How to Escape Awkward Golf Lies Around the Green, Explained

Getting up and down from a bad lie separates scratch golfers from mid- and high-handicappers more than any shot off the tee. Coach Ged Walters breaks down how to adjust technique for four of the most common awkward lies around the green.

How do you play a ball sitting down in the rough?

When the ball is nestled down, open the clubface slightly and focus on maintaining loft through impact. That lets you take a slightly longer swing to generate the speed needed to cut through the grass. Set the ball more centrally in your stance to match the lower trajectory the lie demands.

How do you play a ball sitting up?

A ball sitting up calls for the opposite adjustment. Move it back toward your back foot so you strike it earlier in the swing arc for more central contact on the face. Aim your feet slightly left of target so the hips open a touch, and keep the chest turning through impact so the hands don't flip the face closed.

How do you play from a downslope?

Match your knees, hips and shoulders to the slope so your weight stays forward through the shot. Take more loft, since the ball comes out lower, and position it closer to your back foot so the club meets the highest point of the ground. The backswing needs extra wrist hinge, but the ribcage should keep leading the arms down the slope.

How do you play from an upslope?

Narrow your stance slightly and keep your weight forward rather than letting it fall back with the hill. A touch of ribcage rotation through impact lets the club "deaden" into the rising ground, popping the ball into the air instead of catching it thin.

Walters suggests dropping a few balls around the practice green in each of these lies before taking them onto the course, since the biggest gains come from feeling the different ball positions rather than memorizing them.