Play the golf ball below your feet: low posture, steeper swing, adjusted aim. Honest about what measurements show, with milestones, rules check and safety.
With the ball below your feet, the ball sits lower than your feet on the slope. You bend deeper in the knees, swing steeper and aim differently, because otherwise the ball likes to start in the wrong direction. The biggest danger is to straighten up during the swing and strike the ball thin.
The honest answer to “How do I play the ball below my feet?”: stand lower, stay lower, swing less. There is little evidence. In a study with eight recreational golfers and a 7-iron, ball speed, swing speed, carry and apex were higher on level ground than with the ball above or below the feet [1]. The erector spinae on the lead side were less active during the acceleration, which the authors associate with an increased back risk [1]. Ball flight direction was not examined.
For uphill and downhill lies there are more measurements: on the slope, elite golfers aligned perpendicular to the ground, shifted their weight about 9 % towards the lower foot and stood wider [2]. That is a TRANSFER, not a direct finding for the ball below the feet.
All descriptions are for right-handers, left-handers mirror them.
Below your feet you do not lose the ball because of the slope, but because of straightening up.
Check how the slope runs and whether your stance is secure. Under the Rules of Golf you are not entitled to a normal stance or swing and must use the least intrusive course of action [4]. Milestone: you can explain why you have to change your posture.
Bend your knees more, hinge from the hips and keep your back straight. The ball is further away and lower. Coaching practice, not confirmed by the measurements. Milestone: you can stand in the address position for ten seconds without your weight tipping onto your heels.
On sloping lies, elite golfers shifted their weight to the lower foot and stood wider [2]. A wide stance is therefore part of the plan. Practise the swing without a ball so that you do not push your weight out of your stance. Milestone: ten practice swings after which you stand without a balancing step.
The swing becomes steeper because the ball sits lower. You stay over the ball until it is gone and do not straighten up. Choose a three-quarter swing. Milestone: seven out of ten balls are struck cleanly, without the clubhead skimming thinly over the ball.
For right-handers, the ball below the feet by experience tends towards a right curve, so you aim a little left of the target (coaching practice). On uphill and downhill slopes it was measured: uphill rather left, downhill rather right [2][5]. Milestone: seven out of ten balls land within about 15 metres of your target.
On a slope you can slip or tip forward, especially in wet grass. If your stance does not feel secure, rather play the ball out sideways. Over a lifetime, more than half of golfers had an injury, and in professionals mainly the back, hands and wrists [6]. Stop if your back or wrist hurts. This guide explains and motivates, it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
At address, place the sole of the club first and find the contact with the ground before you set your posture. Then you know how low you really stand. This is coaching experience, not a study.
With a low posture, a straight back, a wide stance, a steeper three-quarter swing and an aim that allows for the slope. The ball sits lower than your feet.
For right-handers, by experience, rather to the right; that is coaching practice. The study on the ball above and below the feet did not examine direction [1]. For uphill and downhill slopes it was measured: uphill to the left, downhill to the right [2].
Usually because you straighten up in the swing. The clubhead then goes over the ball. Stay in the knees and keep your eyes on the ball (coaching practice).
No. Under Rule 8.1a you may not alter the surface of the ground or create or eliminate holes, indentations or uneven surfaces. Standing firmly is allowed [4].
Usually yes. In a study with eight recreational golfers, distance and apex were higher on level ground than with the ball above or below the feet [1].
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