As you make your way around the golf course, you may notice that not all lies are created equal. Wouldn’t it be nice if you hit everything from a flat, level spot on perfect grass? It might sound fun, but it would also be a bit boring. After all, there’s something satisfying about hitting a great shot from a bad lie, and my five keys below can help you navigate some of golf’s trickiest lies.
1. Diagnosis of the lie
Start by asking yourself, “What percentage of the ball can I see?”
The less ball is visible, the worse the position and the more adjustments you have to make. When the ball is really in the grass, a grass field or the sand, you have to pay special attention to your strategy and positioning. Regardless of which of these situations you face, the adjustments you make – and the ball flight results – will be virtually the same.
2. Respect the buried lie
If the ball is so far down that you can barely see it, you need to recognize and respect the difficulty of the situation. The deeper the ball sits, the harder it becomes to make clean contact with the clubface, which reduces both the quality of the shot and the overall distance you can expect.
Recognize these limitations and choose more conservative goals. For example, if your ball is buried in a bunker, it may be wise to play to the wider part of the green where you have more room to roll.
Remember: the worse the lie, the harder it is to generate enough carry to cover longer distances. Aim for an area that does not require significant forced transfer.
3. Lean like you mean it
The most important adjustment is to lean your torso and club shaft toward the target so that your lead shoulder can drop as your weight shifts forward. Your body and club should tilt evenly in this direction – and the worse the lie, the more pronounced the lean should be.
This lead shoulder drop is the key. As your shoulder angle steepens, the club’s angle of attack also steepens, driving the clubhead into the grass, sand, or whatever the ball is sitting in. This steeper strike allows the club to slide along the back of the ball before entering the ground. Because both your setup and your swing are steeper, the club will naturally dig – this is exactly what you want when the ball is lying. You will likely have limited follow-up, and that is completely normal.
Keep your weight and upper body forward during the swing. Avoid sliding back as this reduces the steepness you need and prevents the club from digging properly on the target side of the ball.
4. Respond to the reduced loft
When you lean forward to make better contact with a buried ball, the clubface naturally loses loft. The worse the lie, the more you have to lean and the more effective the loft you get from the club.
To compensate, you may need to choose a club with more loft so you can still get the ball in the air and escape the bad lie. You may also need to adjust your aim so that regardless of the carry distance you can produce, you can get back into the game safely.
In the worst situations, all you may need to do is take your medicine: grab a wedge, dig the ball out, and move on. Deep fescue rough is a perfect example of when this conservative approach is the smartest play.
5. Steep speed and a bit of attitude
You may have to channel some inner aggression and speed to dig the ball out if it is really buried. I call this having a little attitude. Once you set up correctly and keep your weight forward, the swing will naturally steepen.
Many serious lies require more speed than normal to get the ball out. Anticipate this and be prepared to put in extra effort to release the ball and get it back into play.
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