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You might hear television golf commentators talk about “flier lies.” It’s easy to nod along and pretend you know what they’re talking about, but do you actually know what they mean? Here’s how to spot a flier lie on the golf course and what you should do when you find yourself in one.
When your ball is in the semi-rough, there’s a multitude of lies you might find it in. Chances are, it will look something like one of the three shown above. Before your next shot from the semi, take a moment to assess the lie. Here’s how you should approach the situation…
The Perfect Lie
This ball, which you can see on the image furthest to the left, might as well be on a tee. If your distance to the hole is a typical 8-iron, you don’t need to do anything differently. These are rare in the semi-rough, but when you get one, it can almost be easier hitting from here than on the fairway.
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The Flier Lie
If you find your ball in a situation like this, the middle image of the main picture above, you know it’s going to come out quick. This is a typical flier lie. It’s going to jump, there’s going to be much less spin on it. Here, you want to take a club that will land at the front edge. If you were an 8-iron distance, you might want to take a 9-iron. Make sure you have enough to get to the front edge, just in case it doesn’t jump. This is going to be unpredictable, but this is a shot where you need to just try to find the green, as you could get a result you’re not expecting.
The Sitting Down Lie
The other end of the spectrum, where your ball is sitting down, is shown on the image furthest to the right. There’s going to be too much grass between the ball and the club to allow it to jump. On this shot, you need to muscle it out. You still might want to take a club less, just to make sure you have the loft to actually get it out a decent distance.
What causes a flier lie?
When grass gets between the ball and the clubface, the grooves don’t have the chance to put any spin on the ball. That means the ball comes out lower and faster. A lot of amateur players don’t assess the lie, so you need to have that awareness to see how the ball is sitting to play your shot accordingly.
Steve Johnston is a long-time member of the bunkered Performance Panel and is Scotland’s leading golf YouTube star. He is also the founder of Loft and Lie | Premium Golf Gloves – find out more here.
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