Toughest Golf Shots: flyer lie

The flyer lie shot is our fifth iron play article in the Golf's Toughest Iron Shots series.

Often amateurs like to believe that if a ball is sat up in rough they can hit it like a normal shot off the fairway, but this couldn't be further from the truth.

The flyer lie can go very wrong if you don't keep your cool and play it with some basic steps, as shown to us by PGA coach Graeme Davies.

First of all, check to see if the ball is actually sitting up above the ground. Sometimes the rough can be deceptive so have a good examination of your lie before you choose the right club.

The most common mistake for a golfer to make with this shot is hitting underneath the ball because they don't allow for the large gap between ball and ground.

Treat the shot as if you were teeing the ball up on a high tee peg with an iron. You wouldn't try to compress the ball or hit down on it, rather you would try to sweep it off the tee.

The same principle applies to the flyer lie shot. As these pictures show, Graeme addresses the leading edge of the clubface at the equator (or middle) of the ball and grips down on the club.

At address it's also important to put the ball back in your stance because this increases the chance of hitting the ball first, which is essential for this shot, otherwise you'll be hitting air.

All these steps are crucial to not getting underneath the ball so apply these at set-up then take a nice shallow backswing and a smooth swing motion though to finish.

Check out Graeme's coaching website Graeme Davies Golf or where he teaches at Huntswood Golf Club.

Otherwise look at our Golf's Toughest Iron Shots index or Golf Practice Drills index for more help.

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