How to hit SOLID iron shots with the ball above your feet

Hitting a ball that's above your feet can often lead to wild swings with a lack of control and a loss of balance. This can lead to a range of poor shots, from chunking the ground before the ball, to thinning the ball low and through the green. With a few simple adjustments, you can start striking your irons pure when the ball is above your feet, so check out these tips from Shain Johnson, PGA Professional at Farleigh Golf Club.

When the ball is sitting above your feet, you need to approach the shot differently than if you were hitting it off of flat ground. Shain Johnson explains a few simple things to do next time you're faced with the ball above your feet.

HOW TO HIT A BALL THAT'S ABOVE YOUR FEET

1. Wider feet - make sure that you stand with your feet a little wider than you would if you were playing off of flat ground. When the ball is above your feet, you can often lose your balance during your swing, so by standing a little wider at address, you ensure a more stable set-up.

2. Weight in the toes - when facing a shot with the ball above your feet, you need to place more weight in your toes and stand slightly more upright, to mirror the slant that you are standing on.

3. Grip down - make sure that you grip down on your club a little more. This is because with the ball above your feet, the ball is going to be a little closer to your body, so you need to shorten the club slightly to correct this.

4. Aim right of target - with the ball above your feet, the ball will naturally want to follow the shape of the hill, so it's crucial that you aim further right of your target to allow the ball to turn over (left handed golfers would be aiming left).

This is a shot that you cannot practice at the driving range so it's crucial to understand the correct swing and set-up changes next time you face this shot!