Although we don’t have severe slopes and terrain here in Florida, we do have plenty of courses that feature rolling mounds and undulations in the fairways and rough.

Here are the keys to playing sidehill shots successfully:

• Play the ball as you normally would in your stance, but narrow your stance slightly and keep most of your weight on your front foot to prevent swaying.
• In general, try to avoid over swinging. Instead take more club for the situation and make a ¾ length backswing.
• The key to the swing is to make sure the plane of your club shaft matches the severity of the hill. In other words, at the top of your backswing make sure the shaft points toward the ball (photo on the left), and not too steep or shallow (photo below).

If you have a long shot to the green, choose a hybrid or fairway metal instead of a long irons. You will have a better chance of making good contact.

Most important, is to adjust your aim for the slope as the ball will tend to fly in the direction of the slope. If you are hitting a short iron or wedge, you must make a significant adjustment in aim when the ball is above your feet because those clubs have “closed” faces by design.