Down Slope by the Edge of the Green

December 1, 2016 8:47 am

By Jon Woodroffe

Most golf greens are banked at the back, as well as giving definition to the surface it also allows for a slightly over hit shot to stop before it disappears into the undergrowth behind the green, never to be seen again. When the ball rolls up that bank you would think there is a decent chance it would roll back onto the putting surface, but from my experience it seems that grass is barbed; only allowing free movement of the ball one way, up!

down-slope1

Picture 1

So the position you see in the picture 1 is quite common. The method for this shot is as follows.

Firstly remember to position the golf ball nearer the higher foot, this makes getting your left and right mixed up less of an issue. Secondly, get your hips and shoulders parallel to the slope, this will mean leaning quite heavily onto your front leg and feels very odd and unbalanced. But this takes the hill out of the equation and basically allows you to swing the golf club the way you would normally around the green if the lie was flat. See picture 2.

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Picture 2

Club selection is vital here as the slope and your stance will take a great deal of loft off the golf club, so it is imperative that you use as lofted a club as you can, your lob wedge would be ideal for this.

When playing the stroke just be aware that the ball will come off much lower and faster than you would normally expect with that lofted a club, so land the ball on the green as quickly as possible and allow the ball to roll out from there.

This is certainly not the easiest around the green shot you will face but making those adjustments to your address position will certainly make it easier.

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