Help with ball above my feet lie!

[lazyjc4]

Nothing gives me more fits than a lie where the ball is above my feet.  Not just a T-ball swing from a sloped hill, but even a subtle one from a contoured fairway.  I've tried all of the basic advice you see/read about, choke up on the club, sit my weight more in my heels to go with the slope, etc.,  but still really struggle making solid contact from these lies.  Anything you to to help ensure a good strike when the ball is above your feet?  Thanks! 

[SNIPERBBB]

Practice till you find what works for you.

 

Never really liked the choke down thing except on severe sidehill lies. I like to stand a bit taller and hover the club and put it back into the stance a bit more. 

[riddyl]

For me, this lie gets the loft pointing left whilst also restricting rotation. So I end up with a pull draw.

 

To counter it, I just open the face and make a normal swing. Ends up as a straight start direction with a draw. 

[Ri_Redneck]

Club up one and back off a little on the swing helps me.

 

BT

[MonteScheinblum]

You stand farther away, because the ball is closer to the middle of your chest and aim right to accommodate how much loft you’re using.

[MPStrat]

Of all the stances/lies, this is the one that I find hardest to control the outcome. Progressively harder as it becomes more severe. 

[Mike_C]

I never had much problem with this shot, but the course I grew up on, I ended up with this type of shot all the time.  One thing I have always done is play it farther back in my stance.  If you normally play the ball off your left heel, try it closer to the middle, aim to the right and assume it will go left and or hook some.....

 

I don't get them as much as I used too, but a few weeks ago in a two man tournament got one where the ball was about knee high and I was about 160 away with the wind into me and from the right.  I aimed about 40-50 yards right of the green  with a 7 iron, choked up a bit and hit a huge sweeping hook around a tree that ended up about 10 feet from the pin, felt good man 😁(but missed the birdie putt 😔).  

[Lasorcier]

This is how I think of it.  I examine the slope and figure the ball will ascend 90° amd follow that line if I hit it straight. If I don't aim left, it will end up to the right of my perceived target on said straight shot from the slope.

 

[iacas]

46 minutes ago, Lasorcier said:

This is how I think of it.  I examine the slope and figure the ball will ascend 90° amd follow that line if I hit it straight. If I don't aim left, it will end up to the right of my perceived target on said straight shot from the slope.

 

If the image works for you, that's good, but it doesn't quite work that way. Different lofts aim the face different amounts left. Then there's the spin axis, of course, and the distance the shot travels that all affect how far left the ball actually finishes.

 

I've generally done three things off a "ball above my feet" lie and I'm weirdly good at them:

• Open the face a smidgen.
• Play the ball back a little.
• Play the ball toward the heel a bit.

 

I stand up a bit taller too, and occasionally have to grip down a little. Anyway, the first two are to counter the left-pointing face, the third is to counter that players generally toe it because the club tends to be acted on a bit more by gravity than they realize.

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by iacas
removed chart

[bladehunter]

1 hour ago, Lasorcier said:

This is how I think of it.  I examine the slope and figure the ball will ascend 90° amd follow that line if I hit it straight. If I don't aim left, it will end up to the right of my perceived target on said straight shot from the slope.

 

I look at it similar. I usually try to play an opposite shape of the one the lie wants  to do.  So on the slight ball above my feet , I actually try to crowd the ball and hit a fade  while aiming just left.  9-10 times it comes out straight.  Once in a blue moon a pull hook. Almost never too far right.  But I’m talking about a fade from a near zeroed out path , or even across the line. Not from a inside path.  

[getitdaily]

Along with standing a touch more away from the ball, a couple other things can help

 

Open the face a touch

Play the ball back about 2 balls more than normal 

Don't swing way in to out trying to counter the ball going left. 

 

In general, the rule I use is 4 yards of curve for every 1 degree of slope. That certainly changes as loft goes up or down, but unless you're playing competitive golf at a low handicap, just run with 4 for every 1. Typical flagstick is 7 yards.

 

Have fun.

[Fuscinator]

Use a club with less loft. You're swinging more horizontally, so you add loft by opening the face.