Golf Teaching Aid - Getting It Up And Down From Trouble

Wouldn't golf be great if we could play every round by hitting it down the middle and sinking every putt? If only golf was that simple! The truth is, when you're out playing a round of golf, you will be finding yourself in some pretty tough situations on the golf course at times. For some of us this happens more times than we would like. Well, this golf teaching aid should give you some much needed help in getting out of trouble while out on the course without making those ugly bogeys and double bogeys.

Getting Out Of The Sand

Perhaps you were like me as a child and loved to play in the sand. Unfortunately, out on the golf course I don't like to find the sand. I like to try and stay away from it if I can. So, what should you do when you find yourself buried in the bunker?

Remember to not let your club touch the sand to start with. You don't want to add another stroke penalty to your score for that. To hit a good sand shot you'll need to have your feet firmly planted in the sand. You should even wiggle them around a little and get a good base.

Then, be sure to open up your stance a little and try to aim a little left of your target. Take a full swing at the ball. Avoid trying to hit a fancy shot and attempting a half or three quarter swing. More than likely you'll miss hit and really make a mess of things. Hit behind the golf ball to get it up and out of the sand.

Hitting out of the bunker will require a lot of practice. As a golf teaching aid, I suggest you spend some time working with this shot. It takes some time in being able to judge how far your ball travels out of a bunker with each club. Don't get discouraged with it. In time you'll get better and better.

What happens if you really get unlucky and bury the golf ball in the bunker, or get a fried egg as it's also called? This shot will be a little different. Set up with the golf ball back in your stance. Take the club up high and try to come straight down and through the ball with the blade of your club. This shot is probably the toughest shot in golf. You'll just have to take your medicine and move on to the next hole.

Hitting Off An Uphill Lie

When you're on an uphill lie this golf shot can be intimidating for beginners. But, with a little practice it becomes pretty easy fairly quickly.

When faced with an uphill lie, add another club to offset the loss of distance you'll experience because the ball is flying a lot higher in the air. For example, if you would normally hit a 7-iron into the green, use and 6-iron instead. On very severe uphill lies, you might even add 2 clubs to that, making it a 5-iron instead.

This shot requires that you put the golf ball forward in your stance. Keep your shoulders parallel with the angle of the slope. Your weight should remain on your back foot and try to lean into the hill with your swing, while keeping the golf club and your body moving up the slope. The important thing is to try and keep your balance as much as possible in order to hit a good golf shot.

Hitting Off A Downhill Lie

When hitting the ball off a down slope you will do just the opposite of what you did for an uphill lie. You will want to use less club. For example, instead of hitting an 6-iron into the green, hit a 7-iron. Again, if the down slope is really severe, hit 2 clubs less, or an 8-iron in our example. You're trying to guard against carrying the ball over the green and into possible problems beyond the green. The ball is going to go further off of a downhill lie than it would normally go on a flat lie.

Move your weight forward with this golf shot and keep the ball well back in your stance. When you swing be sure that you try to maintain your swing path on the same angle as the slope of the hill.

Getting It Out Of The Rough

OK, you're in the rough again, what is the best method of getting out. Here is a golf teaching aid to getting out of the thick stuff and back onto the fairway. If you're close to the green you will be trying to get it on and as close to the pin as possible. Remember though, no matter what you do with this shot, don't try to get cute and hit the perfect golf shot. The last thing you want to do is to get into even more trouble and start piling on the strokes to your score.

Again, like the other shots, you want to keep the golf ball well back in your stance. Next, use a more lofted club so you can get the ball up and out of the grass. Also, keep in mind that the ball can many times be unpredictable coming out of the rough. You might catch a flyer and it comes out hot and goes a lot further than you expected, or you could hit it fat and it goes no where. Just keep practicing and you'll improve.

To do anything in life well will require practicing it over and over again. It's like your job, in order to do it well you must hone your skills. Well, golf is no different. The good news is that with a little practice and patience, you can begin to lower your scores out on the golf course.