In our previous golf lesson article I discussed how to hit a golf ball off an uphill lie. Hopefully, you had a chance to practice hitting balls off the uphill lie. Now, I will discuss how to hit a golf ball from a sidehill lie with the ball below the feet.
When you face this type of sidehill lie, the ball lies below your feet. The address position relating to the ball and clubhead positions should be the same as a level lie. Ball position should be in the center of your stance. Because of the sidehill lie, your body will need to bend more at the hips to reach the ball.
Because of the slope, your weight has a tendency to move toward your toes. This results in the ball going to the right of your target line. Because golfers have to bend more than normal, there is a tendency to stand further away from the ball. In fact, golfers should stand slightly closer to the ball to achieve the desired results. Standing closer forces your weight away from your toes and places it closer to the heels allowing for better balance throughout the swing.
Align to the left of the target to compensate for the left to right ball flight and swing thru to the target line.
As I stated in the previous article, unusual golf shots can be mentally challenging for golfers. With most driving ranges offering only level lies, golfers rarely practice these shots. Tip: play a late twilight round and practice hitting some shots off a sidehill lie.
