In this article on sidehill lies, let’s discuss a few techniques and thoughts.

• Stay away! One of the best ways to deal with a sidehill lie is to keep your ball off of such a lie in the first place. This won’t always be possible – some courses just feature too much sloped terrain to avoid – but do your best to play to flat spots in the fairway. While standing on the tee, take an overview of the fairway and look for welcoming spots in the short grass. If you can find a place that is within your reach and will provide you with an easy approach, make that your target and do your best to execute the shot. No golfer will be able to stay away from all uneven shots, but finding as much level turf as possible is going to work to your advantage.
• Use more club and swing easy. You don’t want to find yourself in the position of making aggressive swings while on a sidehill lie. It is going to be hard to maintain your balance in this situation anyway – don’t make it even harder by swinging at maximum effort. When in doubt, take an extra club so you can make a comfortable, relaxed move through the ball. This is actually good advice around the rest of the course, not just on the uneven lies. Too many amateur golfers stretch the ability to cover a given distance with a certain club, and they wind up swinging too hard as a result.
• Be patient. Some sidehill lies are simply too severe to allow you to go for the green. If the ball is dramatically above or below your feet, the best option may be to lay the shot up and pitch onto the green with your next stroke. Attempting to go for it from such a dramatic lie could lead to ugly results, and you may waste several strokes in the process. Patience is not always easy to come by on the course, but it is important in this situation.

Golf would be easier if it were played on flat courses, but it certainly would not be as much fun. Sidehill lies add to the interest of the game, and they demand your full attention in order to achieve a positive result. We hope the tips in this article will point you in the right direction as you attempt to improve on these types of shots. Good luck!