Golf Tips » June 1998: Uneven Lies, Part 2 – Downhill Lies

As I said in my previous article (Uphill Lies) there is a lot of confusion on how to play the ball and where to aim when faced with uneven lies. This article covers downhill lies.

Picture #1.

As you can see from picture #1 I have the ball position back in my stance and my body tilted almost perpendicular to the slope. Most of my weight is therefore on my front foot.

If I had my ball incorrectly positioned towards my front foot I would tend to hit behind the ball as the ground behind the ball is higher than the ball.

Picture #2

In picture #2 you can see my follow-through is shortened – if I tried to follow through all the way the momentum would pull me off balance.

Here are a few rules:

1. Take one club less ( an 8 instead of a 7) – play the ball off the back foot which decreases the loft and increases distance.
2. Aim to the left (for right handed golfers) as the ball will tend to fade.
3. On uphill or downhill lies always play the ball off your highest foot – in this case the back foot.