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golf what to do when the ball is below your feet

by Allie Marvin Jr. Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Part of a video titled HOW TO PLAY A BALL BELOW FEET GOLF SHOT - YouTube
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Full Answer

How do you hit a golf ball below your feet?

As you get ready to hit a shot where the ball is below your feet, make sure to hit on each of the following points. Add flex to your knees. This is the big one. When getting ready to swing, you need to flex your knees more than you would when hitting the ball from flat ground.

Are your feet lower than the ball on a golf course?

While it occurs more often in mountainside or links-y courses all golfers will still from time to time find themselves in situations where their stance is not level, in this case when their feet are lower than the ball.

How to aim a golf ball above feet lie?

Aim Right of Target. When you are faced with a ball above feet lie you should expect the ball to shoot a little left of the tar get. This happens because the sole of the club is at an angle rather than being perfectly level on the ground. To account for that tendency to shoot left, aim a little right of the target.

Can you play the ball below your feet on flat courses?

Even if the course you play is relatively flat, you will encounter the ball below your feet occasionally. Flat courses will have some mounds at the very least around bunkers and greens. Playing it below your feet is a challenge, but if you make the proper adjustments you can keep the ball in play pretty easily.

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When the golf ball is above your feet?

Ball Position: When the ball is above your feet, you should adjust the ball further back in your stance than normal (close to center of stance). Balance: Because the ball is closer to you, you will have to adjust your spine angle at address to a slightly more upright angle than normal.

How do you hit a golf ball when the lie is above your feet?

2:236:09Golf Tip | How to Hit a Ball Above your Feet - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI'm going to stand up a little bit taller as this ball gets higher and higher above my feet I canMoreI'm going to stand up a little bit taller as this ball gets higher and higher above my feet I can stand more and more vertical. So I'm staying a little bit higher there.

How do you hit a downhill lie in golf?

6:3513:16Top Tips to Hit Uphill and Downhill Lies on the Golf Course - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo again feet narrow weights forward shoulders sloping down alright that's the initial setup hereMoreSo again feet narrow weights forward shoulders sloping down alright that's the initial setup here and what you're gonna do here also is open up the club face.

How do you hit a fairway wood on a downhill lie?

0:091:22Downhill Lies: Golf Fairway Woods - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI could swing. And fall over so i want to balance myself by placing my weight on my back foot. AndMoreI could swing. And fall over so i want to balance myself by placing my weight on my back foot. And this is a tough shot downhill eyes are my least favorite shot.

How to stay balanced in tennis?

Take a shorter swing than normal so you can stay balanced and make solid contact with the ball. Slow down your tempo to ensure you don't lose your balance.

What is the purpose of golf course design?

Golf course designers artfully take advantage of the natural terrain to create challenges for golfers of all skill levels. If you play on a course with rolling fairways you can cope with shots off of sloping lies through simple adjustments to your stance and swing.

Is it difficult to swing a ball on a downslope?

Maintaining your balance while swinging at a ball that lies on a downslope is difficult -- and balance is critical to making solid contact with the ball.

How to hit a shot when the ball is below your feet?

To hit quality shots when the ball is below your feet, you need to make some adjustments to your setup position. The ball is not where it usually is when you have a flat lie, so you need to tweak your stance in order to make solid contact. These changes aren't going to be dramatic, but they are very important. Without these changes, it will be almost impossible to hit a good shot in this position.

How to pick a golf ball off a slope?

Stand a little closer to the ball. Again here, this is a tip which has everything to do with helping you reach the ball. By moving in just an inch or two , you will have less distance to cover between your hands and the ball. Also, this adjustment is going to help you make an upright swing, which is ideal when trying to pick the ball off of a side slope. A flat swing would run the risk of catching the ball fat in this situation, so move in a bit and make an upright move to take the ball off the turf cleanly.

How far away should you chip the ball to putt?

You are trying to get the ball up and down, so you are hoping to chip to within just a few feet of the cup to set up an easy putt. It takes skill to chip accurately when the ball is below your feet. To build up your skills in this area, consider the tips listed below.

What causes a golf club to be open?

Three factors cause this to happen: 1) An open clubface at address. 2) A spine angle that's tilted forward and makes the swing plane more upright. 3) Difficulty in firing the body through the shot, inhibiting the release and leaving the clubface even more open at impact.

What direction does a ball curve?

Commit this fact to memory: A ball that's above or below the level of your feet will curve in the direction of the hill's slope.

How to hit a sweet spot in golf?

With the ball well below your feet, it can be hard to get the sweet spot all the way down to the back of the ball at the right moment. To avoid making that task any harder than it needs to be, make sure your hands are all the way up at the top of the grip. Many players choke down slightly for most of their shots, and that can be a good idea – when you are on flat ground. It is not a good idea here, however. Stay up at the top of the grip and use every last bit of length that the club has to offer.

What is the first decision you need to make when shooting a golf shot?

Believe it or not, the first decision you need to make is not selecting the target for your shot, or even choosing the club you will use. Rather, to start, you need to decide exactly how aggressive you are willing to be with this shot. Are you going to fire at the flag, or are you going to play it safe? Will you try to get the ball all the way to the hole, or are you okay with playing a bit short in order to stay away from trouble? The answers to these questions will then dictate the rest of the choices you make.

How to hit a golf shot?

As far as setup goes, there are a few things that we can do in this situation. I suggest widening your stance slightly and bending your knees a little more than normal. This will help you get down a little bit closer to the ball’s level. I would suggest taking an extra club and swinging smoothly, rather than trying to hit the shot as hard as you can. Swing level, meaning without extra raising and lowering of your body throughout the swing to help make solid contact with the ball. Focus on maintaining good posture and stability throughout your swing, as it is easy to lose your balance on uneven surfaces.

Why do golf balls go to the left?

The reasons shots go to the left when the ball is above your feet is that we are forced to set up with the toe of the club higher than the heel. This does not hold true in the converse. When the ball is below our feet, we generally adjust our stance and body position, but do not tilt the club itself much from the normal playing position.

How to get your body closer to the ball?

In more severe circumstances, widen your stance and bend your knees to get your body down closer to the ball. It may be a good idea to take an extra club and swing under control, helping you maintain level posture and balance in these awkward swings. September 19, 2016. /. by Casey Bourque.

What position is the head of a golf club?

In these circumstances, the club is normally positioned with the heel of the club against the hill and the toe of the club slightly raised, but overall, the head of the club remains in a standard horizontal position.

How to swing a golf club when the ball is below your feet?

To imitate the kind of swing you will make when the ball is below your feet, you are going to put extra flex in your knees before hitting these shots. To make up for the fact that the ball is not actually below your feet while on the range, you are going to choke down on the grip of the club. This will prevent the club from being too long for the shot, and you should be able to get a feel for making a swing while your knees have extra flex. This is not a perfect solution, but it is a good alternative when you can't actually practice on a slope.

How to reach the ball in golf?

Bend from the knees: To reach the ball, many golfers bend over from the waist, pushing their weight too far onto the toes. Flex your knees a little extra and maintain balance in the middle of the feet.

How to avoid sloped lie golf?

Unless the entire fairway is tilted from one side to the other – which you will find from time to time – the best thing you can do is hit an accurate tee shot which keeps you away from a sloped lie. The list below includes some game planning tips which may be able to help you stay off of the slanted pieces of the fairway.

How to hit a golf ball short?

Covering the full distance to your target. Even if you do everything right, you are still likely to hit the ball shorter from this kind of lie than you would from a flat lie. To make sure you can cover the full number to the target, use one more club than you would use otherwise for that distance. You don't want to be swinging a full effort in this situation, since swinging hard is going to cause you to fall off balance. Swing easy, use plenty of club for the shot, and focus first and foremost on solid contact.

How to play golf with a rough?

When playing a course which features very little rough – as is the case with most modern golf courses – you may be better off playing the ball into the rough intentionally rather than finding a sloped fair way. If you see that a section of the rough is relatively flat and will give you good angle at the target, think about aiming your shot in that direction even though that means missing the short grass. You will still want to aim for the fairway most of the time, of course, but planning on finding the rough does work when the fairway isn't an attractive choice.

How to reach the ball when there is nothing to extend your arms or the length of the club?

So how can you manage to reach the ball when there is nothing you can do to extend your arms or the length of the club? To overcome this problem, you will need to get lower to the ground. At address, you are going to bend your knees more for this shot than you would for a similar shot played from flat ground. Adding flex to your knees is going to bring you down closer to the level of the ball, and you should have a much easier time achieving a clean strike as a result . The severity of the slope is going to determine how much you need to bend – add a lot of flex for a steep hill, or just a little flex for a minor grade.

How to chip on a slope?

If that is the case, try swinging slightly from outside to inside by using an open stance. Using this path is going to help you make solid contact is a good choice as the steeper angle of attack will mean the club can avoid the grass behind the ball. Also, swinging across the ball from the outside will add loft to the shot, which is usually helpful in this kind of spot.

Where do you find the ball when playing a flat golf course?

Even if the course you play is relatively flat, you will encounter the ball below your feet occasionally. Flat courses will have some mounds at the very least around bunkers and greens.

What happens if you stand up in golf?

In this situation if you stand up even a smidge, you will top the ball or miss it completely.

How to feel your chest on a golf swing?

Make sure to let out on the grip and don't choke up so you can use all of the length you have on the club. Bend over quite a bit more than you are used to feeling like your chest is facing the ground. It is important to feel like your rear end is sticking out and your chest is down throughout the entire swing.

What is the toughest shot in golf?

Some will say that a ball below your feet is by far the toughest shot in golf. Add to that when the ball is in a bunker and your feet are outside and I would have to agree whole-heartedly. Playing it from below your feet is a challenge in coordination and flexibility. The tendency for a large majority of golfers is to stand up or raise out ...

How to compensate for a drifting ball?

As noted above, the ball will drift right with this lie. To compensate, flex your knees a bit more and aim to the left.

How to determine ball position in stance?

Determine the ball position in your stance based on where the clubhead bottomed out in the swing on your practice strokes. This will be key for solid contact as you’ll need to be precise to hit the ball properly.

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Can you practice hitting the ball below your feet?

But even though you can’t practice with the ball below your feet on just any range doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to hit the shot. On today’s episode of How to Hit Every Shot, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Lou Guzzi gives us five tips for solid contact when the ball is below your feet.

Why does my golf ball shoot left?

When you are faced with a ball above feet lie you should expect the ball to shoot a little left of the tar get. This happens because the sole of the club is at an angle rather than being perfectly level on the ground. To account for that tendency to shoot left, aim a little right of the target. Note that the shorter the club or the steeper ...

Why is my golf club closer to my hands than it would normally be?

Grip Down on the Club. Through the simple fact that the ball is higher on the ground than your feet, the ball is therefore closer to your hands than it would normally be. That means that unless you make some adjustments your clubhead is bound to dig deep into the ground as it makes contact with the ball, probably resulting in a fat shot.

Can sidehills affect balance?

Depending on the severity of the sidehill you may find yourself in a situation where it is harder to keep your balance. So while a small sidehill may not impact your balance too much, a more pronounced one will. Accordingly and while setting up, test the severity of the slope and make sure you are comfortable, that you are balanced ...

Does a lower loft golf club send the ball further?

To account for that change in distance, use one more club that you normally would. Yes, the lower loft would send the ball further but the shorter shaft length (through gripping down) ...

Do golfers have a vertical or flat swing?

Or in other words, some golfers have a flatter swing while others have a more vertical swing. If you naturally have a more vertical swing, you’ll need to be particularly careful here. Indeed, a very steep swing, combined with a ball above feet lie can result in the clubhead digging straight down into the ground.

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