By Matt Keel
Lead Golf Instructor
Wildfire Golf Club
JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
Golfers often ask me why they hit the ball so well on the driving range but have difficulty hitting the ball as well on the golf course. Most golfers assume they are not swinging the same on the course as they were on the driving range. This assumption may have some truth, but I believe more often than not golfers are failing to make the necessary adjustments on the course for different lie conditions, specifically uneven lies. On the driving range you will typically have a flat lie which means that the ball is laying level with your feet. Golf courses, however have hills and undulations which will result in a lie where the ball is not level with your feet. The ball can either lie uphill, downhill or on the side of a hill. In this issue, I’ll be addressing playing a shot with a side hill lie.
With a flat lie, a golfer has a certain amount of spine tilt and knee flex allowing the club to bottom out slightly lower than the ball creating a divot. To make solid impact with a ball that lies higher or lower than your feet simply adjust where the bottom of your swing occurs. You can adjust where the bottoming out point of you swing occurs by adding or removing flex in your knees. In figure 1, notice an appropriate amount of knee flex for a flat lie.
A side hill lie where the ball is above your feet requires the bottom of your swing to occur higher than it would on an even lie. First, set up with your usual spine angle, but remove some knee flex from your normal setup. Figure 2 shows a set up with less knee flex. Next, take some practice swings and keep adjusting your knee flex until you take a normal divot. Finally, maintain that same knee flex you practiced throughout your entire swing. With a side hill lie with the ball above your feet, aim to the right of your target because the ball will tend to go to the left.
To make solid contact with a ball that lies lower than your feet simply add more knee flex while maintaining your normal spine angle. Figure 3 shows adding knee flex for a lie with the ball below his feet. Once again, take your practice swings while adjusting your knee flex until you make an appropriate divot. In this situation the ball will go to the right, so aim to the left of your target.
By making some simple adjustments to your setup, you will now be able to make solid contact with the golf ball from side hill lie situations. Remember, it’s all in the knee flex. In the next issue, I’ll continue the topic of making shots from uneven lies focusing on uphill and downhill lies.
Matt Keel is the Lead Golf Instructor at Wildfire Golf Club located at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge & Spa. For any questions or information about golf lessons email Matt at Mattkeel@pga.com.
