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Lies, Lies, Lies.

A golfer once said to me that the only flat lie that exists at Deerfield was on his playing partner’s score card.  I don’t know if that is 100% true, but I can attest that there are plenty of challenging, sidehill, downhill, and uphill lies to be found on the course at the Deerfield Golf and Tennis Club.   Uneven lies can be a challenge even for the best of golfers and can create a great deal of trouble for the less experience.   Let’s discuss one of the most common lies you may face during a round of golf, a sidehill lie.  

Like anything else you don’t already know, a sidehill lie can be intimidating if you don’t know how to tackle it.   Sidehill lies become a lot easier to deal with once you know what to do to hit great shots.  It is possible to hit the same quality shots from a sidehill lie as you can from a flat surface.  The key is in the set up.

When a golfer gets ready to hit a shot, he or she must first get into an athletic stance or posture.   It is this posture that most often suffers during shots on the side of a hill.   For example, during a shot which the ball is below the golfer’s feet one of the most common mistakes is for the golfer to bend more at the waist in order to be able to reach far enough to place the club at the ball.   A result of this additional bending at the waist is that often times the player is off balance (his or her weight is too far forward toward the toes.)   A common result of this extremely forward posture is often times a very arms driven swing resulting in poor and  inconsistent contact.  The reality is that if the golfer does not start his or her swing in a balanced position it is very difficult to maintain a good balanced position throughout the golf swing, which directly contributes to the consistency of the shot.

A method to get lower to a golf ball that is below your feet without jeopardizing a good balanced starting position is to bend from the knees rather than the waist.   Knee bend will enable you to get your club closer to the ball with out altering your spine angle and knocking you off balance.  Similarly, when the ball is above your feet stand a bit taller to maintain your balance throughout your swing. 

You must also take into account that your club has to make solid contact with the ball to be successful during a shot from a sidehill lie.  Extend your hands to the very end of the grip on shots where the ball is below your feet and place your hands lower on the grip when the ball is above your feet.  This hand position will assist you to either lengthen or shorten the club and enable you to make the best possible consistent contact with the ball each and every time.

Additionally, sidehill lies tend to “automatically” determine the direction of the golf ball’s flight.  Although there is no guarantee of this “automatic” direction, the general rule of thumb for a right handed golfer (Lefties please reverse) is that “shots on which your feet are above the ball tend to fly to the right and shots on which your feet are below the ball tend to fly to the left.”  The simple way to combat this “automatic” direction syndrome is to aim in the opposite direction.  If you know that the shot tend to go to the right aim your shot more to the left in order to counteract this effect. 

If you would like to experience the thrill and excitement of hitting high flying controlled golf shots, don’t hesitate to schedule a lesson by contacting the Deerfield Pro Shop at 302-368-6640 ext 3.

Archived Golf Tips:

06/08 – Distance Control When Putting
05/08 – If The Shoe Fits
02/08 – Sand Dollars
01/08 – Getting More Power Out Of Your Swing
12/07 – Winter Club Maintenance
11/07 – Hillside Lies
08/07 – Lift
07/07 – Hybrids
05/07 – Practice
04/07 – Golf Club Fitting
03/07 – The Iron Triangle