Do you consistently hook the ball left when the ball is positioned above your feet? Learn how to combat this with Journal golf guru, Karl Worby . . .

An extreme example of an awkward lie!

All uneven lies tend to create incorrect distance and faulty direction.

When the ball is above the feet on the side of a hill there are three main errors - chunking (hitting the ground before the ball), pulling and hooking

Chunking is easy to understand because the ball is elevated and closer to the player. To combat this, the player should assume a different body posture and shorten their hand position on the grip. If neither is done, the club will hit the ground first rather than the ball.

The other two errors that frequently occur when the ball is above the feet are pulling and hooking. This is the resut of the swing plane being flattened and the swing path being more in-to-out.

Because the swing plane is more horizontal, it will create more forearm rotation causing the ball to hook or pull.

Also, gravity can affect a hook. Whenever a player is on uneven terrain, gravity will try to pull the player towards the lower point of the point of the slope. Here are some solutions to help the player cope with this lie:

1. Try to create as similar a spine angle in relation to the ball as normal but make sure the weight is on the balls of the feet.

2. Choke down on the grip so the club can clear the ground.

3. Position the ball slightly further back in the stance as weight transfer will be less active.

4. Make sure you keep the suspension point (the distance from the ground to the base of the neck) is constant to maintain balance.

5. Take a couple of backswings to get the feeling of clearing the ground at the right height.

6. Allow for the pull or hook to the left by aiming to the right. The steeper the lie the more the player must compensate.

7. It is important for the player to swing within himself as keeping the head steady and good balance are essential. Finally, watch the ball carefully and try to retain good balance at the end of the swing.