Mastering Uneven Lies: Ball Below Your Feet

How to Play a Golf Shot When the Ball Is Below Your Feet

One thing you learn quickly on hilly courses is that golf rarely provides you a flat lie every time. And hitting a ball below your feet can be one of the more difficult shots you face when playing an uneven lie. When you come for golf training in Orlando, are you seeking to remedy this in your golf game?

This is the first post in a series of posts entitled, “Mastering Uneven Lies.” Within the series we’ll focus on the shots where you have the hardest time maintaining your balance before, during, and after your swing. We’ll provide you with set-up variances that address your ability to better balance. While providing you with the best opportunity to make solid contact with the golf ball, no matter what the lie may be.

For this post, if you continually struggle when faced with a ball below your feet, let’s help you become less intimidated and more insightful to what it takes to pull this shot off every time you face it. Understanding setup adjustments and strategy is all it may take for you to effectively play this shot more consistently. In this post, I’ll share exactly how to effectively play a shot when the ball is below your feet. Doing so with more confidence.

Why a Ball-Below-Feet Lie Is So Challenging

When the ball is sitting well below your feet on a sidehill slope, a lot can go wrong if you don’t adjust. Gravity and the slope are working against you. You’re standing higher than the ball, so it feels like the ground might pull you forward, toward your toes, as you swing. Making it harder to stay balanced as you swing. In fact, a very common mistake is to unconsciously stand up or lift out of your posture as you swing. Which leads to topped or whiffed shots. The more severe the slope, the more you’ll have to bend and the harder it becomes to stay down through impact.

Shot shape is another issue. A ball below your feet will almost always tend to fade or slice whether you play left or right-handed. This is because the slope makes your swing path steeper and more upright. Reducing the normal release of the clubface. With a more up-and-down swing plane, the clubface is less likely to close fully. Leaving it open at impact. Making the ball fade or slice.

That fading tendency not only veers the ball off target, but it also robs your shot of distance. A glancing blow to the ball at impact doesn’t transfer the same energy of a straight club path with a square club face. In addition, when you’re unbalanced on a slope, it’s tough to transfer your weight effectively. Allowing you to hit through the shot.

In short, when your faced with a golf shot that has the ball below your feet, you should expect the ball to fly shorter and lower with a fade bias. Knowing this in advance is half the battle. Now let’s look at the adjustments that will set you up for success.

Key Setup Changes for Ball-Below-Feet Shots

To hit a solid shot when the ball is below your feet, you’ll need to adjust your setup. In my experience, there are 4 crucial setup variables, plus an aim adjustment, that you should tweak in this situation. Here are the key changes to make before you even swing:

• Club Selection – One More Club!: Because a lie where the ball is below your feet produces a weaker shot that fades, you’ll want to take one extra club than normal for the distance your facing. For example, if the distance of the shot is 138 yards and you’d normally play an 8-iron, you’re going to need your 7-iron at the very least. The combination of a fade and a less-than-full swing for balance will likely cost you distance. Adding one more club compensates for both. However, don’t automatically grab the longest club you can. There’s a point where too much club becomes hard to control on a slope. Take just enough golf club to account for the expected distance loss.
• Grip and Club Length: When the ball is below your feet, it is measurably further away from you as you set up. Making you feel like you need to reach. A common instinct is to hold the very end of the grip to stretch the club’s length. I advise against gripping at the extreme end of the handle. Doing so can make the club harder to control, leading to errant shots. Instead, grip the club securely in your fingers, as you would for a normal shot, keeping a firm but relaxed hold. Use the club’s full length while insuring your hands aren’t hanging onto the last millimeter of the grip. A proper grip in the fingers gives you control of the clubface, which is half the battle in making solid contact on this uneven lie.
• Stance – Widen Your Base: Set your feet a bit wider than normal, based upon the club you choose. Doing so creates a stable base, making it easier to keep your balance as your swing. It also lowers your body’s center of gravity, which is useful since the ball is lower than normal. This wider base will make it easier to stay grounded throughout the swing and not tip forward. Balance is key when facing any uneven lie. A broader stance is the first step to achieving it.
• Posture – Bend from the Hips and Knees: With the ball below your feet, you must get your body lower to reach it. The best way is to add flex in your knees and hinge more from your hips. Feeling as if you’re squatting down and sticking your rear end out a bit. With your chest tilted more toward the ground than usual. This is going to feel exaggerated. But it needs to be the lower the ball lies below you. Maintain most of your weight toward your heels when you address the ball. Too much weight on your toes and you’ll topple down the hill at the ball as you swing. By setting your weight a bit back, you counteract the gravitational pull downhill and can stay balanced.
• Ball Position – Play It in the Middle: I have a steadfast rule; when faced with any abnormal lie, the ball position should automatically be placed in the middle of your stance. To insure you hit the ball and not the earth. With a ball below your feet and the ball forward in your stance, it is highly likely the club will bottom out behind the ball. Resulting in a chunky, heavy shot that comes up short. By keeping the ball in the middle of your stance, you ensure you impact the golf ball at the bottom of your swing arc. It’s always a good idea to make rehearsal swings to see where your club grazes the turf. That is the point where the bottom of your arc will meet the golf ball. The goal is solid, ball-first contact.
• Aim Adjustment: Finally, aim the leading edge of the golf club to allow for the expected curve. For a right-handed player, this means aiming left of your target, sometimes well left, depending on the severity of the slope and how much fade you anticipate. The opposite for the left-handed golfer. This is a crucial adjustment. Don’t fight physics! Accept that the ball will likely fade or slice. And set your aim to compensate. If you normally hit a fade, expect an even bigger fade. If you normally draw the ball, don’t be surprised if this lie straightens it out or even makes it fade. Play the slope. And aim away from trouble so that when the ball veers in the slope’s direction, it still ends up safe or on target.

By using these adjustments, an extra club, secure grip, wide stance, weight balanced, ball middle, and aiming smart, you’ve tilted the odds back in your favor before you swing.

Swing Execution: Stay Balanced/Swing Smooth

The moment of truth is the swing. With a ball below your feet, two swing keys rise above all: balance and control. Here’s how to execute the swing effectively:

• Maintain Your Knee Flex and Posture: It’s one thing to address the ball with good knee bend and hip hinge. But it’s equally important to keep that flex throughout the swing. A lot of golfers make a good setup then immediately straighten their legs as they swing. This is a killer with the ball below your feet. Staying down and through the ball should be the focus. One way of achieving that is feeling like your chest remains pointed down at the ball through impact. You can also feel like your feet will “ride the slope.” As if you’re on skis maintaining balance through the swing. Constant knee flex can lead to making solid contact.
• Swing Smooth – 70-80% Effort: Tempo and balance go hand in hand. On an uneven lie, swinging full can cause you to lose balance and spray your shots. Dialing back to about 70-80% of your full effort is not a bad idea when the ball is below your feet. This lies doesn’t require your biggest swing. A smoother, more controlled swing is the key to staying balanced throughout. You took an extra club before you swung. So why swing so hard? Swinging within yourself makes for better ball contact. In turn, leading to better distance than an off-balance hit swung at 100%.
• Solidify Your Upper-Body Turn: With a ball below your feet, your body turn will naturally be restricted because of the squatting position you’re in. Trying to make a big, deep body turn can pull you off the ball. It’s perfectly fine to make a more arms-and-hands oriented swing in this situation. As if you lift the club more steeply as your swing back. Versus making a huge shoulder turn. A more vertical swing makes it easier to make solid contact with the golf ball. It will also contribute to a fade spin. Again, don’t fight physics. Swinging more upright might feel strange if you’re used to a full turn. But it will keep you from losing your posture. Trading a bit of power and rotation for solid contact is a smart trade-off in this situation.
• Your Follow Through will be Shorter: Because of the concentrated focus on balance, you’ll end up finishing more balanced than normal. While at the same time finding it hard to hold a classic full finish pose. Don’t be surprised if you stumble a step forward after impact. Great golfers lose their balance in this way when faced with a ball below their feet. Keep the priority to hitting the ball squarely. If that means you can’t quite swing all the way through the shot. O you finish a bit low, that’s okay. Swinging through the ball as much as you can while not forcing a full follow-through is what it will take to remain balanced. Make a controlled, balanced swing and be content with a modest finish.

One last thought. When faced with a ball below your feet, focus on the point of contact. Trying to hit that spot on the ground you identified in your practice swing. Keeping your eyes and head focused through impact will help you avoid pulling up. If you do everything else right and still lose a touch of balance as you swing through, that’s okay.

Practice Swings and Mental Preparation

Approaching a ball below your feet with the right mindset significantly improves your chances of executing this shot well. Add in a few good rehearsal swings, and good results are bound to happen.

Before hitting the shot for real, take a moment for a few good practice swings. Find a similar lie to what you have and make rehearsal swings mimicking the lie. Doing so will:

• Identify Ground Contact: Your practice swings will show you where your club is interacting with the ground. Notice the divot or grass marks. Are they consistently in the same place and where you expect? Use this feedback to adjust your stance or ball position. If you’re hitting the ground too early, you might move a touch closer to the ball or play the ball slightly further back. If you’re barely reaching the ground, adjust your stance width as well as your knees before attempting to grip the club longer. Ultimately, you’re attempting to make the rehearsals brush the grass exactly where the ball will be.
• Rehearse Balance: Rehearsal swings are also a chance to feel the balance you’ll need when swinging. Pay attention to your feet. Are you staying planted or lurching forward? Try to feel a swing where you maintain stability without gravity pulling you out of posture. Feeling so boosts your confidence that the same will happen when it’s time to hit the shot for real.
• Visualize the Shot: Mental preparation is huge on tricky shots. As you take your practice swings, visualize the ball flight you expect. Remind yourself that you’ve accounted for the anticipated curvature of the ball. This positive visualization helps you commit to the shot and swing freely. Rather than doubting or trying to make last-second manipulations.
• Swing Thoughts: Going into the actual shot, it can help to have just one swing thought, swing smoothly. This one thought triggers all the other “mechanical thoughts” you may be wanting to think. And at the same time providing the necessary calmness to stay in the shot.

Finally, accept and embrace the difficulty of this shot. Touring professionals find this shot challenging. If you’ve made the proper adjustments and give it your best swing, that’s a win regardless of the result. When the ball is below our feet, avoid the temptation to panic or get frustrated. A clear, committed mind yields far better results than a doubtful, tense one.

Course Management Tips for a Ball Below Your Feet

Good course management can sometimes prevent or mitigate the difficulty of a ball below your feet scenario. A few strategic tips to keep in mind:

• Plan for Uneven Lies: If you’re playing a course known for slopes, expect some uneven stances. Sometimes you can choose a strategy off the tee to avoid the worst sidehill lies.  But sometimes you’ll be faced with the inevitable. Think ahead to where a flat lie might be, even if it means slightly altering how you’ll play the hole.
• Aim for Safe Zones: When you are faced with a ball below your feet and must hit onto a green or fairway, aim for a safe target that allows for the expected miss. If the pin is on the right side of the green, aiming at it would be risky since your shot is likely to fade right. Instead, aim for the center or left side of the green so the fade brings you toward the pin. Or at worst, to the middle of the green. Give yourself some margin for error. Playing away from trouble is just smart golf, especially from a funky lie.
• Know When to Lay Up: Sometimes the slope is so severe or the situation so precarious that the “hero shot” is unlikely to succeed. In those cases, consider a high-percentage play. For instance, hit a shorter shot to a flat area rather than going for the green. If you have a long approach from a brutal sidehill lie, it might be wiser to hit a wedge or short iron to advance the ball safely, then hit the next one from a level lie. Remember, bogey from a tough lie is better than a triple because you bit off more than you could chew.
• Adjust Club Selection for Terrain: Earlier we discussed clubbing up for distance. When possible, think about trajectory too. A shot from below your feet tends to come out lower. When hitting into a green, a lower fade might not hold the green as well. If the green is elevated or you’re forced to carry an obstacle, make sure you’ve got enough club to carry to the middle of the green. Conversely, if there’s a back bunker or trouble long, be aware that extra club plus a strong fade could run further than expected once it lands. These nuances will affect your club choice. Choose to error on the side of getting the ball safely on the green or in the fairway. Not trying to get it close.
• Practice Uneven Lies: While most driving range surfaces are flat, it’s in your best interest to find opportunities to practice the ball below your feet shot as often as you can. Just a few reps can make you more comfortable when it counts.

Conclusion

A ball significantly below your feet is undoubtedly one of golf’s tougher challenges. But it’s a challenge you can overcome with the right approach.

Think about the fundamentals first by adjusting your setup to the slope. Taking the extra club. And setting up with wider stance. And the ball is in the middle of your stance. While taking aim to accommodate the fade that will occur with this shot. Making a smooth, well-balanced swing from this position is what will create success for you. Be committed while focusing on the items that make you successful when faced with a ball below your feet. No need to fret over your swing feeling abnormal.

The biggest mistakes golfers make in these situations is losing balance and posture. Or forgetting to allow for the ball flight change. Knowing how to avoid those pitfalls insures an increased chance you’ll hit a ball below your feet more successfully. These adjustments are what keep you in control when faced with a ball below your feet.

I hope you consider scheduling golf training in Orlando with me very soon. Known as one of the best golf instructors in Orlando, I can assist you with this and other issues you have in your game. That are more simple to remedy than you think.