Epson Tour professional Natalie Sheary (New Britain, Connecticut) returns with Episode 13 of her weekly instructional series, “Staying Sharp with Sheary.” The Wake Forest University alumna and past Epson Tour champion at the W.B. Mason Championship in 2016, gives advice and drills to keep your game sharp—both physically and mentally—while at home and in practice at the course.
This week’s tip outlines the approach to playing the golf ball when it lies above one’s feet on the side of a hill. A majority of time spent on the driving range involves practice on level ground. Sheary emphasizes the importance to practice this type of lie as well. She also demonstrates how to counteract the slope when aligning to the target. One must take into account that the golf ball has a tendency to draw (spin from right-to-left) for a right-handed player.— Natalie Sheary (@NatSheary) July 8, 2020
“Although the severity of the slope may differ when the ball is above your feet, there are a few simple things that remain consistent when assessing the lie,” said Sheary. “If you take a ball and roll it along the slope, it would be moving left which is the same direction the ball will turn once you make contact so it's really important that we setup right of the target to allow for that movement to happen.”
Sheary maintains a slightly wider than normal stance, allowing for good balance to avoid falling forward into the hill, or backward down the slope. In addition, she chokes up on the club for more control with the golf ball closer to her, as the slope decreases distance between the hands and where the ball rests.
“We will always have to shift our stance so that our weight remains on the balls of our feet. Balance is a huge key to make a solid strike,” Sheary said.
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