One of the interesting things about golf is the variety of places and lies that you can encounter during each round. The best approach is to expect a few bad lies and be prepared to deal with them when they arise.
The best players rise to these occasions. My father was a master at this. He usually found the middle of the fairway, but on the rare occasion he hit a ball into the trees, he always seemed to pull off a miraculous recovery shot and get it up and down.
Here are five situations you can learn to handle with the right attitude and a few key adjustments.
1. Buried in the bunker
Find your ball buried in a greenside bunker in a “fried egg” lie. it’s not great news, but it’s manageable. With a little practice, you can actually become surprisingly good at dodging these shots. They seem more intimidating than they really are.
The key is to adjust your setup and the way you deliver the clubhead. Keep the ball positioned forward in your stance so the club can enter the sand behind it, but make your angle of attack a little steeper by leaning your upper body toward the target and lowering your lead shoulder.
This adjustment reduces the amount of bounce presented to the sand and encourages the leading edge to dig. That’s exactly what you need in this situation: the wedge must go down in the sand to help propel the buried ball.
Because this setup effectively reduces club loft, expect a lower launch and more roll. You can count on that by aiming for an area of the green with more space to release the ball. Alternatively, consider using a taller club, such as a lob wedge.
2. Sand remains green
Greenside bunkers are challenging enough without having to contend with different sand conditions. Hard sand or a bunker with very little sand it requires a different approach than a typical bunker shot.
When the bounce of the club hits the hard sand, it can ricochet off the surface and bounce into the ball, often producing a blade shot that runs across the green. To avoid this, adjust your setup by tilting the shaft forward. This exposes more of the leading edge, allowing it to make initial contact with the sand and dig in rather than bouncing off the firm surface.
This adjustment effectively reduces club loft and produces a lower ball flight. If you need more height, you can compensate by selecting a taller club, such as a lob wedge.
3. Buried in thick rough
When your ball is buried in the green, whether you’re hitting a short game or a full swing, the grass can get between the club face and the ball, making clean contact difficult. To improve your chances of landing the ball, tilt your upper body and sternum toward the target as you lower your lead shoulder. This creates a tighter angle of attack, which allows the clubhead to travel through the back of the ball and continue down the ground.
Once you’ve made this setup adjustment, it’s important to maintain your forward lean throughout the swing. Avoid falling back and try to lift the ball in the air. Trust the loft of the club to do the job, and focus on making an aggressive, downward strike.
4. Stuck in the woods
If you play enough golf, you will eventually find yourself in the trees, needing to hit a low shot that moves the ball a reasonable distance without catching a low branch. The key is to keep the ball flying, and as with many shots in golf, that starts with your setup.
First, choose a lower club, such as a 6 or 7 iron. Place the ball further back in your stance to reduce the effective loft at impact. Next, drop the lead foot back and shift more weight toward your lead side, leaning your upper body toward the target. Moving your leading foot back also helps you keep your weight forward throughout the swing.
With your weight forward, you can limit the length of your backswing, which helps you control the trajectory even more. Keep your forward shaft lean through impact and keep the trail relatively short.
Even if the swing is abbreviated, make sure you deliver enough speed and energy through the ball to move toward your target.
5. Uneven lying
When playing from an uneven lie, solid contact should always be your first priority. If the ball is above your feet on a sidehill lie, start by grabbing the club to account for the fact that the ball is closer to you than it would be on the ground. This helps prevent the club from digging into the ground too much.
The lie also affects the direction in which the clubface sends the ball. You can compensate by adjusting your aim or changing your dance position. Experiment with both approaches to determine what works best for you. For a right-handed golfer, this might mean aiming more to the right or moving the ball back into the stance.
Finally, consider adjusting your club selection based on the severity of the slope. The more extreme the lie, the more sense it can make to choose a club that allows you to make a comfortable and controlled swing instead of trying to force an aggressive shot.
