I recently published a post highlighting the correct way to hit a ball off a hillside (click here to read the post) – Seemed ok to me, in fact, I found a few online videos that confirmed my understanding of the right way to hit a golf ball off an uneven lie. But it seems there is a difference of opinion among the pros. Sue Kaffenburgh, LPGA PGA Pro from Bayberry Golf Course here on Cape Cod showed me another method and it seems to work. I don’t have any video of my doing this little trick so I will have to resort to a drawing to explain.

When you take your stance on the hillside, the first question to answer is where should the ball be in your stance. Whether you are hitting uphill or downhill you have to figure out where your feet should be in relation to the ball. You can’t move your ball, obviously, but you can adjust the position of your feet to allow the club as it swings to make clean contact with the ball. Here’s one way to figure this out.

Step One. Line up near your ball but not at it. You’re going to take a couple of swings to determine the correct ball position, so be sure you give yourself enough room. You want to be on the same lie you will be standing on when you hit the ball, so don’t try this on a flat spot nearby. Take your position on the hillside just back from the ball as if you were about to hit it.

Step Two. Take your club and and begin your back swing, when the club gets to the top of your back swing let gravity take over and just let the club swing down on its own. Don’t push it. Don’t pull it. Just let the club drop. It will naturally hit the hillside and make a dent in the grass. Repeat this exercise, taking a second divot. Now look at your feet and their relationship to the divot in the grass you just created using this “gravity drop” of the club. If it’s just 1 inch outside your right foot then that’s the position you should take relative to the ball. If it’s 2 inches inside your left foot, then that’s the position you should take relative to the ball. It doesn’t matter whether the divot is inside, outside, upside, downside… that divot marks the spot where the club hit the ground relative to the position of your feet.

Step Three. Take your stance with the ball in the correct spot based on the result of step two. Swing and hit the ball. If you’ve followed these steps your club should make clean contact and send the ball on its way.