Clean lie in Greenside bunkers - Uh oh trouble

[McGolf-Doggie]

So ole lob wedge is my favorite club and I have succumbed to the temptation I think — one too many times — to try to pick it clean out of a greenside bunker when I have a clean lie.

So normally I can rely on a good wedge shot from the fairway or the rough or fringe, but in the bunker it often means blading the ball and airmailing the green.

I'm guessing I've finally figured out that no matter hoe clean the lie, I am better off trying to take some sand, and never trying to pick it clean.

Is that the correct strategy here. It seems I've found out the hard way.

Also, better off with the sand wedge always unless its a really short shot and a high lip.

Or, should I just never ever use a LW out of a bunker?

[RC]

I don't try to pick greenside bunker shots. Take the sand on the shot. Hear the "thump" and play it safe. Lob wedge is the club of choice for most greenside bunker shots (for me anyway) but if I want it to run or the shot is a bit long, then I use the sand wedge. If you are in a bunker in front of the greenside bunker (rare double bunkers, or bunkers with some small fairway between you and the hole -- which happens on some driveable par fours and well protected par fives) then you might even hit an open pitching wedge, but when I do that, I still take sand -- love the sound of a good bunker shot.

There is a way to hit a lob wedge bunker shot that runs a little more, but it takes a lot of practice to perfect that shot. You might try using a slightly stronger left hand grip, still opening the wedge up a lot, and hitting down and through the shot... that seems to make the ball roll a little more -- but it is not as predictable, and sometimes I pull them a few feet left doing that. Bunker shots are all about feel and visualization once you get the mechanics down.

[right handed phil mickelson]

This helped me so much with my bunker shots- Take your stance to the ball like you would if it's in the fairway. Scoot back a few inches, so the ball is a couple inches forward in your stance. Keep your club in the same spot. Open your left foot towards the target, allowing for a better turn. Bend the knees a bit more. Put 60% of your weight on your LEFT foot. Swing back with as little movement as possible, hit an inch or two behind the ball, and move THROUGH the ball. By that, I mean that almost all of your weight should be on your left foot at the end. Try this out and your bunker shots will be so much better.

There is an exception though.

Example: Your shot landed in the bunker, but there is NO lip, and your ball is within 2 yards of the edge. I sometimes go with the Texas wedge and putt the ball out of the bunker, Or try and catch it clean if there is a bit of a lip. In any other case, do what I said before. Good luck, and have fun golfing.

~RHPM

[EZ Swinger]

I always use my sand wedge from any lie in a greenside bunker unless its like a 20 yard shot. I just put it middle to front of my stance, open the face, weight on the front foot and hit 2 inches behind the ball. One stupid thing that actually helped me hit the sand at the right spot was actually setting up the club 2 or 3 inches behind the ball instead of putting it right behind the ball like a normal shot. Make sure you accelerate through the ball.

[McGolf-Doggie]

Thanks for all the tips on this -- that gives me lots to work with.

Now I realize I forgot to favor or weight the front foot. (Curious R.C. if you weight the front foot too?)

Off to the beach (or a bunker) as soon as I get a chance to play with some of this. It's tricky because that's the one thing that muni courses I play don't offer in terms of practice. You have to play a round to have any chace of going in the sand. I might even have to aim for the sand more to practice it!

[right handed phil mickelson]

Ha well that's not good.

Good thing to do is go out late in the day and you can probably practice in some greenside bunkers if there's no one behind you.

Good luck!

~RHPM

[RC]

Usually I play the ball more forward and try to keep the weight about 60-40 on the left leg, and not have a weight shift. It is more of a cock upward swing, but with a good turn through the shot. You always want the club to keep going unless it is a plugged lie.