Side Hill Lies
Even though Oak Hills does not present to many full shots from uneven lies, we can still be faced with these shots during the short game and as we travel to other courses.
Side hill lies come in two varieties. Right to Left (ball above your feet) and Left to Right (call below your feet). Each lie causes a different ball flight and with all shots needs some setup adjustments to be successful.
If you stand behind your ball the direction of the curve of the hill, that is the direction the ball will fly. Compare it to an airplane turning, when the left wing is lower than the right wing the plane turns left. So when the ball is above your feet the plane is turning left, the ball will fly left. Conversely the same is true for the ball below your feet.
Ball position can be adjusted to help reduce the expected curve to hit a straighter shot. On the ball above your feet, move the ball back a little, hitting it sooner will help reduce the pulling left off the hill, since the face likely will be closing down with this shot the ball will fly lower and will likely run more once it hits the ground. Using less club is a good decision with the ball above your feet. With the ball below your feet, move the ball forward. Hitting the ball a bit later in the swing helps the face to square up to reduce blocking or slicing the shot. Using more club will help since hitting a shot below your feet will add loft to the club and the shot.
Posture - Ball above your feet means the ball is closer to you, you need to stand taller, less knee flex, choke down on the club, or shorter club. Ball below your feet means the ball is farther away, you will need to bend your knees more and take a longer club. During the swing you will have to keep your posture to create solid contact.
Alignment - with the ball above your feet you need to aim farther to the right, ball below your feet farther to the left. Always swing along the slope.
Lastly, the final swing thought should be smooth swing focusing on maintaining your knee flex and spine angles. Changing these and not following on maintaining your knee flex and spine angles. Changing these and not following the slope will kill any chance of hitting a good shot.
Remember golf is a game of good misses!! Happy Holidays to all!!
Corny
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