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18 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | JULY 2021 | By Brian Garlington, PGA, Director of Golf So many times we find ourselves on the golf course with a severe downhill or uphill lie and struggle with how to play the shot. The following article will give you some simple tips on what to do when faced with these types of lies. Downhill Lies Hitting from a downhill lie requires a couple of simple adjustments. First, understand the ball will come out lower than usual and your swing arc will bottom out sooner relative to your stance line. Like a lot of challenging situations, hitting from a downhill lie requires you to throttle back on expectations and not compound your problems. Try and set your shoulders with the slope of the hill and not against it. Depending on its severity, this may be difficult because you don't want to topple down the hill. But setting the angle of your shoulders to that of the ground, at least somewhat, will help you to approximate a level swing. Given the ball will come out lower, you may need to go with one less club length. Your 9-iron, for example, may play more like an 8, so you may need to consider your wedge because the downhill slope will deloft your club. Play the ball a bit farther back in your stance because you will contact the ground sooner given the slope of the hill. Also, make sure you swing along the slope and try not to help the ball up in the air as you will hit the ground well behind the ball if you do. You will also notice your weight moving downhill on the follow through. Try not to resist that feeling and if your balance is good, go ahead and step down the hill after making contact with the ball. Uphill Lies Hitting from an uphill lie presents the opposite challenges of hitting downhill. First, it is important to note, that the slope of the hill will add loft to your club. Your 8 iron will act more like a 9 iron, so make sure to take an extra club or two to counteract the higher trajectory of shot the slope will produce. As you would from a downhill lie, you want to set your shoulders to the angle of the hill. Move the ball forward in your stance, so your clubhead will contact the ball at the bottom of your swing arc. Take a few practice swings to see where the club hits the ground and note that for your ball position. Make sure you swing through the shot by trying hard to move your weight uphill. I see so many amateurs fall back during the swing which increases the loft of the shot even more and will also have a tendency to go left. A three-quarter finish can further promote a more controlled ball flight. I hope these tips help the next time you are faced with an uneven lie. Good golfing! Tips on hitting from downhill & uphill lies

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