Buried Lies
Not long ago on television there was a tour professional committing the same mistake from a greenside bunker that amateurs are notorious for making. He was taking a big, long swing from a plugged lie. It was clear that the reason this shot was shown was because it was a blooper. The ball went about two feet and rolled back to where the pro was standing.
What did he do wrong?
When your ball is buried (fried egg) in the bunker, you do not want to swing long and follow through. The idea is to swing your sand wedge up abruptly on the backswing, then steeply on the downswing, and finish the swing by sticking your club in the sand and leaving it there. Your ball will pop out if you do this. It won’t have any backspin on it because of the poor lie, but it will have a good chance of getting out of the sand.You want a steep angle of attack and no follow through on this shot so the club can get underneath the ball. With part of the ball resting below the surface of the sand, you need to get underneath it. That is where a short, steep, punchy type of swing works best.
A typical bunker shot calls for an open stance, an open clubface, and a shallow swing while taking a little bit of sand. That will not work with a plugged lie, regardless of how hard you swing. Your club will be approaching from too shallow an angle. You will hit the sand to the right of the ball, instead of hitting the sand underneath the ball. Thus, your club will bounce, or deflect into the ball. Worse yet, you will plow too much sand into the back of ball and it will hardly move.
Here’s what's recommended from a buried lie in a greenside bunker:
Set up with a squarer stance. Square the clubface a bit also. This will allow for the leading edge to enter the sand first. Pick the club up steeper, and then swing down steeper and stick the club in the ground. Hit about 1-3 inches behind the ball. You can swing hard, just don’t follow through. You won’t be able to follow through if you make the correct swing, because you will be coming down so steep. This is not a shot that you will face a lot, but it is still worth practicing. Go to a practice trap and step on a couple of balls to bury them a little. Then hit some shots.
Experiment a bit. Especially get the feeling of that up and down "chopping" motion, and that no-follow-through release. By doing so, you will find that it is not that hard to get out of a buried lie in the bunker.
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Learn more about the #1 rated golf instruction book in the game today, 1 Step to Better Golf.
What did he do wrong?
When your ball is buried (fried egg) in the bunker, you do not want to swing long and follow through. The idea is to swing your sand wedge up abruptly on the backswing, then steeply on the downswing, and finish the swing by sticking your club in the sand and leaving it there. Your ball will pop out if you do this. It won’t have any backspin on it because of the poor lie, but it will have a good chance of getting out of the sand.You want a steep angle of attack and no follow through on this shot so the club can get underneath the ball. With part of the ball resting below the surface of the sand, you need to get underneath it. That is where a short, steep, punchy type of swing works best.
A typical bunker shot calls for an open stance, an open clubface, and a shallow swing while taking a little bit of sand. That will not work with a plugged lie, regardless of how hard you swing. Your club will be approaching from too shallow an angle. You will hit the sand to the right of the ball, instead of hitting the sand underneath the ball. Thus, your club will bounce, or deflect into the ball. Worse yet, you will plow too much sand into the back of ball and it will hardly move.
Here’s what's recommended from a buried lie in a greenside bunker:
Set up with a squarer stance. Square the clubface a bit also. This will allow for the leading edge to enter the sand first. Pick the club up steeper, and then swing down steeper and stick the club in the ground. Hit about 1-3 inches behind the ball. You can swing hard, just don’t follow through. You won’t be able to follow through if you make the correct swing, because you will be coming down so steep. This is not a shot that you will face a lot, but it is still worth practicing. Go to a practice trap and step on a couple of balls to bury them a little. Then hit some shots.
Experiment a bit. Especially get the feeling of that up and down "chopping" motion, and that no-follow-through release. By doing so, you will find that it is not that hard to get out of a buried lie in the bunker.
---
Learn more about the #1 rated golf instruction book in the game today, 1 Step to Better Golf.
posted by Best Golf Tips at
9:57 AM
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