This often is called the hardest shot in golf. I either layup/take my medicine with a Gap wedge or end up hitting it fat with a hybrid or long iron. Two questions. What's the best standard strategy and what technique do you use wirh this shot? We all remember Tiger pulling this off at the Canadian Open 20 years ago but I'm no Tiger! Thanks as always.
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Great comments and suggestions here. Keep them coming!
This is a shot that will most definitely challenge you to stay centered and control your low point. Anything that shifts us off the ball is going to show up instantly in the result.
Well for me, i look at a lot of different things, the lie…is it plugged, plugged just a bit…sitting pretty. Is it up/downhill or level lie. Do i have clearance to get the ball out of bunker and to the green. Whats the rest of the shot look like, trees,water,bunkers, OB. Is it a small green or a big green. Whats my shot pattern with the club im thinking of using, do i have a tendency a draw,fade or hit it straight . What outcome is possible if i miss, and if i miss am i willing to except any outcome and not freakout. A big miss and a good chance i end up with a triple, if i use a different club to get me out of the trap and in the fairway with a nice clean lie and closer to the green i still have a chance at a par with a good approach and a one putt. Is the shot a shot i can make 8 out of 10 try's. in the end what do i need to do to have the best possible score after 18. i have friends that live to make that kinda shot and will sacrifice that hole if they get a triple…they just love when they pull that shot off. As we can guess its not a high percentage make shot for mid handicap golfers, like myself and most of my friends. But when someone trys we root them on to see if he can pull it off…most of the time they dont …but when they do it makes his day its a talk afterwards having a beer. they never seems to talk about their 96 score though 😉
Good Question Matt, will be interesting to see how the rest of the hroup handle that shot👍🏻👊🏻
I probably have the ball too far forward. Great feedback! Thanks!
Take the longest club that gets the ball over the lip of the bunker on your start path. Play the ball slightly back of normal to ensure ball first contact. As Patrick mentioned, don’t dig your feet in. To add to that, make sure you don’t pressure your feet into the sand during the swing. If you do that you will sink deeper into the sand and you will hit it fat. Make an upper body only, 75% swing making sure you stay centered and do not shift any weight into the trail leg.
Good advice. I will try this out. Thanks for the help!
I sacrifice this ball to the golf gods. Strategy: choke up 1 inch on my 4i and hit it left to compensate for fade. Technique: don’t settle in deeper to the sand and hit it clean off the surface.