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How is THIS shot played

Carefully. :D
 
I like to use a PW or some sort of lower club and punch the ball into the hill before the green, if you hit it right, the ball will bean the hill and slow down hopefully running right towards the hole. Unless you have some very good flop skills.
 
I think it depends entirely on how far you are away. I mean are you 20 yards, 100 yards, 200 yards?
 
Like JB said, distance would make a big difference. Fairly close and I'd probably grab either a PW or my 56* and pray that I could get it up a bit. Otherwise, aim to impact the hill and roll up onto the green.
 
For a short pitch around the green you can sometimes take a little of the "downhill" out of the lie by playing a flop shot, e.g. open the face and aim left. By doing that you alter your swing path a bit to swing less down and more across the slope. You'll need a lie that you're super-comfortable playing a flop from, though.
 
I always do better if I make sure to swing through the ball and with the slope. Distance from hole is a big factor in that shot.
 
Distance, how steep the downhill lie is, and and the turf conditions between you and the green determine how you play this shot.

For a full shot, I usually take about 1 club less than normal because of the natural delofting on the swing you have to make, and play the ball back slightly in my stance to avoid chunking the shot. Also set up with your shoulders and hips parallel to the slope. Play for a fade. My target is the middle of the green, I don't worry about the flag.

If it's less than a full shot, with fairway in front of you, then just bump the ball into the rise short of the green and let it roll out. If it has to carry over rough or water, or sand, then use a lofted club and just try to get the ball on the green. Again, don't worry about where the hole is as much as just getting the ball on the putting surface.

Sometimes the best play is just to get the ball in a good position for chipping on the next shot. Going for the green in some cases may not even be possible. You simply have to evaluate each case as it comes up.
 
If its an extreme downhill lie, take a 60, open it up, and swing it in the opposite direction. The ball can fly over your head. Dont do it with kids around, flip your wrists too
 
Thainer21 said:
If its an extreme downhill lie, take a 60, open it up, and swing it in the opposite direction. The ball can fly over your head. Dont do it with kids around, flip your wrists too
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Because if Phil can do it, anybody can?
 
If it's one of those short little shots close to the green I'll sometimes take a driver or 3 wood and use a putting stroke hard enough to run down the hill and back up the slope.
 
The shot in question is a 170 yard shot from a down hill lie in the rough to an elevated stick.
 
Thainer21 said:
Anyone can do anything if you practice it. Thats the beauty of golf
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Not true. Many times yes, but not anything.

ChristianGolfer said:
The shot in question is a 170 yard shot from a down hill lie in the rough to an elevated stick.
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If the ball is beneath your fight, make the club slightly longer by moving hands closer to the butt. From there, I play the shot slightly up to generate a higher ball flight (maybe one ball) and do NOT over swing. For me this is a 6 iron on normal distance, so I would play one club more depending on the how uphill the green is.
 
JB said:
If the ball is beneath your fight, make the club slightly longer by moving hands closer to the butt. From there, I play the shot slightly up to generate a higher ball flight (maybe one ball) and do NOT over swing. For me this is a 6 iron on normal distance, so I would play one club more depending on the how uphill the green is.
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I read the question as though it's downhill and then uphill to the green, not as a sidehill lie to an uphill green. The feet and ball are on the same plane.

I would take my normal stance, move my right foot back enough so I could stand level (with my heel enough off the ground to accomplish this) and try to swing down the slope of the hill. I agree with taking one more club and not swinging hard.
 
Smallville said:
I read the question as though it's downhill and then uphill to the green, not as a sidehill lie to an uphill green. The feet and ball are on the same plane.

I would take my normal stance, move my right foot back enough so I could stand level (with my heel enough off the ground to accomplish this) and try to swing down the slope of the hill. I agree with taking one more club and not swinging hard.
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I have 2 problems with this advice. First since its a downhill lie your setup (hips and shoulders parallel to the slope) should effectively deloft the club, making a 6I play like a 5I. Add the delofting to the downhill lie and downhill swing and is it also much more difficult to get height on the ball trajectory. Thus I take one club LESS (if it's normally a 5I, I take a 6I), swing parallel to the slope, and still expect to have trouble stopping the ball on the green because of the lower flight.
 
Fourputt said:
I have 2 problems with this advice. First since its a downhill lie your setup (hips and shoulders parallel to the slope) should effectively deloft the club, making a 6I play like a 5I. Add the delofting to the downhill lie and downhill swing and is it also much more difficult to get height on the ball trajectory. Thus I take one club LESS (if it's normally a 5I, I take a 6I), swing parallel to the slope, and still expect to have trouble stopping the ball on the green because of the lower flight.
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I agree about the hill delofting the club but since it's to an uphill green is why I would think taking one more club and swinging easy might be prudent, unless you aren't trying to reach the green. I am assuming the green is not only up a hill but also higher in elevation than where you are hitting.

Plus I would try to stand level on the slope, not parallel to the slope and swing down the hill. Seems like your balance could be off since you are leaning forward if you set your body parallel to the slope. Perhaps this is why I suck! hehehe
 
Smallville said:
I agree about the hill delofting the club but since it's to an uphill green is why I would think taking one more club and swinging easy might be prudent, unless you aren't trying to reach the green. I am assuming the green is not only up a hill but also higher in elevation than where you are hitting.
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I agree with you which is why I posted something similar. Most have a tendency to overswing on these shots and at the same time most golfers come up short. Taking extra club and swinging easier is what I recommended as well.
 
for me...problely at least three times till I finally get contact that goes more than 2'
 
jefffann said:
for me...problely at least three times till I finally get contact that goes more than 2'
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Been there, done that. More often than I care to think about!
 
JB said:
I agree with you which is why I posted something similar. Most have a tendency to overswing on these shots and at the same time most golfers come up short. Taking extra club and swinging easier is what I recommended as well.
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The trouble with that is that most amateurs won't ever get the ball high enough to even get to the level of the green with this strategy. You need to look at it from the point of view and skill level of the average golfer. Getting the ball in the air is usually his biggest challenge. Doing that from a downhill lie to an elevated green is nearly impossible, especially from 170 out like the OP added in there. For me that's a 5 iron or a choked down 25° hybrid. The hybrid I can probably hit high enough to make it, but no chance with the 5I. To be honest, I play this shot for the safest miss anyway, as hitting the green is a long shot (no pun intended). I'm mostly playing this shot to give myself the bast chance for an up and down.

We have a similar shot on the 5th hole of my home course, although the green isn't elevated. Even then it's hard to hold the green from 170 out, because the ball flies with a very flat trajectory from that downhill lie. The hole is designed so that most of the time you aren't that far back either... usually 130-150 so you are playing a more lofted club in the first place. Even so, a lot of approaches there roll to the back of the green.
 
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Fourputt said:
The trouble with that is that most amateurs won't ever the ball high enough to even get to the level of the green with this strategy. . . . To be honest, I play this shot for the safest miss anyway.
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That's how I look at it, too. If I take enough club to reach the green the ball is just going to slam into the hillside short of the green. Chance are an 18 handicap simply does not have this shot from 170 yards if the green is significantly uphill, so planning for a safe miss is good strategy.
 
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