Side hill lies - Help

[russtyputter]

Hello,

The 9-hole course I play regularly has a particular hole which is basically an uphill fairway which is mostly on the right side of the hill and at an angle. It sort of bends up the hill so the fair closest to the green starts to flatten out. To get up to the flat part is about 260 yards which I never make the drive to and so I am ALWAYS stuck on the side of the hill.

I struggle in this scenario (right handed so facing down the hill not up) because I start to grip up on the club and lean down, or grip down for more control and lean way down but, either way I feel like it's really hard to hit the ball flush and I typically hit it thin and it just rockets across the grass hopefully slowing down enough to get on the green but, in the case today I shot way over it. If I don't hit it thin then I usually slice into some bunkers. There have been a few occassions when I am on the side of the hill where by some miracle it gets up and down for my 50-60 yard approach. (Only driving about 210'ish)

Any advice on side hill lies? Videos? tips? Much appreciated


-Russ

[russtyputter]

Note: a better way to describe my problem is that my lie is at an angle and ball is below my feet - danger zone for me.

[wrx_junki]

[nevets88]

What do you mean at an angle?

You have ball below your feet and an uphill/downhill lie?

You have to "combine" the tips for ball below your feet and hilly lie.

That's one of the things that's great about playing in the Northeast - you have to deal with all sorts of hilly lies, so you learn how to work with them.

[russtyputter]

What do you mean at an angle?

Eh, just not doing a good job at explaining the situation, haha. Sorry- You deciphered it though!

Thanks for the kind advice. I actually got it up over the slope of the hill today and got up on the flatter portion of the fairway so I didn't have to practice that shot in my scoring match. Woohoo! Can't count on luck always though.

[wrx_junki]

Did you watch the Shawn Clement video? It will give you the jist of what you should do on various lies.

[Shooter McGreenkeeper]

ball below feet for Right Hander:
a) its going to cut / slice, so take an extra club, or 2 or 3!!
b) aim left and pick a target and commit to the altered target. this may be 40 meters left of the green in some cases.. don't underestimate the slice
c) take an extra 1/2 inch up the shaft on the grip
d) close clubface very slightly to combat the cut sidespin...
e) balance is important, as clean ballstriking is a must....take extra club and 7/8th of a swing...
f) the shorter / cleaner the grass, the more slice will be generated.

when your playing that hole and no one is around, drop 20 balls and get it right!!!

[nevets88]

It's hard to practice all permutations of these shots.

These "extreme" shots will expose any weaknesses you have in your swing more than a normal shot, kind of like the driver. You can find a practice bunker and simulate some of these stances.

If you find a strictly uphill/downhill stance, turn diagonally to get the ball above or below your feet to practice the ball not level with your feet, up/down hill stance. So if you have a direct uphill stance, turn right, I dunno, 45*, to get the ball below your feet, turn left to get the ball above your feet.

This is where playing for real benefits you more than practicing on the range.

[boogielicious]

I find that for shots below my feet, an easier swing will prevent me from coming up off the ball. I will usually club up 1 club and take a shorter/gentler back swing. For me, the ball doesn't fade that much because I do S&T.; It tends to go dead straight. I also focus on keeping my head steady, which is why the easier swing helps. If you are in rough, go up two clubs and play the ball back a bit more.

Ball above my feet works the same way. You are gripping down on the club because of the lie, so I go up 1 or 2 clubs because I will lose distance. I again swing easy to prevent me from taking too deep a divot. This shot will definitely draw (sometimes too much) for me, so I aim accordingly.

It took me most of the year to get these shots down. The key is to relax, swing easy and let the club do the work.

[ejimsmith]

Originally Posted by wrx_junki

i've been trying these tips and they don't seem to work for me.  i'm still hooking or slicing the ball on the side hill lies (though the tips did help me with uphill lies..).   now, i could definately not be hitting the ball cleanly, or with a good stroke.   but my impression from the video is that with a ball above or below the feet, you *should* be able to get the ball to go straight with no hook/slice.  before i keep trying to practice this, can anyone tell me whether this does work?  and whether you're able to hit a ball nice and straight when you're facing side-hill lies?

and finally... where can you practice lies like this?  the range isn't possible, though i suppose i could try it on a course when no one else is there and give it a try.

thanks!