Saturday 25 February 2012

The Proper Way to Chip on Uphill Lies

By Jamie Faidley


We cannot always get what we need. Like everything else, we can't always hit chip shots off of level surfaces. Real course conditions don't allow it. You're going to occassionally have to come onto the green from either a downhill lie or an uphill lie. With this article we are going to focus on coping with the ball sitting on an uphill slope.

Effects

When your ball is on an uphill slope, your balance will be a little off. Your weight will want to shift to your back foot and the ball will come off the ball face with more loft. There are one or two measures we can utilise to counterbalance those effects. You only need to modify your setup and the shot you intend to execute.

Setup

You still have to use the foundations of the correct setup for a chip shot. The ball should be two inches in the back of the middle of your stance and your weight should be sixty percent on the front foot and forty percent on the back. You need to maintain your balance while taking the chip.

Adjust your shoulder and hips slightly in order that they are far more level with the ground. This will enable your follow through up the hill, rather than burying your club into the grass on your follow through.

Execution

You want to hit your shots firmer than when your on a flat lie when hitting a chip shot upslope because the slope adds some extra loft to your chip shot. The ball will come out higher and then not roll as much when it hits the green.

The other option is to utilize a club with less loft. If at a certain location you would routinely pitch in with a sand wedge, then maybe it might be a better concept to use a pitching wedge as an alternative. This could take some of that additional loft off of your shot and give you some additional roll after the ball hits the green. This will help stop you from leaving the ball short on these sorts of shots.

By making these straightforward changes, you will be able to get the ball close when you are chipping your shots in an uphill lie. You still need to maintain proper mechanics, but if you can practice making the adjustments then when you come into one of those scenarios out on the course you'll be more than prepared for it.




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