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Uneven LiesSwing and Swing Plane Irons Expert / Intermediate ⏱ 19 min 🇫🇷 Video in French

Ball Above Your Feet: Find the Plane with Gravity

On a sloped mat, Edouard Montaz begins a series on shots played on a slope with the one that has long been his nemesis: the ball higher than his feet. Rather than aiming to the right out of fear that the ball will go left, he seeks balance between his body and the club.

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Edouard Montaz
Edouard Montaz · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

16 minSame problemUneven Lies in Golf: Tiger Woods’ KeysTiger Woods · Intermediate / Expert13 minSame problemIrons Downwind and on Slopes: The Morikawa SchoolCollin Morikawa · Intermediate / Expert9 minFrom the same proWrist Hinge in Golf: Edouard Montaz's Two PendulumsEdouard Montaz · Beginner / Intermediate

What the lesson shows

Why is this shot so difficult? According to Edouard Montaz, it’s because we The club is positioned too far inside: You're hitting the ground too early or you're moving the club. The drill: Hold the club horizontally in front of you, with your arms slightly bent, and swing it like a sword cutting through bamboo. Without thinking, the club rises above you—where it’s lightest—like a baseball bat, then tilts slightly on the downswing and returns to the plane.

In terms of posture, he regains that sensation through continuous back-and-forth movements: if the club cut the grass before and after the center of the arc, it's in the shot. This double cut also gives the distance to the ball, which should be determined dynamically rather than by a fixed measurement (“four fingers, one hand”): let the clubhead open up, then shift your body forward. On this shot alone, he feels a little more weight on the balls of his feet. Whether to hit a draw or a fade is decided at setup (ball positioned farther back and a steeper lie angle for a draw; ball positioned farther to the left for a fade), using the same swing plane. Aligning to the right out of fear of the ball going left is, for him, static golf: you miss the shot when you lose your balance.

The Exercise, Step by Step

  1. Hold the club horizontally in front of you, with your arms slightly bent, and feel its weight.
  2. Swing as if you were cutting bamboo: let the club rise where it's lightest, without thinking.
  3. Take your stance on the slope, with the club in front of the ball and your feet slightly closed.
  4. Mow back and forth continuously, cutting the grass before and after the center of the arc.
  5. Let the club move away from you: where it cuts through the grass is your distance from the ball.
  6. Move your structure forward by that distance, choose which side of the midpoint you're on, and play.

Key Takeaways

A club set too far inside makes it very difficult to hit the ball higher than your feet.
Horizontal club: You lift it where it’s lightest—above your head.
Cutting the grass before and after the center of the arc proves that the club is on track.
The distance to the ball is determined dynamically by gravity, not by a fixed measurement.
If the ball is higher than your feet: shift a little more weight to the balls of your feet.
Whether to hit a draw or a fade is decided during setup, using the same swing plane.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • Bringing the club too far inward during the takeaway.
  • Determine your distance from the ball using fixed reference points (four fingers, one hand).
  • Leaning to the right out of fear of the ball going to the left, instead of seeking balance.
  • Standing too close or too far away: you'll push or pull the club.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

  1. Horizontal swings, club held in front of you
  2. Back-and-forth passes with double grass cutting
  3. On a slope: a draw followed by a fade using the same shot
  4. On the course, look for a sloped area to practice

Your Questions

Should you align yourself to the right when the ball is higher than your feet?

Edouard Montaz rejects this instinct, which he believes is driven by fear. According to him, the ball curves to the left when you lose your balance; when balanced, he plays both a draw and a fade equally well on this shot.

How do you determine the right distance from the ball for this shot?

Through back-and-forth movements in which the club cuts through the grass before and after the center of the arc. The club moves away from itself: gravity dictates where it wants to go.

Where should you put your weight?

He feels a little more weight on the balls of his feet—just slightly—on this shot alone. On the other shots, his weight is in the middle of his feet or toward his heels.

Why swing the club horizontally?

To feel the natural plane: the club rises above you, where it is lightest, then tilts slightly downward. You then translate that sensation into your stance.

Learn More

All “Slope Shots” videos →Find the lesson that's right for youAll “Swing and Swing Plane” videos →Find the lesson that's right for you Alignment Rod and Swing Plane: The Complete ExerciseAn alignment rod extending from the club shaft, pointing toward a line of clubs on the ground at the halfway point of the backswing and downswing: a reference point for the plane, the path, and the wrists. Clubface at the Start of the Backswing: Keep It Looking at the BallAt the start of the backswing, the clubface should still be looking at the ball when your hands pass your back thigh; otherwise the swing gets too flat. Hitter vs. Thrower Swing: The Real DifferencesCompare the swing of someone who hits the ball with someone who throws it to the target: intent changes the setup, the move, the release and the finish; change the start and the end. Edouard MontazAll of his lessons

Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Edouard Montaz). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons, without hosting them.

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