
A golf ball laying directly on the ground
- Example. "His tee shot resulted in a tight lie just short of the green."
- Related Slang
- Usage
Why are they called Tight Lies golf clubs?
A tight lie in golf refers to a situation where a golfer’s ball comes to rest at a spot on the course where there is very little grass underneath the ball. Typically, the ball will be resting on thin grass, bare earth, or even a hardpan lie. But the result is always …
What is a lie in golf?
· A tight lie in golf is when a ball sits on grass less than a quarter-inch high, or no grass at all. The “tight” description comes from the ball being tight to the ground. A golfer must approach this type of shot differently than a ball perched up or in heavy rough. If a ball sitting up is your preferred lie, a tight lie is the complete opposite.
What is a tight lie?
· In golf, a "tight lie" is what the golfer faces when his golf ball comes to rest in a spot where there is very little grass underneath the ball. That might mean short, sparse turf or even bare dirt. The term "tight lie" also implies that the ground under the ball is compact or firm.
Should you hit a golf shot from a tight lie?
· A “ tight lie ” occurs when a golfer’s ball comes to rest in a position with very little grass below it. That might signify bare earth or short, sparse lawn. The word “ tight lie ” also denotes compact or solid ground underneath the ball. Similarly, How do you hit a tight lie? From a tight hardpan lie, here are four strategies for hitting it clean.

How do you hit a golf ball off a tight lie?
Four tips for hitting it clean from a tight hardpan lieMove the golf ball back in your stance. This will set your hands in front of the ball.Swing down more on the ball. This will give the golf ball backspin.Keep good tempo.Take more loft. Go to a hybrid instead of a longer iron.
What is a good lie in golf?
Good Lie. A golfer will face a good lie when his ball is situated in a way that does not add difficulty to a golf shot. For example, a ball that lands on the fairway will often have a good lie, the shorter grass making it easy to hit the ball.
How do you hit a tight lie wedge?
1:564:35How to Hit Wedge Shots from Tight Lies - Golf Swing Basics - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipForward hand slightly forward the wrist conditions are going to help me to use a little bit ofMoreForward hand slightly forward the wrist conditions are going to help me to use a little bit of bounce. So I can hit a nice shot from 30 yards. Like if I had to lob.
What is a fluffy lie in golf?
One of the trickiest lies you will have to deal with from time to time on the course is the 'fluffy' lie. This is a situation where your ball is in the rough, but it is not sitting down at the bottom of the grass. Instead, it is sitting on top of the rough, hanging at least a couple of inches off the ground.
What is a hook lie?
Johnny Miller's phrase indicating that the ball is positioned in the golfer's stance such that the golfer who normally draws a shot might actually hook the shot instead. KEY: Universal Golf Lingo.
What does laying 3 mean in golf?
'Lie' as Scoring Shorthand For example, "what do you lie?" is a questions that means, "how many strokes have you used to reach this point?" "I'm lying 3" means "I've used three strokes in advancing the ball to this point."
Why are Tight Lies difficult?
Getting the ball up in the air is more difficult for higher-handicappers, whose confidence in doing so goes up when the golf ball is "sitting up." A tight lie can cause a golfer to fret over being able to get the club under the golf ball, which can lead to a fear of hitting a thin shot (or "blading" the ball).
What wedge should I use for chipping?
For the average golfer, chipping with a pitching or gap wedge will produce the most consistent shots around the green. Using a gap wedge will be the best place to start for standard chips, but a pitching wedge could work better if the ball is sitting up in the rough.
Can you hit a flop shot from a tight lie?
2:339:00Easy Flop Shot From Tight Lies - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf you're gonna hit this shot you're gonna need a lob wedge. With low degree of Bounce somewhere sixMoreIf you're gonna hit this shot you're gonna need a lob wedge. With low degree of Bounce somewhere six degrees or less is ideal.
How do you hit rough Fluffy?
Good contact with the ball while avoiding seeing the clubhead travel underneath the ball.Take One Less Club and Aim for the Front of the Green. ... Position the Ball in the Center of your Stance. ... Grip Down on your Club a Little. ... Favor a Flatter Swing Rather than a Steep Swing.
What causes golf ball knuckles?
Grass gets trapped between the clubface and the ball at impact, so the face can't grip the ball like it normally does. As a result, the shot flies like a knuckle ball and runs hard after it lands.
How do you hit a fluffy lawn?
3:184:24Titleist Tips: How to Pitch from a Fluffy Lie - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipForward use the golf club. And the face angle position you need for the trajectory of the shot. AndMoreForward use the golf club. And the face angle position you need for the trajectory of the shot. And try to make the golf club just skim right across the top of the surface of the grass.
What Is A Tight Lie in Golf?
A tight lie in golf is when a ball sits on grass less than a quarter-inch high, or no grass at all. The “tight” description comes from the ball being tight to the ground.
How to Identify a Tight Lie
Tight lines are almost always accompanied by a hard surface below whatever grass there is. The ground factors into your approach and requires golfers with steep swings to make the biggest adjustments.
How to Play from a Tight Lie
The tricky thing about a tight lie is it can go bad two ways, topped or thin. Allowing your club to bounce off the ground before hitting the ball results in a top. Trying not to go too deep and staying too high leads to a bladed shot.
Why is it so hard to get a tight lie in golf?
Why? For the same reason that beginners and higher-handicappers are more confident hitting off a tee than off the ground. Getting the ball up in the air is more difficult for higher-handicappers, whose confidence in doing so goes up when the golf ball is "sitting up."
What is tight lie?
Tight lies can also be called thin lies or, in the case of an area of no grass, bare lies or hardpan lies . Golfers can encounter tight lies anywhere on a golf course, but they are most commonly found on: and in closely-mowed (or "shaved") areas around putting greens (areas often called "green surrounds").
Why is it so hard to get the golf ball up in the air?
Getting the ball up in the air is more difficult for higher-handicappers, whose confidence in doing so goes up when the golf ball is "sitting up.". A tight lie can cause a golfer to fret over being able to get the club under the golf ball, which can lead to a fear of hitting a thin shot (or "blading" the ball).
Why are Adams golf fairways shaped?
Adams Golf exploded in sales and name recognition. Those Tight Lies fairway woods were shaped in a way to improve playability from a wide variety of lies (not just tight lies) and had low centers of gravity to help get the ball up in the air.
What was the original Adams tight lies?
The original Adams Tight Lies had a big impact on the golf industry, ushering in a focus on long-iron-replacement clubs such as the modern hybrids. Adams eventually used the Tight Lies name on many golf clubs.
What does it mean when a golf ball is tight?
That might mean short, sparse turf or even bare dirt. The term "tight lie" also implies that the ground under the ball is compact or firm.
What is a fluffy lie?
A "fluffy lie" is the opposite of a tight lie.
What is a Tight Lie in Golf?
A tight lie occurs when the golf ball comes to rest at a part of the course where there is very little grass underneath it. When there is little to no grass underneath the golf ball, the golfer cannot take his normal divot while swinging. A lot of folks also refer to a tight lie as a thin shot or a bare lie.
Mike Noblin
Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He's been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.
How to hit off a tight lie?
Whether you're hitting an iron, hybrid club or fairway wood, the key to hitting off a tight lie is to play the ball slightly back in your stance (to the right, for a right-handed golfer) and strike it with a descending blow. On iron and hybrid shots, play the ball approximately in the center of your stance.
How to play bare lie golf?
A few keys to keep in mind when you find a bare lie: 1 On iron and hybrid shots, play the ball approximately in the center of your stance. For clubs with less loft, like a 5-iron or 3-hybrid, move it just forward (left) of center. 2 With fairway woods, the ball should be between center stance and your left foot. 3 Grip down slightly to aid your control of the clubhead. Good contact is critical. 4 If the ground is completely grass-free, stand slightly wider to avoid slipping. 5 At address, place slightly more weight on your left (lead) foot – about 55-60%. 6 Focus on hitting down on the back of the ball, and rotate your body through to the finish.
What does it mean to bounce on a tight lie?
Bounce on a tight will make the club rebound off of the ground and hit into the top half of the golf ball. The result is a very thin shot. Bounce is great if you are hitting out of thick grass or out of a greenside bunker. But using bounce when hitting a shot from a tight lie can produce some pretty awful shots.
What is the greatest concern for a golfer?
For the average golfer the greatest concern is hitting a clean shot.
Why is grass important in golf?
The grass gives a player confidence that even if they don't make a great swing there is a chance that the shot will come off well anyway. Take away the fluffy layer of grass and doubt creeps in. Tight lies demand that you pay special attention to your shot. If the ball sits on dirt and you hit the ground first the club can bounce into the ball. If the ground is soft then there is a good chance you may hit the shot fat.
How to get bounce off a golf club?
Your second option is to raise your hand position slightly at address. By raising your hands the heel of the club will come off of the ground. This will reduce the amount of bounce on the club. This shot is very effective out of hard packed sand.
What happens when you nailed a couple of shots off tight lies?
Once you've nailed a couple of shots off tight lies, your fear will dissolve. In fact, you may come to relish these opportunities.
How To Chip Off Tight Lies In Golf
When chipping off a tight lie you need to be sure to utilize the bounce of your iron and minimize the shaft lean. The bounce refers to the bottom of your iron head that comes after the leading edge.
Best Wedge For A Tight Lie
When hitting a chip off of a tight lie you want to be sure that you are taking a safe shot. This is a tough lie and is going to make it more difficult than usual to hit the ball effectively.
How To Hit Fairway Wood On A Tight Lie
Hitting a fairway wood from a tight lie can be a tricky shot. Especially since hitting a slice or hook is likely going to end up with a lost ball. Though there are a few tips that can add some consistency to these shots.
What is a tight lie in golf?
My definition of a tight lie is when the golf ball is sitting with an eighth of an inch or less space beneath it, on a surface so firm you can’t take a normal divot. From such a lie, there are two optimal shots (or swings) to consider: 1. You can “kiss” the turf with a high-loft, low-bounce wedge. 2.
How to hit wedge shot from tight lie?
The challenge in hitting this type of wedge shot from a tight lie is to make certain that the bottom of your swing arc is perfectly positioned so that your club kisses the dirt immediately after it makes contact with the ball. To pull this off, it’s necessary to use a wedge with only modest bounce on the sole (< 10 degrees), and to hold it in a slightly open position at address and through impact. This will keep the club’s leading edge snug to the ground without digging into it.
How to improve touch on golf swing?
To begin, grip down very slightly on a low-loft club (in the photo, I’m using a 6-iron). This effectively raises the bottom of your swing arc. Center the ball in your stance, with your hands just in front of it at address. Then use a normal swing back and through, keeping it as level as possible. Learning to control distance on this shot will take time, but a little practice will go a long way toward improving your touch.
How to pick a golf ball?
1. You can “kiss” the turf with a high-loft, low-bounce wedge. 2. You can pick the ball in a sweeping, bump-and-run motion with a low-loft club.
Is it easy to take on tight lies?
Although taking on tight lies is never easy, both of these very different techniques will deliver short-game gems for you.
Is it hard to hit a short lie in golf?
Don’t worry—you’re not the only one who struggles in the super-short stuff. Shots from tight lies, particularly pitches requiring less than full power, challenge golfers at every skill level, including many PGA and LPGA Tour players. And for good reason—these are really difficult shots with a really small margin for error.
What is a golfer's lie?
A golfer's lie is the location of the golf ball at rest. In this usage, the term typically refers to the quality of the ball's position; i.e., "do you have a good lie or bad lie?" or "how is your lie?" Meaning, is the ball sitting on top of healthy fairway grass? (good lie); or, the opposite, has the ball sunk down into some think rough (a terrible lie)?
What does "hanging lie" mean in golf?
Hanging Lie: "Hanging lie" typically refers to a golf ball that is sitting on some kind of side slope or small decline so that the ball is below the level of the golfer's feet. (Although some golfers also use "hanging lie" to mean a ball sitting above one's feet.)
What is a fluffy lie?
Fluffy Lie: When the ball is sitting up on top of longish grass, which can lead to a golfer swinging the clubhead underneath the ball, catching little (or even none) of the golf ball. There is also the term " preferred lies ," which refers to a local rule that allows, under certain conditions, golfers to move their golf ball out ...
What is the difference between a cuppy lie and a fluffy lie?
The ball is very tight to the ground with little room to get the golf club's leading edge through what grass there is. Cuppy Lie: When the ball is stitting down slightly, as if in (or actually in) a slight depression. Fluffy Lie: When the ball is sitting up on top of longish grass , which can lead to a golfer swinging the clubhead underneath ...
What is the lie angle of a golf club?
And "lie" is also shorthand for "lie angle," which refers to the angle of the shaft relative to the sole of the golf club as it is properly grounded. For best results, the lie angle of a golfer's clubs should match the type of swing he has; depending on the type of swing, a golfer might benefit from a higher lie angle or a lower lie angle.
What is an uneven lie in golf?
The golf club, upon striking the hard ground, will often bounce up, resulting in many shots hit thin. Uneven Lies: A catch-all category that includes sidehill lies (ball on the side of an incline), uphill lies (ball on the upward face of an incline with the golfer's feet below the level of the ball) and downhill lies ...
What is hardpan lie?
Hardpan Lie: Hardpan is any spot in fairways, rough or other playing areas other than hazards where the ground is very hard due to compacting of the soil. The term is particularly applied to hard, bare patches of dirt, but it equally applies to grassed areas where the grass is closely mown on top of very compact soil.
