Shallow Faced Bunker In Golf

Many Players automatically reach for a sand wedge when their ball lands in a bunker, even if the trap has little or no lip to it. Their reasoning is, I am in sand, therefore, logically, and it must call for me to use a sand wedge.

Maybe it does, but before you play your shot, thinks a little. If the ball is lying well in sand that is not of the fluffy kind that will stop the ball rolling, why not use a putter?

After all, what is to stop you? If the lip is low enough it will not stop the ball coming out, and if the sand is firm then the ball will roll. One thing to remember, of course, is that you will not be able to ground your putter behind the ball, just as you cannot ground your sand wedge in a bunker prior to impact.

If using a putter out of the sand, however, remember that you need to hit the ball considerably harder than normal. Do not go extremes and thrash as it as you would a driver but allow for the fact that, even if the sand is hard, it will slow the ball.

So imagine that you are putting under the same resistance as if you were putting on your back lawn, always presuming, of course, that your back lawn is neither a bowling green nor untamed.

The fairway bunker holds no fear for the golfer. Her head is still, her weight is evenly distributed and her hands are slightly ahead of the club head all in preparation of a clean, crisp strike that will pick the ball off the sand.

Unplugging A Buried Lie

Although the shot looks nasty, it is not as difficult as it appears. All the player needs to do is reverse every principle that applies to the standard splash shot.

Whereas a normal bunker shot is one of controlled delicacy, unplugging a buried lie requires a more forceful approach. Top players will occasionally adopt a more subtle approach, but for youngsters the aim is simply to get the ball out of the bunker and safely on to the green at the first attempt.