Bad Lies - Golf Tips and Videos

Hitting it close from the rough is critical if you want to stay in the game. Playing your short irons from the...

Remember to keep it simple and be conservative in the rough, if there is a lot of grass between the ball and the...

Controling your ball from the rough so that you can actually hit the green requires a steeper swing, gripping...

Okay, you have a shot and you must hit the green. Don't forget to factor the effects of a sidehill lie. Sidehill...

Take a lofted club, play the ball towards the center of your stance and open the clubface slightly

Though golf courses aren't flat, most golfers hone their fundamentals on the even, manicured surfaces of a driving...

When chipping off a downhill lie, the most important tip is to level your shoulders to the slope of the ground...

Analyze how your ball is lying in the rough so that you can play your shot with the correct set up and swing

While we usually practice on the driving range from level lies, the golf course is replete with uneven terrain...

Tilt your body with the slope and take more club

A draw from a fade-producing lie? It's a shot for the master playmaker. However, any golfer can produce it if...

When the ball is on an uphill or above your feet lie all you have to do is make some adjustments to your set up and stance

The Bear is awesome, the Walrus downright cuddly, but the Shark, wherever you happen to find him, is pure excitement....

For downhill lies reposition your club and body so that your stance is parallel to the slope your ball is on

To play golf well, you must be able to hit shots from a variety of uneven lies. A downhill lie is one of the toughest...

To master this difficult shot you must change your set up so that your swing more represents the slope of the...

Level your body to the slope, swing on the plane of the slope and turn your body through

From the Oregon coast south to San Diego, golfers have their pick of some of the best golf resorts in the United...

Play the ball forward, use more arms and hands and try former U.S. Amateur Champion Hank Kuehne's trick for selecting...

Links golf requires the use of every club in your bag. It demands creativity, inventiveness and confidence. Moreover,...

When the ball is above or below your feet the angle of the lie changes the direction the clubface points, so you...

The rough can be aggravating, but don't let it wreck your round. Follow our quick tips to get up and out of the...

When the ball is below your feet adjust for the change in your arc and shift in your weight

Most of the time when you can't make a backswing, it's best to take a drop to avoid making a really big number....

Adjust your spine angle to the slope, find your new contact point for ball position, take more club and aim slightly...

If you really want to impress your foursome, practice this shot for an amazing recovery. It happens--a tree, bush...

Bend at the hips, not the knees, and swing the club more up and down

When faced with a difficult lie from deep rough plan your recovery shot to get yourself back in play, analyze...

When trouble comes a-knockin', you've got to know there's a way out. That's why we've assembled these tips to...

Adjust your posture to compensate for the slope

In a water hazard, you have the option to play the ball as it lies, a risky but exciting play that always brings...

Use a steeper swing with a slightly open clubface, but make sure you get back on the fairway

Hitting off a sloped lie isn't as difficult as it looks. In this case, since I have a downhill lie, the proper...

Take your club back at a steeper angle to create a descending blow

What's a golfer to do after striking a good drive that just settles up against the first cut of rough? The key...

Set your body with the slope and have your swing bottom out at or just in front of the ball

When stuck behind a tree your primary objective is to pick the correct club in order to get in below the limbs...

Downhill lies are tough enough with a 7-iron, let alone a long-iron or 5-wood. What typically happens to amateurs...

This is an intimidating shot, but it can be managed easily by getting your weight far forward in your stance so...

As straight as he hits it, Lee Trevino hasn't spent much time in the woods, but even he lands in jail once in...

When faced with a course that has fairway surrounded by fescue first take a few practice shots to get familiar...

Club trajectory is severely affected on downhill shots. Take a more lofted club, adjust your weight and chase...

Negotiating a shot around trees is a matter of first deciding what shot gives you the highest percentage for success....

Use your regular swing but aim to the right and open the clubface

With Las Vegas having more than 50, Palm Springs with 100-plus and the Phoenix/Scottsdale/Mesa area totaling somewhere...

Adjust your spine angle to the slope, find your new contact point for ball position, take less club and aim slightly...

Played like an explosion shot--the same used to escape a greenside bunker--the chop shot flies high and lands...

Teaching juniors how to hit a downhill lie is as simple as aligning shoulders with the slope

When your ball settles down in greenside rough, it takes just the right touch to pull off a successful shot. In...

When your perfect drive ends up in a divot, first ascertain the type of lie you have, then use one of these two...

We've all seen pros get upset when they get out into the fairway after a perfect drive only to find their ball...

Steve Bann proves to us that not even the best players can prove the adage that trees are 90% air

Bad lies are one thing, but there's nothing worse than a situation where your backswing is completely restricted....

When faced with a long shot that requires that you hit over an object in front of you play the ball forward in...

Take a lower lofted club, play the ball back in your stance and choke down

This looks tough, but it's actually really easy. Here I've found myself against a tree with seemingly no way to...

If your ball is in a fairway divot you need to adjust your swing so that you hit the ball with a more descending blow

Sometimes, a wayward tee shot ends up being a lot of fun. I love tapping into my creativity where I have to hook...

Aim to the right with a closed clubface to create counterclockwise spin on the ball

If you find yourself faced with an obstacle between your ball and the green, your first priority has to be getting...

Two critical factors in hitting a ball below your feet are your balance and aim

One of the most common bad lies encountered on the course is one on a slope, where the ball sits either above...

Maintaining your balance is key to playing a ball below your feet uneven lie

By now, you've probably seen footage of Tiger Woods snapping his 4-iron against a tree in the 2007 Masters. To...

To successfully hit over hazards you must get the correct yardage and commit to a full finish

Unlike the rest of the desert West, the Arizona golf landscape encompasses multiple geographic areas, providing...

Sometimes you need to slice or fade the ball around an object in your way and the only way to do this is to know...

If kids are going to play golf then they need to know how to hit all the shots, so teach them to hit different...

How you make a practice swing when chipping from off the green is especially critical. First of all, you're not...

Create a balanced position that allows your sand wedge to get under the ball and onto the green

Golf is a game of variables. Changing weather and course conditions, among other things, means that no two rounds--in...

Create an imaginary wall from the tee to the middle of the fairway to cover the side where the trouble lies

Swing along your stance line with an open club face and ball forward

Square the club face, move the ball back in your stance and put your hands forward

When faced with a buried lie in the bunker you must create a concussion in the sand in order to drive the ball...

Square the clubface, pick the club up quickly and dig under the ball with a steep approach angle

With a buried lie you must use your sand wedge as a digger to get below the bottom of the ball so square the clubface...

Use a steeper swing plane so that you can dig in to the sand and most importantly keep your weight forward throughout...

There's no more useful--and spectacular--shot around the green than the flop shot. At least once or twice during...

When you are buried in deep rough just off the green try this great trick to always get the ball on the putting surface

Every good golfer knows that golf is not all about mechanics. There is a strategy to playing the game, and the...

Although uphill sand shots seem easy, they can get tricky if you aren't paying attention. The key is to stay balanced...

Regardless of where you play, you'll eventually face a tough pitch off hardpan. This is a dicey situation, as...

You need to be creative around the greens, try one of these three specialty shots when you are stuck in ugly rough...

Grab your pencil. Put on your thinking cap. It's time to test your knowledge (or lack thereof) of the Rules of...

Play the ball back of center, weight forward and pull your left arm in as you swing

Place the ball back, leave the club face open and drop down with the knees

To golf purists, the mere mention of Pinehurst evokes images of reverence and awe. Every golf hero, from Bobby...

Practicing at the range with a mid iron, not your driver, and if you have too steep a swing plane, practice off a tee

Try these two new ways to hit this difficult shot with some spin for control

Golf is the only game that requires proficiency with a wide variety of instruments. While tennis, hockey and baseball...

Long irons are necessary tools for going low. Take, for instance, the Long Iron Express--a low, boring rocket...

Adjust you ball positioning, shift weight forward and lean the shaft forward to allow the club to dig under the ball

Hit the ball harder with a tight grip and drive the club down into the sand

Ball back in your stance, weight forward, closed club-face and hit down on the ball

To get height on your shots you must hit down on the ball, allowing the clubface to function the way it was designed

Bunkers add an endless source of diversion, excitement and strategy options to a golf course. Their position,...

Basic sand play should be one of the easiest parts of the game to master. You don't actually have to make contact...

The rounded bottom of the sand wedge allows it to bounce off the sand

Don't know how to escape from tight bunker lies? Playing this shot using the club's "bounce" (as you would a...