What is a flier? What is a flier lie?
You know most of us set our ball up to run the danger of a
flier lie and are totally ignorant of the fact.

A flier on the golf course is a ball hit from the rough or
longer grass. There is grass between the club and the ball
and therefore most of the control over the shot and the
ball is lost.
The ball comes out of the rough with very little spin on
it. You know when you hit a ball thin, that is half way up
the ball with the leading edge of the club, (the very
bottom of the club head), you see it travelling at a great
rate of knots towards the green, towards the pin, then past
the pin and away over the back of the green. The feeling of
disappointment is intense isnt it?

Well, on days when it is wet and we are allowed to move our
ball to an improved position from where it stops (called a
preferred lie), we are, nearly all of us, guilty.

Guilty of what? You ask.

Guilty of falling for the mistake of setting our ball up
for a flier.

We all set our ball up on a tuft of grass. We think that
this will make us hit a better shot.

Actually, out on the
fairway, it seems that we do hit a better shot. The ball
goes a long way.
What we dont know is that we do not have
maximal control over the ball. We are creating a flier lie.

On our approach shots to the green, the flier will become
more noticeable. The ball will go a little further than
wanted and even run off the back of the green. The chip
shot will fly much further than required.

For every golf shot, the shorter the grass, and the drier the ground under
the ball, the more accurately you can hit your ball.

To improve your shot making, hit balls from this sort of
lie. From the short grass. Dont prop them up on tufts of
grass. This applies to the practice fairway too.

Place your ball on the back edge of where your divots have been taken,
and continue to sculpture the ground with more divots. You
will become more accurate in your ball striking and you
will see the benefit of hitting down on the ball from short
grass.
From this short grass, you can experiment and learn to hit
fades and draws. It is so much harder to hit these from a
ball raised on a tuft of grass.

One more tip.

When playing in the wind, use a less lofted club. No, this
is not to hit it under the wind. The reason is that in the
wind, especially in the wind, a less lofted club gives you
more control over the starting direction of the ball.

Note, I said starting direction.

If you want to hit a very accurate shot, the same principle
applies. You want to get great accuracy with the starting
direction of the ball.

How often have you hit your pitching iron a full pitching
iron into the green only to see your ball fly well off
line? This is because, as I have said, the more loft, the
less control over the starting direction of the ball.

So instead of hitting a full pitching iron, hit a nine
iron.

To qualify this last tip.

There are times when you may be
in doubt as to which club to use to get to the hole. You
know a full pitching wedge will get there. However, so will
a nine iron. Tip: go for the nine iron.

Bill Maitland is a thinking, inventive golf guru. He thought out and developed simple techniques and tips which enabled him to lower his handicap from 25 to 18, then from 18 to 15, and finally from 15 to 12. He is a passionate golfer, and delights in helping others with their game should they want his help. To receive a valuable weekly golf tip go to his web site http://www.onlinegolfershandbook.com and subscribe to his free Hole In One News Letter. You will be so glad that you did.

Author of On Line Golfers’ Hand Book. An e-Book that takes you step by step to being the best golfer that you can possibly be. The basics in great detail. To learn about his tips and simple techniques and order his book, visit his web site

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