ball Position on Uphill and Downhill Lies

iacas

By iacas,
in Instruction and Playing Tips

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21 members have voted

  1. 1. What do you do with your ball position on downhill and uphill lies?

    • Nothing - I keep it in the same place as a flat lie.
      8
    • Downhill the ball is forward. Uphill the ball is back.
      16
    • Downhill the ball is back. Uphill the ball is forward.
      29

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pjsnyc Great Member

pjsnyc

I try to orient my spine to the hill like I would on a flat lie (approx. perpendicular), and I may change the loft of the club depending on it being uphill or downhill. Downhill always feels trickier.

Normally I play the ball back on a downhill lie and open the face and my stance a little bit to help get the ball a little higher (and the opposite for uphill lies)...though if its a not so severe slope, I try to keep everything as if it were a flat lie and adjust my spine and shoulders.

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pittpanther Dedicated Member

pittpanther

I do have more success/confidence with the ball above feet then below FWIW.

Nice comments, especially the above quote. When the ball is above your feet, it's like playing with a shorter club. Most people have more confidence with their shorter irons than their longer irons. Consequently, with the ball below your feet, it feels like you're playing with a longer iron...

Ball above the feet is easier than ball below your feet. Uphill lie is easier than a downhill lie (regardless, the key is to match your shoulder to the slope)! Can you have a compound lie - both downhill and with ball below your feet?

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alf174 Great Member

alf174

Can you have a compound lie - both downhill and with ball below your feet?

Too often

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taylor_made809 Member

taylor_made809

I tend to play the ball forward and parallel my shoulders with the slope on downhill lies to try and get the ball up higher in the air. When I play it back I tend to hit it heavy due to the shortened distance from the top of my swing to the ball compared to a flat lie. On an uphill lie, it depends on the wind. If it is helping, I play it up in the stance to so as to get the ball as high as possible so the wind has a chance to push it further. If the wind is in my face, i take an extra club or two and play it back of my stance like a knock down and try to keep it under the wind. Another trick is to take an extra club and hit a high fade if you can control it if there is relatively no wind.

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  • 6 years later...
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iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

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This thread is worth reviving. I still see a lot of players do this "backward."

The correct (IMO) way:

  • Ball forward when it's on a downhill lie.
  • Ball back when it's on an uphill lie.

Why?

Consider where your lead shoulder is. Lead shoulder helps to control low point. Consider too whether it's easier to get forward on an upslope or a downslope. Then, consider what the slope will do to the natural loft of the iron, and whether you want to exaggerate it or sort of negate the change.

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boogielicious Incredible Member

boogielicious

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1 hour ago, iacas said:

This thread is worth reviving. I still see a lot of players do this "backward."

The correct (IMO) way:

  • Ball forward when it's on a downhill lie.
  • Ball back when it's on an uphill lie.

Why?

Consider where your lead shoulder is. Lead shoulder helps to control low point. Consider too whether it's easier to get forward on an upslope or a downslope. Then, consider what the slope will do to the natural loft of the iron, and whether you want to exaggerate it or sort of negate the change.

Do you have a guide as to how much to move the ball or a means to estimate? I've been following your advice on this since I asked in another thread a year or two back. 

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uitar9 Great Member

uitar9

I don't change ball position. Just change club length (choke -above or bent knees-below) or change body lean to  accommodate hillside

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iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

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5 hours ago, uitar9 said:

I don't change ball position. Just change club length (choke -above or bent knees-below) or change body lean to  accommodate hillside

We aren't talking about sideslopes.

On May 19, 2016 at 9:04 PM, boogielicious said:

Do you have a guide as to how much to move the ball or a means to estimate? I've been following your advice on this since I asked in another thread a year or two back. 

Just a little. The more severe the downslope or upslope, the more you move it, but never really outside your feet.

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dchoye Great Member

dchoye

When I keep the ball forward in my stance I feel confident I can shallow out the approach of the club 

When I position the ball back I feel like I need to steepen the club path in order to hit the ball flush 

 

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  • 4 years later...
Used2PlayALot Well Established Member

Used2PlayALot

Is this correct as rules of thumb?

Uphill.  Ball more forward in stance.  Weight on back leg.   Add one club length.  Aim right (ball goes left)

Downhill.  Ball more rear in stance.  Weight on front leg.  Remove one club length.  Aim left (ball goes right)

Above feet.   Choke up.   More club.  Aim right.

Below feet.   Choke up.   Less club.  Aim left.

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FlyingAce Great Member

FlyingAce

(edited)

Not sure if I follow any rules of thumb but when the lie is uphill, I keep more weight in the front (uphill leg), same club length and aim at target. 

Edited by FlyingAce
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Bonvivant Great Member

Bonvivant

1 hour ago, Used2PlayALot said:

Below feet.   Choke up.   Less club.  Aim left

This is the one I don't follow. No choke, same club, more knee bend to get hands where they normally be in relation to ball. 

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Cantankerish Great Member

Cantankerish

@OP, for the above feet and below feet, what I wish I had done when I was first starting to try to conquer those is to simply practice each of them a mere 20 times. That should be plenty to figure out what you have to do.

 

You will start out topping those below your feet and duffing those above until you get it just right.  And yeah, the aim is different.

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  • iacas changed the title to Uneven Lies Summary (Uphill, Downhill, Above Feet, Below Feet)
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iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

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3 hours ago, Used2PlayALot said:

Is this correct as rules of thumb?

No. You've got most of them backward.

When you're on an upslope, your lead shoulder is farther back and the loft will be increased, so the ball goes back in your stance a bit.

For example.

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Note: This thread is 1392 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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