Simple rules for making a shot from an uneven lie
This week we are going to spend a brief moment talking about uneven lies. Being in Western Pennsylvania, most of us are familiar with lies that position the ball below our feet, above our feet, or worse downhill or uphill. What most of us would not give to live in Iowa where every lie is a level one? But we all know we do not live in Iowa and we do have to deal with uneven lies. So how do we cope with these? The simplest way is to remember a few rules. n Rule one is that the most important bend in your set up is your hip flex. This must be remembered because of rule two.
n Rule two states that you must increase or decrease your hip flex based on your lie. If the ball is above your feet, decrease your hip flex and if the ball is below your feet, increase your hip flex.
For uphill or downhill lies, the major rule is opposite ball position. If the ball is on a downhill lie, play the ball a little more to the front of your stance and if the ball is on an uphill lie, move the ball back in your stance. This allows the uneven status of your lie to work in your favor and eliminates doubt or concern about your stance.
Try these tips in order to help you work your way around uneven lies, the charming aggravator of Western Pennsylvania.
I need your help! Remember I am conducting a teaching marathon on Sept. 5-6 to raise money for the Spina Bifida Association of Western Pennsylvania. My goal is to raise over $1,000 for this very worthy cause and to help fund research and programs dedicated to assist those afflicted with this birth defect.
I have a few spots to fill in order to reach my goal and I am again asking for your assistance. I will give a golf lesson every half an hour on both of these days and will charge $35 per lesson, which will be donated to Spina Bifida. Please, if at all possible, call us at 724-438-7831 and book a lesson and help me help your golf swing – and Spina Bifida – at the same time.
Rich Conwell is the PGA Head Golf Professional at Uniontown Country Club. Rich is an avid teacher of the game of golf and has developed numerous scholarship winners, one state champion and two regional/national event winners. Rich is also extremely proud of his work with beginning players and junior players. Rich Conwell’s column appears in Sunday editions of the Herald-Standard. Conwell may be contacted at richconwell@atlanticbb.net