We touched on the uneven lie a few weeks ago, where the ball is below your feet and you have to squat, maintain posture and aim left. We covered a downhill lie after that, where your body needs to be tilted down the slope with the expectation a lower ball flight countered by using a higher-lofted club.
After that, I went on and wrote about some other topics without discussing the old ball-above-the-feet golf shot. I’ve heard your feedback load and clear; you want the complete series. It’s like a puzzle with a missing piece, worthless until the puzzle is complete.
Hitting a golf ball that is above your feet all starts with posture. When you’re faced with a mess like this, you need to set up with the upper body taller so your chest is pointing at the ball. Gravity wants to take your weight to the heels, so establish balance slightly toward your toes.
Depending on the severity of the slope, grip down on the club an inch or two. The more severe the slope, the more you need to grip down on the handle of your club.
With taller posture and the ball above your feet, you’re forced to swing flatter and more around your body, similar to a baseball swing. This almost guarantees delivering the club from an inside path and creating a draw-biased ball flight.
The lie angle of the club will also be more upright at impact, causing the initial flight left of your intended target, so aim right to compensate for that as well.
If you’re a chronic slicer, expect a straighter flight as you won’t need to adjust as much. If you draw the ball, expect more curvature than normal.
During the swing, maintain your upper body posture throughout the swing. Avoid going taller on the backswing or moving your torso closer to the ground during the downswing. Any change in your posture will create instability and loss of balance resulting in a missed shot.
Finally, take more club, use a shorter backswing and swing easier to help you maintain stability and balance required to hit a successful shot.So grip down, stand tall, maintain posture and aim right. Congratulations — your puzzle is complete!
Peter Harris is the director of Golf at the Fore-U Golf Center in West Lebanon. His column appears in the weekly Recreation page during the golf season.