Instruction - Dealing
with Downslopes
In some of my golf tips I tell the story
about playing a course which had severe fairway undulations. I could see
where the course would be discouraging for recreational golfers. I
seldom had a flat lie on the course. In fact, it was so hilly, I was
almost always hitting from some kind of slope. More often than not, I
was hitting down hill.
If you’ve ever played a course like
this—and you probably have—you know how tricky hitting from a downhill
lie can be. It’s especially difficult for recreational golfers, who are
sometimes intimidated by a downhill slope and/or have little experience
hitting from this type of lie. The resulting effort isn’t pretty and
does nothing to lower the player’s golf handicap.
Hitting from a downhill slope is
primarily a matter of making the right adjustments. I cover these in my
golf lessons and golf tips but, obviously, there’s nothing like hitting
from a down hill slope to learn how to do it.
Here are the 4 adjustments I recommend:
Tailor set-up for slope
Position ball back in stance
Swing with the slope
Chase ball down the slope
Keep two things in mind when faced with
a downhill lie: (1) a shot from a down slope tends to fade right and (2)
the slope affects the club’s loft.
The tendency to fade is a by-product of
the slope. There’s little you can do about it. Even if you hit the ball
perfectly, it will tend to fade right, so learn to deal with it as best
you can, as I emphasize in my golf lessons.
Club loft is different. You can deal
with it easily enough. On a steep slope, hitting a 7-iron becomes more
like hitting a 5-iron, necessitating an adjustment in club selection
depending on how far you are from the green. How much of an adjustment
is hard to say. And golf instruction sessions don’t help, either. Only
personal experience can tell you just how much to make.
Also, tailor your set up to the slope.
That means making sure your spine is perpendicular to the slope and your
weight on your front foot, a weight distribution you must maintain
throughout the backswing. As a result, your shoulders will tilt downward
to match the lie of the land. These changes ensure clean contact with
the ball, positioned toward the back of the stance.
Another problem with downhill lies is
trajectory. To generate height, hit down and with the slope, as if
you’re chasing the ball downhill. Chase it for as long as possible by
forcing your right shoulder to follow the ball to the target.
Also, don’t let the transfer of weight
get out of control at impact. Stay as balanced as possible, finishing
the swing with a nice, smooth follow-through. Clearing your left hip as
you swing down and through the ball helps with the follow-through.
These changes in your set-up and swing,
as I point out in my golf lessons, almost mirror those needed for uphill
lies.
With uphill lies, the weight is on the
back foot, the ball is positioned forward in the stance, and the
tendency is to pull the ball left, which is caused by a golfer’s hands
getting overactive through impact. Also, concentrate on making a wide
takeaway. This change counteracts the tendency to narrow your backswing,
which often occurs on an uphill lie.
Whether uphill or downhill, you must
control weight transfer and you must swing down and with the slope. You
also must control your head, keeping it behind the ball at the point of
impact.
If you make the changes I recommend in
this golf tip the next time you play a hilly course, you’ll find
yourself hitting better shots from a sloped fairway. You’ll also find
yourself developing more and more confidence playing a hilly course—and
confidence never hurt anyone’s golf handicap.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the
best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a
golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from
all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free
weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf
instructions.
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