Shot over a bunker with a bad lie...

[Mike420]

Yesterday I found my ball on a baron patch of ground. Just hard mud and no grass. I had to get my ball over a bunker and stopping quickly on the green. Normally i'd have played a flop shot, but in this case there was no way i'd be able to slide the club under the ball without thinning it. I played a chip shot that if executed properly would have probably been too long anyway. However I didn't execute it properly. I ended up duffing it into the bunker. How should I have gone about it?

[BrianW]

Re: Shot over a bunker with a bad lie...

You played the correct shot but didn't execute it well, by the sound of it. It is important with such a shot to keep the momentum uninterrupted as you swing through. You should not slow down or make a short follow through.

Make some practice swings in a similar lie until the momentum seems right to carry the ball the distance, then go to the ball and make the shot with commitment.

[AussieGolfBoy]

Re: Shot over a bunker with a bad lie...

agree with everything brian said....so i'll add something different.

with the shot is it possible to go left or right of the bunker and still make the green.... the shot your playing is a very high risk (though high reward) shot. if done well can set you up for a good score. however like you found out, the pressure of the shot caused you to duff it into the sand... instead of being on the sand, use a 7i and run it left or right of the bunker and get onto the green.... you might be 20yards away, but your still on the green and have an easier next shot.

[GolfJunkieSr]

Re: Shot over a bunker with a bad lie...

I have had this shot a few times...off a thin, hard lie, needing to clear a bunker. It's a tough shot to b be sure, and equipment, and the golfer's experience dictates how the shot can be handled. If a chip shot was all you had available to you then of course you played the correct shot for your situation. Perhaps some future practice on this same lie situation would be time well spent.

I had a shot with this type of lie, a bunker, two trees, and a left to right wind to deal with. The pin was located to my right, behind one of the trees. In my case I chose a lob wedge, with very little bounce to help avoid thinning the shot. Next was to pick the ball clean, sending it over the bunker, between the trees, then letting the wind curve the ball towards the hole. I had practiced from this type of lie many times with my low bounce, LW. The shot was not new to me. The bunker, trees, and wind were just add ons to the initial problem of getting the ball up in the air, from a hard pan lie.

A golfer carries many clubs in their bag, but unfortunately more than a few golfers have tunnel vision when it comes to using each of these clubs. I have used my putter from this type of lie to get my self into a better position for an easier shot. I have also used my 5w to putt with on a few occasions. These are just examples, and obviously not normal usage for these two clubs. I know golfers who will only use a sand wedge out of a bunker because....it's a "sand" wedge. Sometimes I have hit the ball away from the pin, maybe even backwards into the fairway, again setting myself up for an easier, next shot.

I am a big proponent of practicing different shots, from different lie conditions with different clubs. It not only make practice more fun, but it cuts down the number of surprises I might encounter on the golf course when playing for a score.

Why would I putt with a 5w you might ask? I do this in a 3 club tournaments when ever I play in them. I carry a 5w, 7i, and a AW in these tournaments.

[GolfGurl]

Re: Shot over a bunker with a bad lie...

Thanks GolfJunkieSr for the description of your shots. I especially like the idea of getting "out of the box" with regard to certain clubs for certain shots. Sometimes you just have to experiment just to see what will happen. Reminds me of the scene in the golf movie "Tin Cup" when the Kevin Costner character uses garden tools to win a match!

[xix]

Re: Shot over a bunker with a bad lie...

I'd have gone for a big safe bit of the green and to hell with stopping it fast, then tried to save the hole with my putter.

i.e. I'd have taken my medicine for a poor approach shot and moved onto the next hole.

[bdbl]

Re: Shot over a bunker with a bad lie...

I'd have gone for a big safe bit of the green and to hell with stopping it fast, then tried to save the hole with my putter.

i.e. I'd have taken my medicine for a poor approach shot and moved onto the next hole.

Me too.

As Dirty Harry would say, "a man has to know his limitations"; I don't have a consistent enough shot in my armoury to play anything other than a safe shot and hope to limit the damage.

[cyc53870]

Re: Shot over a bunker with a bad lie...

I like the idea of making practice swings nearby on similar ground.