There are many times on a golf course that you will find the ball on a sidehill lie i.e. the ball is well above or below your feet. You don't have to be on an extremely hilly course to experience this as it could be on the edge of a bunker or something similar. As with uphill and downhill lies which I talked about last month there are one or two tips for these situations that will make it much easier to get the desired result.

Ball below your feet

This is probably the harder of the two as most people have difficulty from this lie in getting down to the ball and staying there through the shot. Most pull up or move onto your toes, leading to topped shots or poor contact with the ball. I like to bend over more from the waist and squat down a little in the knees. This should lower your centre of gravity and finally your weight should be more on your heels

It's an awkward position so your swing will be restricted and as with up and down hill lies the swing is more hands and arms than normal. The flight of the ball will be more left to right in the air due to the more upright swing so make sure you aim slightly left (for left handers the opposite)

Ball above your feet

As the ball is above your feet grip down an inch or two from the top and stand more upright. Put your weight this time more on your toes as the tendency is that during your swing the weight will transfer automatically onto your heels.

Your swing will be more round your body (flatter) because of your stance and to compensate for the slope. Again swing more with your hands and arms than normal. The fight of the ball will be more right to left in the air due to the flatter swing so aim more right than normal (for left handers the opposite)

With both shots swing easy and don't expect miracles; it is very, very difficult from lies that are not on a perfect spot so be patient and practice these tips before you try them in a competition. Follow these simple guidelines and I'm sure you'll make your life much easier when your ball ends up on a sidehill lie.

Happy golfing, until the next time

Gordon