When you drive around the golf course, you may notice that all lies are not created equal. Wouldn’t it be great if you hit everything from a flat spot, even on perfect grass? It might sound nice, but it will also get a little boring. After all, there is something satisfying about hitting a great shot from a bad lieand my five keys below can help you navigate some of golf’s trickiest lies.
1. Diagnose the lie
Start by asking yourself, “What percentage of the ball can I see?”
The less ball visible, the worse the lie – and the more adjustments you’ll need to make. When the ball is actually sitting on the grass, a fairway, or in the sand, you need to be especially mindful of your strategy and organization. No matter which of these situations you’re dealing with, the adjustments you make—and the ball flight results—will be quite similar.
2. Respect the buried lie
When the ball is sitting so far that you can barely see it, you must recognize and respect the difficulty of the situation. The deeper the ball lands, the more difficult it becomes to make clean contact with the clubface, which reduces the quality of the shot and the total distance you can expect.
Accept these limitations and choose more conservative targets. For example, if your ball is buried in a bunker, it may be wise to play towards the widest part of the green where you have more room to spin.
Remember, the worse the lie, the harder it is to generate enough transport to cover longer distances. Aim for an area that does not require a significant forced carry.
3. Lean Like You Mean It
The most important adjustment is to bend your torso and club shaft toward the target, allowing your lead shoulder to drop as your weight shifts forward. Your body and club should lean equally in this direction – and the worse the lie, the more pronounced the slack should be.
it lead-shoulder drop is the key. As the shoulder angle increases, so does the club’s angle of attack, bringing the clubhead down into the grass, sand, or whatever else the ball is sitting on. This steeper attack allows the club to slide over the back of the ball before it hits the ground. Because your lift and swing are steeper, the club will naturally dig in – which is exactly what you want when the ball is sitting. You will likely have a limited following, and that is perfectly normal.
Throughout the swing, keep your weight and upper body forward. Avoid drifting back, as doing so reduces the angle you need and prevents the club from properly digging into the target side of the ball.
4. React to the reduced loft
When you lean forward to make better contact with a potted ball, the clubface naturally loses loft. The worse the lie, the more you will have to lean and the more effectively you will remove the loft from the club.
To compensate, you may need to pick a higher club so you can still get the ball in the air and avoid the poor lie. You may also need to adjust your aim so that any carry distance you can produce will safely get you back into the game.
In the worst situations, you may just have to take your own medicine: grab a raised wedge, dig the ball, and move on. Deep fescue rough is a perfect example of when this conservative approach is the smartest play.
5. Great speed and little attitude
You may need to channel some inner aggression and speed to dig out the ball when it’s truly buried. I call that having a little attitude. Once you’re set up properly and carrying your weight forward, the swing will naturally become steeper.
On many heavy lies, you’ll need more speed than usual to get the ball out. Anticipate this and be prepared to put in the extra effort to free the ball and put it back in play.
