How to hit this shot?

[kfowler]

This past week, I ran into a rare shot I just have no idea how to hit. My ball landed in a large green side bunker. I had maybe 30 yards to the pin and I had to carry at least 10-15 yards to even get out of the bunker. Attached is a photo of the hole. My ball was where the red dot is.

How do I hit this? My normal sand shot doesn't have enough carry to reach the green from this distance. Should I treat it like it was in the rough and not hit under it? How would my stance vary from a normal sand shot?

[opie]

I try to take less sand with my normal sand shot. If I normally aim an inch behind the ball I aim 1/2" and take less sand.

[David in FL]

I play that shot with a PW, or even a 9 iron. Open the blade just like your SW and swing a little less steeply than you normally might, while still ensuring that you don't catch the ball first. As with any "specialty" shot, practice beforehand is the key to success on the course.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Im a little different from david, I play long bunker shots (30 - 50 yards) with my 52 degree (or 54 when i used to carry one) But for me, its an all upper body swing. I dont use my legs much at all. I usually choke down about a full inch - the face is slighty open. I scoop it out shallow and try not to have the club hit the sand until the ball is in the air.

[bogeyhitter25]

That'd be a tricky shot for me. I would probably just choke down a little bit and take an almost full swing and really bend my knees on the downswing to ensure that I don't pick it clean and send it 60 yards over the green.

[Leftygolfer]

I play it like a normal bunker shot but with a less loft wedge. It will carry much farther and fly lower, but lots of spin. I swing pretty aggressively and make sure to go down and hit the sand first. If I had to really elevate it, I will have to use my LW and hit really close to the ball. That makes the shot super hard. 3 from there is a good score.

[RC]

PW, opened up... and the 40, 50, 60 (whatever) percent of the time it works, rake the bunker and walk up like you do it all the time.

For only 20 to 30 yards, I use a 54 degree, but at 40 to 50 yards, its the PW.

[kfowler]

Lots of good options I'll have to try. The shot I used was my normal bunker set up with my SW and tried to hit right behind the ball. I ended up still in the trap just closer to the pin. This was kind of what I expected to happen.

[Fat Slice]

I don't know if this is what opie is saying, but I'd use the bounce of the club (sw/lw) and then skim *under* the surface with a swing that was more flat than choppy, land it short and expect plenty of rollout.

[sonicblue]

I ended up still in the trap just closer to the pin. This was kind of what I expected to happen.

Then that's why it happened. Never underestimate the power of pre-conceived notions.

For the shot you describe, I think your choice of club would depend on how much roll you wanted versus fly. More roll may be 'smarter' (usually better to get it on the ground asap) but doesn't mean you have to. You could try to fly that ball all the way, or if there was no/minimal lip, you could run one out. That's not much different than a lot of other explosion shots, maybe just magnified here. After you decide, it comes down to ball placement in your stance, because essentially, you want to swing just like any other bunker explosion shot, you just want to hit a little closer to the ball to get more 'hit' on the ball (whether you're flying it or rolling it out, it needs to travel farther than normal). If a standard explosion is 2" behind the ball, you probably want to be about 1" here, maybe 1.5". So you just adjust your stance so the ball isn't quite as forward as usual, and take your same swing. Only 'different' shot I'll play out of a bunker, if it's a longer shot, is something I saw David Feherty do on Playing Lessons. If there is no/minimal lip, and say you've got 25-35 yards to the hole, you can take something like a 9I or PW, and the swing vision is, to just 'stick the heel' into the sand just behind the ball. You'll get a flat, no-spin ball that gets on the ground quickly and will run out quite a bit.

[umpiremark]

This shot calls for creativity ... here's how I would play it, see if you concur ...

I'd call the beer gal over and buy my buddies a drink; while they were standing at the cart picking out their barly-pop of choice I'd pick up that ball and throw it towards the hole. Then I'd swing my club through the sand and as the ball approached the hole I'd yell, "Oh boy that sure felt good!" I have trusting friends! A little slow, but trusting!

HAHAHAHA All kidding aside, I probably wouldn't have a clue either and a million thoughts would run through my brain with that leave. There were a lot of good options and pointers on this thread already. Thanks for the good posts guys; pay no attention to mine!! HA!

[BigTazz53]

PW, opened up... and the 40, 50, 60 (whatever) percent of the time it works, rake the bunker and walk up like you do it all the time.

Agree with RC

[Mr3Putt]

I play that shot with a PW, or even a 9 iron. Open the blade just like your SW and swing a little less steeply than you normally might, while still ensuring that you don't catch the ball first. As with any "specialty" shot, practice beforehand is the key to success on the course.

What he said...., especially the practice beforehand part.

[$2 Nassau]

Lots of good info in here. That ranks as one of the most difficult shots in golf for me. Anything from that distance, in the bunker or fairway or rough- doesn't matter - I struggle with it.

I'd probably go with my 54 SW and maybe just slightly open the face, ball in center of stance and would not even think about the flagstick, just get it somewhere on the green.

[iWALK18]

I try to pick it pretty clean with a gap wedge.

[kfowler]

What he said...., especially the practice beforehand part.

Great video all though I felt like I was being told how to hit the shot by Bear Grylls from Man vs Wild.

[Zeph]

I try to pick it pretty clean with a gap wedge.

Depending on the lie, I was thinking the same. The ball is not squished between the club and the ground. It is carried by the loft of the club. Would not a direct hit down on the ball from the sand be somewhat the same as a ball hit off a tee?