I'm glad the swing is coming together nicely for you!!
Uphill, downhill, and sidehill lies are on my to-do list for online school lesson content as soon as I can find the time and appropriate venue.
Having said that, the keys to playing a shot when the ball is below your feet are in 1) Adjusting your setup to properly orient yourself to the ball (since it will be closer to you, your upper body will be angled more towards the ground than on a standard shot), 2) Balancing yourself as you may need to feel your weight more towards the heels of your feet depending on the severity of the slope, 3) Taking an extra club or two than you normally would from the given distance, and 4) Aligning yourself with the expectation that the ball will fade. Once you are oriented, balanced, and properly aligned, you are ready to execute the swing as taught. Bump your hips forward an inch as you typically would so your weight favors the front side 55-60%, and when you take it back make sure that your weight stays forward and your shoulders do not flatten out as they turn, as they will have a tendency to do so due to their preset steeper orientation. In fact, a good thought for this shot is to keep the chest pointing down as you turn, since mishits from this type of lie are oftentimes a result of the golfer coming out of his or her tilt in the backswing.
Conversely, a ball above your feet will necessitate having your upper body oriented for a less steep shoulder turn that allows the club to work more around the body, weight perhaps favoring the balls of the feet depending on slope severity, and allowing for a drawing ball flight. You'll likely need to choke down on the club a bit, and for this reason plus the curvature you may also want to club up for this shot, bearing in mind that the ball may tend to roll out more upon landing due to the draw spin. Once again, after making these adjustments you'll want to execute the swing motions as taught - weight forward, tilt/turn/extend, hands in, keeping your swing center intact.
The short answer with regard to uphill and downhill lies is to 1) Match your shoulders to the angle of the slope, 2) Widen your stance a bit for stability, 3) Understand that an uphill slope is going to add loft whereas a downhill slope will reduce loft and produce more runout, so adjust your club selection accordingly, 4) Make a practice swing next to the ball to determine your swing's low point on that particular slope, and then address the ball so that the low point is just ahead of it, and 5) Do your best to keep your center intact as you swing since any swaying will shift your low point and cause inconsistent results.
The course was PD's Pound Ridge in NY state near CT border. Small raised greens, no flat lies, and prehistoric rough. Set up for tournaments and not an old hacker, but the most scenic--true golf experience I've had--and I hit the ball well. Your tips will help me avoid the ball below me or above me chunks. As for the rough, that's another story. ;>)
Hi @Ken Royal,
I'm glad the swing is coming together nicely for you!!
Uphill, downhill, and sidehill lies are on my to-do list for online school lesson content as soon as I can find the time and appropriate venue.
Having said that, the keys to playing a shot when the ball is below your feet are in 1) Adjusting your setup to properly orient yourself to the ball (since it will be closer to you, your upper body will be angled more towards the ground than on a standard shot), 2) Balancing yourself as you may need to feel your weight more towards the heels of your feet depending on the severity of the slope, 3) Taking an extra club or two than you normally would from the given distance, and 4) Aligning yourself with the expectation that the ball will fade. Once you are oriented, balanced, and properly aligned, you are ready to execute the swing as taught. Bump your hips forward an inch as you typically would so your weight favors the front side 55-60%, and when you take it back make sure that your weight stays forward and your shoulders do not flatten out as they turn, as they will have a tendency to do so due to their preset steeper orientation. In fact, a good thought for this shot is to keep the chest pointing down as you turn, since mishits from this type of lie are oftentimes a result of the golfer coming out of his or her tilt in the backswing.
Conversely, a ball above your feet will necessitate having your upper body oriented for a less steep shoulder turn that allows the club to work more around the body, weight perhaps favoring the balls of the feet depending on slope severity, and allowing for a drawing ball flight. You'll likely need to choke down on the club a bit, and for this reason plus the curvature you may also want to club up for this shot, bearing in mind that the ball may tend to roll out more upon landing due to the draw spin. Once again, after making these adjustments you'll want to execute the swing motions as taught - weight forward, tilt/turn/extend, hands in, keeping your swing center intact.
The short answer with regard to uphill and downhill lies is to 1) Match your shoulders to the angle of the slope, 2) Widen your stance a bit for stability, 3) Understand that an uphill slope is going to add loft whereas a downhill slope will reduce loft and produce more runout, so adjust your club selection accordingly, 4) Make a practice swing next to the ball to determine your swing's low point on that particular slope, and then address the ball so that the low point is just ahead of it, and 5) Do your best to keep your center intact as you swing since any swaying will shift your low point and cause inconsistent results.
I hope this helps you in the interim!
Tom