This article was created by Steve Thomas and featured in Today's Golfer magazine for their 2025 February edition - Issue number 460.
The article content:
TOP 50 TEACHER Steve Thomas
www.stevethomasgolt.com, Head of Instruction & Fellow PGA Coach
at Three Hammers Golf Academy, Wolverhampton.
PAGE 1
CRIMEWATCH
NOT ADJUSTING FOR SIDESLOPES
Hitting balls down at the range is great… but with every lie and stance perfectly level, it tends to give us a false representation of the game.
Out on the course, that lovely level stance is often replaced by the ball sitting a little higher or lower than our foot level… and unless we make the correct allowances, even a subtle sideslope can compromise results. Unfortunately, either because they are in the habit of hitting shots from a level stance or are unaware that changes are needed, many club players take their regular set-up and swing into a sideslope shot. So here, let’s take a closer look at the problems this causes, before detailing the adjustments you need to make to get on top of these tricky shots.
We’ll focus here on ball-below-feet. It is the more awkward of the two sideslope stances, and you can pretty much reverse the instruction here to apply it to ball-above-feet lies. This image shows the immediate problem with applying your regular address to a ball-below-feet shot; the club doesn’t reach the ball! Most often, the club player will simply reach that little bit extra from the shoulders to get the clubhead behind the ball; it typically causes four big problems:
Weight tends to shift into the toes.
Posture is compromised.
A ball-below-feet stance promotes cutspin; if all you do is lower the clubhead, you are not allowing for this natural fade.
Because your body is not supporting the club’s position, it will simply try to pull back up during the swing… resulting in thin contact and topped shots.
Let’s now turn to the four key adjustments you need to make to execute this shot effectively – and as ever, it starts with your set-up.
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Set balance and posture
We’ll get down to the ball by sharpening our angles. That means more torso forward bend from the hips and more flex in the knees. As you do this, let your weight settle into your heels to counter a slope that wants to pitch you forward, into your toes. A great thought here is to lean your rear end into the slope. Ultimately, you are looking to feel stability through a more squatted stance.
Open it up
This more tilted posture steepens the plane of the swing – ideal for getting the club down to the ball, but a steeper swing will create fade or cutspin. We must allow for this at address, so for the right-hander, aim feet, knees, hips, and shoulders left of the ball-target line. A ball-above-feet stance also promotes a flatter swing and drawspin… so the right-hander needs to aim right of the target.
Add firepower
The more we tilt from the hips, the harder it is to rotate fully through the backswing. This inevitably shortens the backswing and reduces clubhead speed. Don’t fight this; you’ll only lift up and out of posture, compromising the strike. Instead, just take a stronger club – perhaps an 8 or even 7-iron instead of a 9. Keeping your swing shorter and more compact will also boost your chances of clean, pure contact.
Keep turning
This more inhibited core rotation applies to the throughswing too; if your chest stops turning through the strike, your hands will flip over, sending the ball well left (right-handers). So on your practice swing and the swing itself, make a conscious effort to keep that upper body rotating through to the finish. As counterintuitive as it sounds, a feeling of maintaining your height will help you achieve your goal.
Written by Fellow PGA Coach Steve Thomas
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