Field-Tested Tips for Amateur Golfers
Golf rarely hands you a perfectly flat stance. When the fairway tilts away from you and the ball sits on a downslope, with your lead foot lower than your trail foot, the contact, the direction, and the distance your golf ball will experience all change. Your ability to dominate this lie could require the assistance of one of the best golf instructors in Orlando, John Hughes Golf. But if you can’t visit John at his home in Orlando, the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, then this blog post might be just what you need to overcome your fears and frustrations when facing a downhill lie.
As part of the blog post series, Conquering Uneven Lies, let’s take you through a simple and repeatable sequence of events you can use to turn this “uh‑oh” lie into a green‑hitting opportunity. In addition, this article follows the same sequence as the previous blog posts. And as a bonus, this blog post finishes with a quick checklist you can save to your phone.
What Does a Downhill Lie Do to Your Shot?
The first thing to realize about a downhill lie is that the lie reduces the club’s effective loft at impact. In turn, your shots will:
- Launch Lower – A lower launch angle will reduce the amount of carry distance your shots will experience from this lie. But on the positive side, chances are the ball will roll further than usual. Knowing the likelihood of this happening to your shots from a downhill lie, you should plan for extra rollout when hitting approach shots from a downhill lie.
- A Fade Curvature Bias – With the slope pulling your swing “down the hill,” the clubface can tend to stay open to the club path as well as to the ball at impact. Causing a slight fade to a slice for some golfers. Planning for this by adjusting your aim point will provide a greater likelihood of your shot ending up where you intend.
Keeping these two items in mind, how can you become better at hitting shots from a downhill lie? Let’s explore some of the more common situations that you may be experiencing when faced with this shot.
Hanging Back is Not Cool
As many golfers fight gravity to avoid falling down the hill, the opposite, hanging back, is a major culprit of your errant shots when faced with a downhill lie. Doing so can result in a wad of fat or a chunky shot, or a very thin shot as you attempt to lift the ball from its lie. One thing is for sure: you can’t fight physics at any time or any place in your life. So why try to fight it when hitting a shot from a downhill lie? If anything, you should be setting up your body to match the slope you’re on. And allow your swing to work down the hill, with gravity. The real key here is finding a good balance point to start your swing from, so you don’t fall down the hill. But actually swing down the hill.
The Chunk
Hitting a fat or chunky shot from a downhill lie often occurs when a golfer places the ball too far forward in their stance. When your body is set up to mimic the slope of the hill you’re standing on, the bottom of your swing will actually move to the back of your stance.
Next time you’re faced with this shot, make a few practice swings first. As you do, you’ll notice your golf club bottoming out on the hill, closer to your back foot. If the evidence you’re providing yourself with the practice swings does not convince you that your swing bottom is further back in your stance than usual, nothing else will.
From here, it becomes obvious you’ll need to move your ball position further back in your stance. How much further? That depends upon the club you’re using as well as the shot you’re attempting to hit. I would not recommend you hitting a very long club from this position. The additional length of the club will make it difficult for you to balance a swing from this position. And as previously mentioned, the downhill lie is producing less dynamic loft at address, making a longer club unnecessary in most situations. I think what you’ll find is that middle to shorter irons are always best when faced with a downhill lie. And as the club gets shorter, the ball is slightly moving back in your stance, further than you initially felt was necessary.
The Thinned Shot
Attempting to ‘lift’ the ball from a downhill lie works against gravity. Remember, don’t fight gravity! Fighting gravity involves lifting the club during the swing to propel the ball into the air. This works oppositely to how a ball takes flight from the moment of impact.
Again, as you did to avoid a chunky shot, you’ll need to set up in a balanced position to allow the club to swing its way down the hill. This will make you feel like the club is finishing a lot lower in space, for a lot longer time than usual. Resist the temptation to help the ball up into the air. A simple trick of the mind to do this is to concentrate your focus on a blade of grass slightly ahead of the golf ball. Your job as you swing the club is to get the club to dislodge that piece of grass you’re focused on.
Downhill Produces Speed
With a downhill lie, there’s no need for you to swing faster than usual. Think about this, doesn’t going down a hill in your car make the car go faster? So why would that not be the same when swinging down a hill?
Most amateur golfers tend to overswing when faced with a downhill lie. Partially to make up for the club change to a club with more loft. And partially to make up for the club being shorter. In their minds, these two things add up to a loss of distance, making them believe they need to swing harder or faster than usual, quite the opposite.
Allow gravity to add speed to the golf club naturally. Doing so will allow you to be less focused on creating distance and more focused on keeping balanced through impact. This will allow you to gently move down the hill with the momentum of your swing. Versus trying to make sure you don’t fall and roll down the slope beside your golf ball.
Keeping these four faults in mind, let’s now examine and detail how to properly set up for a downhill lie and understand how to adjust as needed when faced with this shot during a round of golf.
Downhill Lie – A Step-by-Step Setup
1) Club Selection – Add Loft
As I previously mentioned in this blog post, the slope of a downhill lie ‘delofts’ your golf club at impact. Creating a seven iron into possibly a six iron. On a severe downhill slope, your seven iron might play like a five iron. Keeping this in mind, choose a golf club with more loft than you’d use from a flat lie. If you’d usually choose a seven iron from a flat lie, choosing the eight‑iron in this situation is a good choice. Believe it or not, expect a higher lofted club to produce a lower ball flight trajectory, as well as make more roll.
2) Stance & Posture: Match the Hill
- Allow your shoulders and hips to be parallel to the slope you’re standing on. Yes, your lead shoulder will be lower than your trail shoulder when set up correctly with a downhill lie.
- Allow your weight to favor your lead leg and foot at address. Doing so, you’re finding a proper place to balance your stance as you work with gravity, not against it. For some golfers, feeling 60% to 70% of their total body weight in their lead leg and foot might feel awkward. But it is an appropriate feeling you should get used to for this shot.
- If you achieve the first two setup positions, you’ll place your spine perpendicular to the hill you’re standing on. To maintain this spine position at setup and throughout your swing, your lower body should remain athletic and allow gravity to work its magic down the hill with this shot. Versus attempting to stay balanced and on top of the hill. Staying on top of the hill means that you probably straightened your spine to the sky in an effort not to fall down the hill.
- Gripping down the handle a bit will add stability to your swing and, in turn, your entire effort to stay balanced. When you grip down the handle of the golf club you choose, you’re adding a ‘counter-balance’ effect to the club. This allows your equilibrium a chance to keep you balanced from start to finish.
3) Ball Position: Start Center, Then Adjust by Low Point
As I discussed earlier in this piece, the low point of your golf swing will shift towards the back of your stance when attempting to hit a golf ball from a downhill lie. Instead of guessing where the ball position should be, begin with the idea that the ball should be in the middle of your stance for this shot. Then, as you make practice swings, observe where the club is contacting the ground consistently. From there, you’ll have a better measuring point to determine where you should move the ball position to accommodate the lie you’re facing.
4) Aim & Face: Plan for a Fade or Slice
When faced with a downhill lie, immediately plan for the lie to produce a fade or slice ball flight. If your routine ball flight is already a fade or slice, you’ll need to prepare for more than you usually do.
Remember that your aiming point is not the final target for this shot. If you’re a right-handed golfer, your aim point should be left of where you want this shot to end up. Opposite for the left-handed golfer. If you already produce a natural fade or slice in with your golf swing, your aiming points will be even wider than you usually aim for.
What About a Swing Thought?
Up to now, I’ve detailed ‘pre-swing thoughts.’ Which are always better if remembered in the same order. And always better than too many swing thoughts. My advice to the average golfer is to find the one swing thought that allows you the opportunity to repeat a well-balanced swing when faced with a downhill lie.
Some of my clients use the swing thought of ‘swinging down the slope.’ This thought allows them to envision what they desire to look like as they make the swing. Highlighting the actual swing making its way down the slope they’re balancing on.
Other clients use a swing thought that regulates their swing, such as ‘75%’ or ‘nine to three.’ Their swings are probably bigger than their thoughts. But the swing thought allows for balance to have a chance to maintain itself as you make a swing down a hill.
With almost all shots, I ask average amateurs if they can make their swings feel ‘lower, longer.’ This is a great swing thought when faced with a downhill lie because it encourages you to swing down the slope versus attempting to lift your swing prematurely.
How Can I Feel Better About a Downhill Lie?
Why not try a couple of simple yet effective drills at the practice area first? And successfully use the drills the next time you’re faced with a downhill lie during a round of golf?
The trick to doing these drills is ensuring you are standing right beside a golf ball, recreating the slope you’re attempting to swing from.
- Brush‑Line Drill
Draw a light line in the grass or visualize one. Place your feet so the line is in the middle of your stance. Now make 2 to 3 practice swings, listening and feeling where the club brushes the ground, related to where the line is in your stance. Place the ball just ahead of the spot where your club brushed the ground consistently, as this is the low‑point of your swing with the given downhill lie you’re attempting to conquer. Now it will be easier to set up understanding where the middle of your stance is relative to where you’ll need to place the golf ball within your stance to hit the ball effectively from a downhill lie. - Step‑Through Downhill
Learning to hit a golf shot using a Step-Through Drill allows a golfer to feel how momentum should feel in their swing. Using the step-through drill with a downhill lie will enable you to understand the increased amount of momentum the hill you’re standing on will generate as you swing a golf club. Make a few practice swings first, allowing your trail foot to follow the momentum of your shot down the hill. As you do, feel how much more momentum is being generated as well as what effort you’ll need to make to prevent falling down the hill while still making a well-balanced golf swing. Once you can feel the balance between your swing and stepping down the hill, you’ll be ready to conquer the downhill lie with the step-through drill.
Let’s Review How to be Successful with Downhill Lies
Starting with your setup, let’s review what it will take for you to improve your ability to hit a shot from any downhill lie you’ll face in the future.
Quick Setup Summary for Downhill Lies
- Club: Use a club with more loft (ex, eight‑iron instead of seven‑iron).
- Stance/Posture: Shoulders & hips must be parallel to the slope, with your lead shoulder lower than your trail shoulder. Also, choking down on the grip to help with balance.
- Weight Distribution: 60% to 70% of your total weight is felt in your forward leg and foot.
- Ball Position: Always start with the ball position being in the middle of your stance. And make adjustments to that starting point based upon where the club brushes the ground during practice swings from a similar lie.
- Alignment: You must aim wider than normal if your usual ball flight is a fade or slice. Remember, the point where you’re aiming will be wider than where you want the shot to end up.
- Swing: Swing so you can remain balanced throughout the swing. Most likely three-quarters of your normal swing.
Have You Figured Out the Common Threads?
If you read our other blog posts about uneven lies and/or watched our videos about the same, you should be noticing a common thread between all uneven lies and how to go about the problem-solving process for each of these lies.
- Ball Position – Always starting in the middle of your stance and adjusting based upon each unique uneven lie you experience.
- Changing the Club – Each unique uneven lie forces you to use a club that you usually would not.
- Match Balance and Setup with the Slope – To keep balance in your swing, understanding the slope you’re on and setting up balanced to it allows your swing to work on any slope.
- Balance over Force – Setting up and swinging balanced with any uneven lie is key to your success. Using physics as your friend versus your foe provides more opportunities for you to be successful with any uneven lie.
Conclusion
Downhill lies stop wrecking your golf rounds once you accept the conditions you face, as well as assume that the ball will fly lower and roll further. Aligning your body with the hill and swinging down the slope can be easier said than done if you don’t accept the conditions you’re facing. Making a point to include a few practice swings and shots from a downhill lie can pay dividends for you when it counts, on the course, because you’re better prepared for the situation you’re facing.
Turning a common occurrence of adversity into a scoring opportunity is what golf is all about. And uneven lies present unique opportunities for you to increase your odds of scoring lower once you understand how to adjust to the lie. If you want hands-on help, scheduling time with one of the best golf instructors in Orlando will hasten your learning curve to conquer a downhill lie. Whether you schedule a private coaching session with John or register to attend a John Hughes Golf Florida Golf School, you’re sure to walk away with more trust and confidence in your ability to play from any downhill lie you face. You’ll rehearse these exact progressions on real slopes so they stick when you need them most.
