Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
AS if this game isn’t hard enough, I always seem to be facing uphill lies, sidehill lies and downhill lies here at Royal Golf Club (RGC), writes general manager, DJ Flanders.
What is it with all those lies? To be fair, it’s hard enough to hit the green from a fat lie! The truth is, we are all gluttons for punishment and that is why we play this game. But these lies really aren’t that much of a challenge – it’s all in the way you address them.
First let’s examine the dreaded uphill lie. Now, we all know that an uphill lie logically adds loft to the golf club. With that in mind, hit one more club than you would normally hit, or even two if the lie is really drastically uphill. Next, lean away from the slope of the hill so that your shoulders are parallel with the ground. If your shoulders are in the proper set-up position, you will realise that the majority of your weight is on your back foot with the ball a bit forward of your stance.
Now we have the downhill lie. This lie seems to be a bit more of a challenge for most golfers, but it shouldn’t be. A downhill lie will decrease the loft in the club, so take a club with more loft according to the angle of the hill. Once again, be sure that your shoulders are parallel to the slope, but, with the downhill lie, place the ball toward the back of your stance. If you are in the proper set-up position on a downhill slope, you will feel a majority of your weight on your forward foot.
Oh, the good old sidehill lie. When the ball is above your feet, you need to lock your knees causing you to stand a bit taller.
While in the lock-kneed position, grip down the shaft a bit due to your distance from the ball being different from that of the flat lie set up.
The ball-above-your-feet lie will cause the ball to be pulled, so be sure to aim accordingly. Also, keep your weight a bit more on your toes than usual during the swing.
Last, but not least, comes the lie with the ball below your feet. When the ball is in this position, you’ve really got a challenge. You need to bend more at the hips and flex your knees to get down to the ball. Grip closer to the end of your shaft. Take a wider stance to get closer to the ball and lower your centre of gravity for more stability. And remember the tendency will be to push this shot, so aim accordingly.
Really all of those lies that the ‘golfing gods’ throw at us are not that hard if we just pay attention to all of the truths while addressing them. Just be sure to go through your mental checklist before each shot, take the proper adjusted stance to allow solid contact with the ball, and you will find the truth about all those golf lies.
