Shane Lowry Downhill lie chip

European Tour champ Shane Lowry shows you how to master the chip from our downhill lie. The secret lies in how you position your weight.

Amateurs usually make this shot harder than it needs to be through a poor set up position. They will fight the slope and do anything they can to help the ball up in the air, which makes it almost impossible to make good contact with the ball. Set-up as always is crucial in pulling off this shot and the most important thing is to go with the way the slope is pushing you, don’t fight it.

No – The tendency here is to want to help the ball in the air because the ball will naturally come out lower from this lie. But if you do this by having your weight back behind the ball, you’ll end up either duffing the shot or knifing the ball over the back of the green.

Yes – Your address position needs to match the angle of the slope. So from a downhill lie, your weight will feel like it’s on your left leg for a right-handed golfer. The elevation will come from the fact you’re using your most lofted wedge with a slightly open clubface.

A good image in your mind to create more consistent results is to align your shoulders parallel to the slope. This will naturally get you in a good position. Place a club across your chest and feel that your shoulders marry up with the orientation of the feet. So in this case, the grip end of the club will be higher than the other.

Notice how coming into impact my left knee is flexed more than my right. This shows how my weight has stayed with the slope, allowing me to make solid contact with the ball. You may even find you take a step down the slope after you hit the ball but that’s ok, it shows that your weight has been positioned correctly.