Playing the ball below your feet.

[TommyGunUK]

So I've had a great round, All i need to do is shoot a bogey or less and I've shot my course record.

I can either take is as a par 5 and use two irons on the downhill dogleg right 18th, or I can drive it and wedge it onto the green and have three putts. As I can't putt too well, I decide to go for the later.

...turns out I couldn't drive to well either, hit a low hook and drive it into the rough on a steep hill about 170 to the green.

I find the golf ball. It's a good foot below my feet. I think about what to do and realise I have no idea how to play this shot.

I ended up pulling catching it fat and pulling it with 100 yards left to the green. Then I pushed a wedge and buried my ball in the bunker, hit a disastrous sand shot then three putting for a seven.

There goes the course record. (Followed by my golf ball in the lake)

So my question is, how the hell do you play a ball that far below your feet?

[bradsul]

I found this video incredibly helpful for those shots.  He has a video for ball above your feet as well.

http://www.videojug.com/film/golf-how-to-play-the-ball-below-your-feet

[iacas]

Ball below your feet effectively makes the lie angle more upright, which tends to point the face more to the right (the more loft, the more of this effect).

Wider stance, knees more bent, stand a little closer to the ball... and make sure your aim is good. That's about all I try to do.

[TommyGunUK]

Thanks guys, I'll bare it in mind next time!

Thanks.

[saevel25]

I have had that before, it was crazy. What i do is make sure i am aiming left of my target, i know my ball will go right. Then i make a very armsy vertical swing. I try to get my hands up quicker, in the backswing, and finish high in the downswing. This helps because i can't stand in my normal stance or i will fall over. So i have to stand more straight up. I think 3/4th swing as well, just to limit any unwanted movements. I take my normal stance though, and really can't bend my knees more because then they come into play with the ball. This is an extreme case, like you said a ball about a foot below your feet. If its less i can get more and more closer to my normal swing.

[Leftygolfer]

Have fun with tthat shot :).  IMO if you get a severe (or even moderate) side hill lie and you can't really play take your medicine and punch it with a half swing with a short club to a spot you can make a bogey at worst.  From a 170 yards it is hard enough to hit a solid shot from a flat lie, side-hill forget about it (this is me).  You really got to stay down through your backswing and keep your relation to the ball.  If you hit it correctly, it will cut off the lie.  But the problem I have is I double cross myself, hit a huge pull.  I often make terrible contact and almost miss the ball.  But I've gotten to the point I just hack it forward with a wedge, make sure my aim is good so I get in an ok spot if I pull it or cut it.

I think that shot is about as hard as they come.  If I had my choice between a 50 yard bunkershot or 150 yard sidehill lie I will take the bunker shot.