Slope

When playing from an upslope, the clubface is effectively more lofted than if you were playing the same shot from a flat lie. A downslope effectively reduces the loft on the clubface, relative to the horizontal lie.

Ball below your feet.

This is the toughest of the sloping lies because it necessitates a swing from such an uncomfortable address position. The keys to success are establishing a balance address position an then maintaining your height through the hitting area. However, you will not be able to make as powerful a swing as from a flat lie, therefore use a less-lofted club to make up the extra distance.

When the ball is below your feet, adjust your position to facilitate a solid strike. “Sit down” a little at address by flexing your knees, and widen your stance to further enhance your sense of balance. Because the ball is lower than usual, stand a fraction closer to it so that you are not overstretching. Because the ball will fly from left-to-right off this type of lie, aim left of the target to compensate.

With sloping lies you must swing smoothly and not overextend yourself. This is certainly the case when the ball is below your feet. Keep your knees flexed and make an “arms-dominated” swing to keep your balance. The slope tends to force your weight downhill, which can produce a shank. To counter this problem, keep your weight back on your heels as you swing.

With this sort of shot, the ball is effectively raised. Therefore, on a severe slope, shorten the club by choking down on the grip and standing more erect at address. To maintain your balance as you swing, settle your weight a little more toward your toes.

Golfers hit their short-game shots much straighter on the practice tee than on the golf course.

The reason is the ground beneath the golfer’s feet. Many players don’t understand that even on short shots around the greens. ground level influences aim.

Ball above feet (tend to hook): aim right, choke down, take one more club.

Ball below feet: aim left, keep weight back.

Uphill: move the ball up near the left foot, tilt shoulders with the slope, take one more club, aim a bit right.

Downhill: move the ball back near the right foot, weight forward, tilt shoulders with the slope, make three-quarters swing.

Swing with the slope on a downhill lie.
Take an extra club for uphill lies.
Play for a slice when the ball is below the feet.
Choke down on the club when the ball is above.

Ball above your feet:

The first thing to understand when the ball lies above the level of your feet is that you will have a tendency to pull the ball down the slope. There are a few swing changes to adopt to compensate for this.

First, aim to the right of your target. Then, choke down on the grip. This shortens the club and thus compensates for the fact that the ball is effectively higher than it would be on a level lie. Also, stand a little more upright with slightly less knee flex.
The combined effects of the slope and the nature of your stance will encourage a slightly more rounded swing plane-the feeling being that you are swinging the club more around your body. That is how it should feel; just try to maintain your original height and spine angle as best as you can.
Then rotate your body through to a finish, all the while maintaining your balance.

Ball below your feet:

Once again, the slope influences the ball flight and you must accept that the awkward nature of this lie and your stance tends to limit your body rotation.

The ball will tend to fly right, so aim to the left of the target. At address, bend from the hips more than you would normally, to get yourself down to the level of the ball. Plenty of knee flex is also advisable, as is a wider stance, to give you more stability.
Due to your inhibited turn, your backswing will be more arms-dominated and therefore shorter and more upright. You will generate less power, so club-up accordingly, and maintain a nice smooth rhythm.
Swing through as freely as possible within the confines of the slope.

The key to this shot is maintaining your original height and spine angle until the ball is struck. Any tendency to gain height, an easy mistake given the nature of the situation, will result in a topped or thinned shot.

Ball on an upslope:

This is probably the easiest of all the shots from sloping lies, because there is a sense of being able to launch the ball into the air. However, there are a few ways to make sure you play it well.

Your right shoulder should be markedly lower than your left and your weight favoring the back foot. Adopt a slightly wider stance and aim right of the target, because the ball tends to hook from an upslope.
Try to swing in harmony with the slope and maintain your balance. Do not get thrown back onto your right foot or lean into the slope.
Keep your weight stable and your head down through impact. Let the natural momentum of your swing pull you into the finish position.

Ball on a downslope:

This is the toughest of all the sloping lies, because the downslope gives you the sense that it is very difficult to get the ball airborne. It is not imagined.

The nature of a downslope means that you are deprived of loft, and it is all too easy to scuttle the ball straight along the ground.

Make sure your shoulders and hips are as close to parallel with the slope as possible-your left shoulder feeling lower than the right. Place the ball back in your stance. This is a very important point. You will tend to want to put the ball forward in your stance, as it feels natural to generate some elevation from there, but this will prevent you from getting the ball airborne.
Pick the club up a little steeper in your backswing with an early wrist hinge. This sets the club in a position from which you can more easily generate the necessary steep angle of attack into impact. Make sure you maintain your weight distribution all the way to the top of the backswing.
As you swing down into impact, try to feel as though you are chasing after the ball down the slope, staying well down through impact so that the clubhead follows the contours of the ground. Never try to help the ball into the air.

Understanding launch angles:

Club selection is not as straightforward when you are playing from an upslope or a downslope. The main thing to keep in mind is the change in the initial launch angle. On a downslope, it will be significantly lower, so you can afford to take less club-say, a 6-iron instead of a 5-iron. On an upslope, the opposite is true.

The launch angle is higher, which means you can take more club-for instance, a 7-iron instead of an 8-iron. Do not fight that slope effect-just go with it. Remember: less club on a downslope, more club on an upslope.

Level fairway lie:

Choose the appropriate club based on the distance to the target.
Position the ball in the center of your stance, align your body parallel to the target line, and maintain a balanced posture.
Execute a regular swing, focusing on making solid contact with the ball and maintaining a smooth tempo.

Uphill lie:

Adjust your body alignment to match the slope. Position the ball slightly forward in your stance, with more weight on your front foot.
Swing along the slope, allowing for a steeper swing path. Make sure to maintain balance throughout the swing and avoid excessive body movement.

Downhill lie:

Align your body with the slope. Position the ball slightly back in your stance, with more weight on your back foot.
Adjust your swing to accommodate the downhill slope. Swing more shallowly to avoid digging the club into the ground. Maintain good balance and avoid leaning back during the swing.

Ball above feet:

Align your body with the slope, and position the ball slightly back in your stance. Bend your knees and maintain a stable lower body.
The slope will promote a left-to-right shot shape (for right-handed players). Swing along the slope and allow for the ball to start left and curve back to the target.

Ball below feet:

Align your body with the slope, and position the ball slightly forward in your stance. Keep your knees flexed and maintain balance.
The slope will encourage a right-to-left shot shape (for right-handed players). Swing along the slope and aim slightly right of the target, allowing the ball to curve back.

Adjust your aim when you’re on a slope. Off a downslope or when the ball is below your feet, aim to the left of where you want the ball to finish. Off an upslope or when the ball is above your feet, aim right.

As far as ball position is concerned, play the ball back toward the middle of your stance if you’re on a downhill lie, or forward, of your left big toe, from an uphill lie.

With the ball above one’s feet, the natural (and in this case correct) tendency is to stand more erect than usual and to choke down on the club. In my case, setting my weight more toward my toes and making a special effort to swing smoothly and compactly helps me to retain my balance, with a mental picture of me sweeping the ball away cleanly, rather than digging it out of the hillside. Generally I will go with the tendency of the ball to draw, and simply aim accordingly at address.

Make a controlled sweeping swing around your body, almost like that of a baseball player. Concentrate on making solid contact and full follow-through. The ball flight will curve to the left. When hitting from very severe sidehill lies the ball will curve lower and faster.

Ball above your feet:

Mistakes:

Failing to stand taller at address.
Not aiming far enough to the right.
Failing to move the ball back a little (which diminishes the effect of the lie and reduces the right-to-left curving).

Setup:

Align clubface along a target line that is right of the target.
Square feet along the start line.
Grip down.
Ball in middle.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Make solid contact and think “sweep.”
Stay balanced and keep up consistent tempo.

Swing:

Swing around body.
Take three-quarter backswing and full follow-through.

Playing a shot where the ball is lying lower than the feet is one of the harder shots in golf and it’s easy to understand why. Beginners find it easier to contact the ball if it’s raised in the air on a tee, more difficult when it’s one the ground. Now, in the ball-below-feet lie, it’s actually lower than ground level. The tendency is for the ball to be topped, pushed or push-sliced.

The key to hitting a ball below your feet is hitting the entire ball, dead on. This sounds pretty obvious, but you’d be amazed how many players are thrown off by a ball sitting a few extra cm below foot level. They come up and out of the swing and hit the top of the ball. Or they hit the ball to the right because they’ve failed to keep the club square through impact.

The lie itself promotes a left-to-right ball flight. The slope increases your spine tilt, which causes a more vertical swing path. This more upright, less around swing path contributes to cutting across the ball, which sends a ball that’s already “flying right” farther on its way.

Poor posture, such as slumping too far forward, flexing too much at the knees or burying your head in your shoulders, creates swing problems. When you don’t tilt forward from the hips, the club will naturally swing on a plane that’s too far behind the body and too flat. This forces you to move from the heels to the toes on the downswing, leading to a constant feeling of imbalance and instability. This makes it difficult to achieve consistent, solid impact. As a reaction to the instability, you try to keep your head down to contact the ball solidly. This creates poor posture, thus completing the vicious cycle of excess head movement during the swing.

Stay on the downslope and make a few half swings, then three-quarter swings. Determine which length and speed of swing allows you to make a solid pass without losing balance. With this shot you need solid contact and complete balance throughout. Finish low. Let the extra club or two you’ve selected and solid contact carry the ball to the target — do not add any “hit” to the bottom of the swing.

More advanced players have mastered other approaches to hitting this shot. One method is to close the clubface slightly, align square to the target rather than playing for a slight fade, and swing three-quarters.

Ball below feet:

Mistakes:

Failing to stay in the correct posture for making solid contact with the ball.
Failing to make sure the bottom of the swing covers the ball.
Not using enough club, over-swinging and losing balance.

Setup:

Tilt forward from the hips.
Add more knee flex.
Grip at full length. Take extra club or two.
Stand closer to ball. Ball in center.
Aim left and set feet parallel to target line (aim left).

Pre-swing thoughts:

Stay in posture throughout the swing.
Maintain balance and tempo.
Finish low.

Swing:

Take one-half or three-quarter backswing and through swing.
Maintain knee flex and posture through impact.
Maintain smooth tempo — stay balanced.

With either a downhill lie or uphill lie, always play the ball nearer the higher foot.

Make sure your shoulders are parallel to the slope. In an effort to not allow gravity to pull you past the ball at impact, set slightly more weight on the inside of your back leg and concentrate on leaving it there throughout the swing. It’s also better to play a fade or a cut shot, which will aid in getting the ball in the air. Set the face of the club slightly open and aim a bit to the left. It’s a good idea to minimize your backswing to maintain control over your weight shift, and stay balanced during the swing. Take a few practice swings to see how long of a swing you can take and still maintain control.

After you take the club back and reach the top, swing down the slope. “Chase the ball down the slope.” Finish low so you don’t catch the top-half of the ball and skull the shot.

The ball flight is low so expect the ball to run once it hits the ground. You may even want to take one less club. The additional loft will help get the ball in the air — the main challenge when hitting a downhill lie.

“He’s staying up on the flat.” What does it mean when they say this? Well, they’re talking about course management. Staying up on the flat means landing your ball in an area that is flat ground. Pro golfers sometimes lay up so they can hit their approach off flat ground and avoid hitting off a hilly lie.

Downhill:

Mistakes:

Setting the shoulders against the slope.
Taking too big of a swing and weight shift.
Finishing high and failing to swing down the slope.

Setup:

Set the shaft perpendicular to the ground.
Set shoulders parallel to the slope.
Stand to the handle, setting a little more weight to the inside of your right leg.
Position ball slightly to the rear of the sternum.
Aim your body a bit to the left of the target with the face slightly open.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Imagine hitting a fade.
Take a swing that can maintain your balance.

Swing:

Take a restricted (three-quarters) backswing.
Swing the club, chasing the ball down the slope.
Finish low to keep you from hitting the ball thin.

An uphill lie looks easy, and most players like it, but it does bring about an astonishing number of topped shots. In almost every case, he will stay back on his leg, and strike upward or across the ball from outside to in.

Your address position is going to feel awkward. The tendency is to hang or fall back during the swing on uphill lies. When this happens, you scoop the ball or hit a drastic hook. The ball will fly extremely high in the air and fall way short.

Players also fear catching the ground with the clubface and altering their swing path. They try to catch the ball too clean (as if they’re hitting off hardpan), pull up and off the shot prematurely. The result is a skulled shot (or shot hit thin).

Rhythm and tempo are also important to hitting this shot. Concern about reaching the target, which can appear farther away at its uphill position, may cause you to overpower the shot. You’ll speed up your hands and cast the club out ahead of your lower body. Instead of just pulling the shot, you’ll end up snap-hooking it. Stay smooth and tempo-conscious through the shot.

Through impact and into the follow-through, try to make the clubhead follow the contour of the slope. This will ensure square contact. Finish with your weight moving forward (uphill) rather than falling backward.

Because it’s very easy to slide the clubface beneath the ball on an uphill lie, you’ll probably hit your shot slightly higher. If you’re on an 8-degree uphill slope you’ll effectively add 8 degrees of loft to the club. Your 6i is now an 8i. Be prepared to take 1-3 more club to hit the ball the desired yardage. This will also make it easier to maintain a smooth tempo, and not overswing.

Uphill:

Mistakes:

Falling back and losing balance during the backswing.
Swing the club too hard and hooking the ball.
Not taking enough club to reach the desired target.

Setup:

Narrow your stance to reduce your coil and weight shift.
Position your weight with a flexed forward knee.
Position the ball slightly forward in your stance.
Aim your body and clubface to the right of the target.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Stay on top of the ball during the swing.
Minimize weight transfer in your backswing.

Swing:

Swing the club along the contour of the slope.
Maintain tempo throughout the swing.
Extend through the ball; do not scoop it.
Finish with your momentum moving forward up the hill, not falling back.