Severe Uphill Lie and 180-200 to go

[Desmond]

I was faced with this debacle of a severe uphill lie I fairway with 200 to go because I sky-ed my driver. The one time I did it that day. Got out the 3 wd due to the added loft of the hill, played it forward of the stance, hit it clean, and ball went sky high and left into the trees. Something went wrong. Trees and OB on left, trees on right.

How in the wide, wide world of sports do you play this shot?

Just take your medicine and play an iron to the right so when it goes left, it stays in fairway?

Take hybrid but I think that will go high and left... aim right?

Ball forward, mid, back - sweep it?

I'm puzzled. Thanks.

 

[Jman]

I was faced with this debacle of a severe uphill lie I fairway with 200 to go because I sky-ed my driver. The one time I did it that day. Got out the 3 wd due to the added loft of the hill, played it forward of the stance, hit it clean, and ball went sky high and left into the trees. Something went wrong. Trees and OB on left, trees on right.

How in the wide, wide world of sports do you play this shot?

Just take your medicine and play an iron to the right so when it goes left, it stays in fairway?

Take hybrid but I think that will go high and left... aim right?

Ball forward, mid, back - sweep it?

I'm puzzled. Thanks.

Step one is matching your shoulder angle to the slope!

From there, club selection gets personal. I’d likely hit an iron because I’m more comfortable with that on the upslope

 

[TheDoctor]

If you are talking about an uphill lie, and not ball above your feet, then I would take anything up to 2 clubs more depending on the severity of the slope, set up tilting my body in line with the slope and taking an easy swing

However, if the slope is too steep then I would just take my 2i, choke down it a bit and play it like a bump and run getting it back into play as I could probably get that 100yds or so without too much trouble

 

[golfinnut]

You would think your tendency would be to play it forward in your stance but I've always played it more back (about 2 balls more). This creates more of a descending blow to keep the trajectory lower. You're automatically going to hit it higher because of the nature of the slope & your shoulders. You also may have a tendency to pull the ball (as you did), so aim a bit further right. Also, choke up on the shaft a bit. I always have my hands just about mid grip.

Give that a go & see if it helps. Problem being is that we never get a chance to practice shots like this unless you are the only one out there & you can drop a few balls or you practice on some jacked up driving range.

 

[CTRosarian]

I've been playing a "Sunday bag" with a 4I and 7I to tee off and get down the fairway. 4I works great for uphill lies. If it is really a bad slope I'd play it like a shot under the trees.

As a slow swinger that plays soft golf balls, this is the best way for me to practice swinging the 4 iron with all sorts of lies.

 

[BuffaloPlunger]

I would probably play a 3H or 4i toward the middle of my stance

 

[That post]

Right now I'd go 6i because I don't have confidence in any of my clubs longer than that. I'd try to match my shoulders to the slope, choke up on the club and give a nice easy swing. In other words, take my medicine.

 

[Drumdog]

I would play it middle of my stance, match my shoulders with the hill, choke down a little on my 3 wood, aim a little right as an uphill swing wants to make the ball go left, sweep the impact.

 

[Canadan]

I'm using an iron 100% of the time, and more than likely taking a divot and my medicine with the spin forcing it to come up short.

As much as I agree with the matching of the slope with your hips and shoulders, I feel like the mistakes I make in that position, with the challenges of OB and trees... I'd rather just bash into the ground and come up a bit short.

 

[Desmond]

Step one is matching your shoulder angle to the slope!

From there, club selection gets personal. I’d likely hit an iron because I’m more comfortable with that on the upslope

Yes, on step one - I always do it for downhill shots. Can't remember for this uphilller because the thrill of seeing it go into orbit and OB Left overtook me.

Next time, an iron if not extremely uphill and match shoulders. I was an idiot for taking a wood because this was extremely uphill - 17th hole 7 pm, getting almost too dark, and tired.

Thank you.

 

[Desmond]

I'm using an iron 100% of the time, and more than likely taking a divot and my medicine with the spin forcing it to come up short.

As much as I agree with the matching of the slope with your hips and shoulders, I feel like the mistakes I make in that position, with the challenges of OB and trees... I'd rather just bash into the ground and come up a bit short.

I like that option, too. It's sort of like an uphill pitch/chip. Do you bash it into the hill and hope it rolls out for you or match the shoulders to the slope. If I would have thought about this, I may have taken your suggestion. Because if the pitch is only slightly uphill, I will match the shoulders to the hill. If its really uphill, bash it into the hill.

But 17th hole, dark, tired and on the weekend and waiting 5 minutes on each box...

 

[tahoebum]

200 yards uphill would be my ZX 20º 3 iron. As @Jman already said, the key when on a slope is matching your shoulders to the slope and adjusting ball position accordingly. I’d open the face a bit to adjust for the left tendency.

 

[Desmond]

I would play it middle of my stance, match my shoulders with the hill, choke down a little on my 3 wood, aim a little right as an uphill swing wants to make the ball go left, sweep the impact.

Thanks, but I was an idiot because no one but me would take a 3 wd on this extreme of an uphill. It was a brain fart.

 

[Canadan]

I like that option, too. It's sort of like an uphill pitch/chip. Do you bash it into the hill and hope it rolls out for you or match the shoulders to the slope. If I would have thought about this, I may have taken your suggestion. Because if the pitch is only slightly uphill, I will match the shoulders to the hill. If its really uphill, bash it into the hill.

When you say "Severe" I assume it's at my "nah don't bother" stage haha - There are just some times where you give it a subtle tip toward the slope and then bash an iron into the ground haha - just going for square not for distance.

 

[dAS0]

An uphill 200 yard shot would be at least a hybrid for me. If there is trouble left and right, hitting a hybrid or longer club is not ideal. I would probably hit a 180 yard shot and try for the up and down.

 

[Desmond]

200 yards uphill would be my ZX 20º 3 iron. As @Jman already said, the key when on a slope is matching your shoulders to the slope and adjusting ball position accordingly. I’d open the face a bit to adjust for the left tendency.

Thanks. I agree. Should have opened the club face. And if it was just uphill, I would take your advice, open up a wood or iron and aim right. Uphills have always been my bugaboo.

But this felt like a no win situation after more thinking - was a very severe uphill, and I was uncomfortable on that slope. I was boneheaded. Should have hit it easy with an iron to 100 yards and taken my medicine. Whether bashing it into the hill or using my shoulders with the hill on this kind of slope needs further experimenting. It's not something one sees on a range.

 

[WLG1952]

There's a course up near Mesquite Nv that had the severe up hill fairway.

I usually took a fairway metal, (3W-7W) ball in the center of my stance, and swept the ball off the turf.

My weight, due to the slope, was already on my rear foot. This sort of made my swing a little more armsy, with less body rotation.

My key to making this work was to have my torso, from my waist up to my shoulders, matching the up slope.

When I pulled this shot off, the ball would fall straight down on to the green.

 

[Desmond]

When you say "Severe" I assume it's at my "nah don't bother" stage haha - There are just some times where you give it a subtle tip toward the slope and then bash an iron into the ground haha - just going for square not for distance.

Felt like I was climbing Everest. So yes, a 100 yd bash may have been the best solution, or a 4i or 5i with the shoulders up the slope would need to be aimed right and I would take an easy swing just for 100 yards.

 

[OldandStiff]

Ouch. Sorry to hear about that one. That's a a tough spot. It's one where I go against common instruction a little bit. Partly because my body does not want me to pound a hill, and partly because of my natural shot shape.

So for me, I don't move it up in my stance much, and I do not try to match my shoulders to the slope. It's good as a basic rule to match your swing (strike) arc to the pitch, but how do you inentionally hit a draw? Weight back, left hip higher, tilt away from target? Add in moving the ball forward with more time to close the face and as a natural straight to draw player my ball is going a mile hile and a mile left on that business. Especially on a longer club like that. I'm trying to avoid a mile high, and really trying to avoid a mile left. So first I don't move it up much, keep a pretty quiet lower body with a straighter right leg, and hold off my hand release a little like I'm trying to knock some spin off into the wind. Little sweepier. I pick them pretty clean. More so than most other lies. We're all individual on distance, but likely a 5i for me. I'd pobably prefer my longest iron over a hy, and then I'd choke down a bit on a 3W if needed to flatten the lie angle a bit.

It's a hard spot to do a lot from, so it's really individual on what any one person probably should or shouldn't try. And everyone has their own outcome equations.

 

[Parrot]

I'm almost always going to take my medicine there and try to play a low punch. When I don't, I chunk it, shank it or worse.

 

[JW Smoove]

Had a similar shot yesterday. Not quite as long not as severe with slope. I did the shoulder thing, from memory, hit my hybrid. I must do something with my hands. I seem to always hot this shot right, no matter the physics of it. Maybe the ball is too far back in my stance. Anyway, like all the others it went right, bunker. But heck, still playable. Good luck, move it back SLIGHTLY?, in your stance?

 

[Desmond]

Had a similar shot yesterday. Not quite as long not as severe with slope. I did the shoulder thing, from memory, hit my hybrid. I must do something with my hands. I seem to always hot this shot right, no matter the physics of it. Maybe the ball is too far back in my stance. Anyway, like all the others it went right, bunker. But heck, still playable. Good luck, move it back SLIGHTLY?, in your stance?

I was too tired to think. Son had a lesson Saturday morning and I hit balls for two hours while he did his golf thing. Rested for 2 hrs and took off to play that afternoon. This occurred at 7pm at the 17th hole ... and it was growing dark. That's about the time I can't hit a thing or think straight after that much golf. Brain fart. But I really did not know how to handle that shot. So I went nutz.

 

[JW Smoove]

I was too tired to think. Son had a lesson Saturday morning and I hit balls for two hours while he did his golf thing. Rested for 2 hrs and took off to play that afternoon. This occurred at 7pm at the 17th hole ... and it was growing dark. That's about the time I can't hit a thing or think straight after that much golf. Brain fart. But I really did not know how to handle that shot. So I went nutz.

Pull the flihi #4, next time! That’s my plan! Still trying hard to not get too eager…for the next set of clubs!

 

[Outthere]

Body Stance level with hill, take my medicine and carefully hit my easiest hitting iron or hybrid, just get it in position for a normal approach shot

 

[Puttmaster]

I’m playing the 3H and hoping for the best.