Downhill Lie | USHandicap Classic

MatthewScott Amateur
Go to Last Reply 46 Views 6 Replies 1 Like
I heard someone mention that if you hit a club on a down hill lie it will add power to the club you have chosen. Is this true? What impact will a down hill lie have on a golf shot?
ArizonaBlue Professional Champion
# 1 6/4/2011 8:26:17 PM
A downhill lie will de-loft the club so that ... for example ... a 7-iron becomes a 6-iron. And depending on the steepness of the slope, it could be more than a club. Conversely, an uphill lie will create more loft to the club ... for example ... a 7-iron becomes an 8-iron ... and again, depending on the steepness, it could be more than a club. So you have to take the steepness of the slope ... whether uphill or downhill ... when choosing your club. Oh ... and if the ball is below or above your feet on the slope ... it adds another dimension to the shot. Those shots are very tricky.
bill321 Professional Champion
# 2 6/4/2011 8:32:44 PM
I do get a lot more power....I send truly enormous hunks of sod flying through the air, much moreso than on a flat lie.
armygrunt47 Professional Champion
# 3 6/4/2011 9:21:33 PM
Like Arazona said, it delofts the club so the shot will fly like you are hitting 1 to 2 more clubs. It is just the opposite for up hill lies.
Goynes42 Professional Champion
# 4 6/4/2011 10:26:42 PM
It does de-loft the club, but you also may need to plan for the ball to fade/slice a bit. Since your hip turn is aided somewhat by gravity, you'll often have the club dropped a little farther behind you than normal on the downswing...this results in an open face and therefore a fade. Conversely, it's harder to turn your hips through on an uphill lie, and therefore your hands will get more in front and you'll tend to hit a high draw. Of course, these are just the TENDENCIES. You can make a ball go in any direction from either lie, of course (often unintentionally, I'm afraid!). The important thing is to remember to adjust the inclination of your body to match the slope as much as you can. Basically, try to make your shoulders parallel to the slope...resist the tendency to make them parallel with the horizon. Then make a normal golf swing, and FOLLOW THE SLOPE WITH THE CLUB. Swing down the slope on a downhill lie, and don't come out of the shot early or else you'll thin it. Conversely, swing UP the slope on an uphill lie...don't bury your club into the hill.
heartotexas Professional Champion
# 5 6/4/2011 10:58:53 PM
It does de-loft the club, but you also may need to plan for the ball to fade/slice a bit. Since your hip turn is aided somewhat by gravity, you'll often have the club dropped a little farther behind you than normal on the downswing...this results in an open face and therefore a fade. Conversely, it's harder to turn your hips through on an uphill lie, and therefore your hands will get more in front and you'll tend to hit a high draw. Of course, these are just the TENDENCIES. You can make a ball go in any direction from either lie, of course (often unintentionally, I'm afraid!). The important thing is to remember to adjust the inclination of your body to match the slope as much as you can. Basically, try to make your shoulders parallel to the slope...resist the tendency to make them parallel with the horizon. Then make a normal golf swing, and FOLLOW THE SLOPE WITH THE CLUB. Swing down the slope on a downhill lie, and don't come out of the shot early or else you'll thin it. Conversely, swing UP the slope on an uphill lie...don't bury your club into the hill. If you follow Tim's advice here you will seldom hit it so fat that you are digging a hole to china (uphill lie) or so thin that your hands hurt for the next two holes (downhill lie).
Robert Premeaux Jr. Professional Champion
# 6 6/5/2011 6:42:02 PM
It does de-loft the club, but you also may need to plan for the ball to fade/slice a bit. Since your hip turn is aided somewhat by gravity, you'll often have the club dropped a little farther behind you than normal on the downswing...this results in an open face and therefore a fade. Conversely, it's harder to turn your hips through on an uphill lie, and therefore your hands will get more in front and you'll tend to hit a high draw. Of course, these are just the TENDENCIES. You can make a ball go in any direction from either lie, of course (often unintentionally, I'm afraid!). The important thing is to remember to adjust the inclination of your body to match the slope as much as you can. Basically, try to make your shoulders parallel to the slope...resist the tendency to make them parallel with the horizon. Then make a normal golf swing, and FOLLOW THE SLOPE WITH THE CLUB. Swing down the slope on a downhill lie, and don't come out of the shot early or else you'll thin it. Conversely, swing UP the slope on an uphill lie...don't bury your club into the hill. Made a pair of pars today because I remembered this. Downhill = right. Uphill = left. I stayed down real well on the downhill shot and hit it dead straight. The uphill shot went a little left, but that's my natural inclination. I'd adjusted for the slope well. Thanks, as always, for breaking it down into words we can understand!

Amateur

46 Views 6 Replies 1 Like

I heard someone mention that if you hit a club on a down hill lie it will add power to the club you have chosen. Is this true? What impact will a down hill lie have on a golf shot?

ArizonaBlue

Professional Champion

# 1 6/4/2011 8:26:17 PM

A downhill lie will de-loft the club so that ... for example ... a 7-iron becomes a 6-iron. And depending on the steepness of the slope, it could be more than a club.

Conversely, an uphill lie will create more loft to the club ... for example ... a 7-iron becomes an 8-iron ... and again, depending on the steepness, it could be more than a club.

So you have to take the steepness of the slope ... whether uphill or downhill ... when choosing your club.

Oh ... and if the ball is below or above your feet on the slope ... it adds another dimension to the shot. Those shots are very tricky.

bill321

Professional Champion

# 2 6/4/2011 8:32:44 PM

I do get a lot more power....I send truly enormous hunks of sod flying through the air, much moreso than on a flat lie.

armygrunt47

Professional Champion

# 3 6/4/2011 9:21:33 PM

Like Arazona said, it delofts the club so the shot will fly like you are hitting 1 to 2 more clubs. It is just the opposite for up hill lies.

Goynes42

Professional Champion

# 4 6/4/2011 10:26:42 PM

It does de-loft the club, but you also may need to plan for the ball to fade/slice a bit. Since your hip turn is aided somewhat by gravity, you'll often have the club dropped a little farther behind you than normal on the downswing...this results in an open face and therefore a fade.

Conversely, it's harder to turn your hips through on an uphill lie, and therefore your hands will get more in front and you'll tend to hit a high draw.

Of course, these are just the TENDENCIES. You can make a ball go in any direction from either lie, of course (often unintentionally, I'm afraid!).

The important thing is to remember to adjust the inclination of your body to match the slope as much as you can. Basically, try to make your shoulders parallel to the slope...resist the tendency to make them parallel with the horizon.

Then make a normal golf swing, and FOLLOW THE SLOPE WITH THE CLUB. Swing down the slope on a downhill lie, and don't come out of the shot early or else you'll thin it. Conversely, swing UP the slope on an uphill lie...don't bury your club into the hill.

heartotexas

Professional Champion

# 5 6/4/2011 10:58:53 PM

It does de-loft the club, but you also may need to plan for the ball to fade/slice a bit. Since your hip turn is aided somewhat by gravity, you'll often have the club dropped a little farther behind you than normal on the downswing...this results in an open face and therefore a fade.

Conversely, it's harder to turn your hips through on an uphill lie, and therefore your hands will get more in front and you'll tend to hit a high draw.

Of course, these are just the TENDENCIES. You can make a ball go in any direction from either lie, of course (often unintentionally, I'm afraid!).

The important thing is to remember to adjust the inclination of your body to match the slope as much as you can. Basically, try to make your shoulders parallel to the slope...resist the tendency to make them parallel with the horizon.

Then make a normal golf swing, and FOLLOW THE SLOPE WITH THE CLUB. Swing down the slope on a downhill lie, and don't come out of the shot early or else you'll thin it. Conversely, swing UP the slope on an uphill lie...don't bury your club into the hill.

If you follow Tim's advice here you will seldom hit it so fat that you are digging a hole to china (uphill lie) or so thin that your hands hurt for the next two holes (downhill lie).

Robert Premeaux Jr.

Professional Champion

# 6 6/5/2011 6:42:02 PM

It does de-loft the club, but you also may need to plan for the ball to fade/slice a bit. Since your hip turn is aided somewhat by gravity, you'll often have the club dropped a little farther behind you than normal on the downswing...this results in an open face and therefore a fade.

Conversely, it's harder to turn your hips through on an uphill lie, and therefore your hands will get more in front and you'll tend to hit a high draw.

Of course, these are just the TENDENCIES. You can make a ball go in any direction from either lie, of course (often unintentionally, I'm afraid!).

The important thing is to remember to adjust the inclination of your body to match the slope as much as you can. Basically, try to make your shoulders parallel to the slope...resist the tendency to make them parallel with the horizon.

Then make a normal golf swing, and FOLLOW THE SLOPE WITH THE CLUB. Swing down the slope on a downhill lie, and don't come out of the shot early or else you'll thin it. Conversely, swing UP the slope on an uphill lie...don't bury your club into the hill.

Made a pair of pars today because I remembered this.

Downhill = right.

Uphill = left.

I stayed down real well on the downhill shot and hit it dead straight. The uphill shot went a little left, but that's my natural inclination. I'd adjusted for the slope well.

Thanks, as always, for breaking it down into words we can understand!

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