How Should I Escape From A Golf Bunker When The Ball Is Up Against The Back Lip? (Video) - by Dean Butler
How Should I Escape From A Golf Bunker When The Ball Is Up Against The Back Lip? (Video) - by Dean Butler

So what happens when you find yourself into that bunker, it’s bad enough as you go in the bunker maybe in a foot mark, but what about if you’re at the back of the bunker up against the lips, I’m going to show you two scenarios, so here I'm not quite up against the lip I’ll put the head cover down so you can see, I’ve barely got six eight issues between the ball and that shoulder, head cover.

So I’m imagining you in a scenario, there’s the green here, what are the options well the first option here, I’ve got, it’s just about enough room to kind of get the club up so let’s talk about how we play this shot, the first thing is we need to bare space get this club very quickly, because if I don’t I’m going to hit the back of that bunker, and if I actually hit and ground my club in the bunker, I’m getting a penalizing shot, so I’m not supposed to ground that club so keep that in the back of your mind. But if I get into the bunker, and I position the ball further back of my back foot and my right foot, and lean on my left hand side this creates a steeper plane immediately, my hands are much more further forward and from here by leaning forward both the back foot is going to help me pick that club straight up, so if I set myself up here, keep hovering up there, keep my wedge loft soft, break my wrist very, very quickly and come in you can see I’ve actually a chance of actually playing that bunker shot. And from there we expect to play the bunker shot and at least move that ball. And if you’re going to play this shot remember because your picking that club up very steeply and chopping down, take the most lofty club you’ve got I your bag, so let’s pull out not a sand wedge but a lob wedge 58, 60, 62, 64 the most lofty club. But what if that ball is right up against, what if you find the ball there and you’re in the bunker, there’s the flag here what are you going to do, are you going to try and play that golf shot? But realistically you’ve got three options, I could come out sideways, you might think well that’s a bit negative, well by playing out sideways I’m out of the bunker and I’ve got a chance to get on the green up and down with my neck shot in the putt, or I could actually come the opposite way and then play the shot this way, so I’ve got two options, which are really sensible options. The other option is maybe playing out backwards, of which case here I’ve lofted the club in which case now what I’m going to do is I’m going to put the ball forward in my stance and by --if I just move that out of the way now, imagine that head cover that was here which is the lip of the bunker and put the ball forward and lean on the left hand side if from here I then take the club back by breaking my wrist in an execute down about two or three inches behind keeping my hands here watch the impact so from here break and that ball has gone so high by picking that club up. So hopefully there you’ve got the options, very simple it’s up against the back of the lip there are three options, one that way to the side, one this way to the side or back. The shot forward let’s be honest it’s not an option is it. Maybe one in a million chance is it worth taking that gamble? I don’t think so. 2014-08-01

So what happens when you find yourself into that bunker, it’s bad enough as you go in the bunker maybe in a foot mark, but what about if you’re at the back of the bunker up against the lips, I’m going to show you two scenarios, so here I'm not quite up against the lip I’ll put the head cover down so you can see, I’ve barely got six eight issues between the ball and that shoulder, head cover.

So I’m imagining you in a scenario, there’s the green here, what are the options well the first option here, I’ve got, it’s just about enough room to kind of get the club up so let’s talk about how we play this shot, the first thing is we need to bare space get this club very quickly, because if I don’t I’m going to hit the back of that bunker, and if I actually hit and ground my club in the bunker, I’m getting a penalizing shot, so I’m not supposed to ground that club so keep that in the back of your mind.

But if I get into the bunker, and I position the ball further back of my back foot and my right foot, and lean on my left hand side this creates a steeper plane immediately, my hands are much more further forward and from here by leaning forward both the back foot is going to help me pick that club straight up, so if I set myself up here, keep hovering up there, keep my wedge loft soft, break my wrist very, very quickly and come in you can see I’ve actually a chance of actually playing that bunker shot.

And from there we expect to play the bunker shot and at least move that ball. And if you’re going to play this shot remember because your picking that club up very steeply and chopping down, take the most lofty club you’ve got I your bag, so let’s pull out not a sand wedge but a lob wedge 58, 60, 62, 64 the most lofty club. But what if that ball is right up against, what if you find the ball there and you’re in the bunker, there’s the flag here what are you going to do, are you going to try and play that golf shot? But realistically you’ve got three options, I could come out sideways, you might think well that’s a bit negative, well by playing out sideways I’m out of the bunker and I’ve got a chance to get on the green up and down with my neck shot in the putt, or I could actually come the opposite way and then play the shot this way, so I’ve got two options, which are really sensible options.

The other option is maybe playing out backwards, of which case here I’ve lofted the club in which case now what I’m going to do is I’m going to put the ball forward in my stance and by –if I just move that out of the way now, imagine that head cover that was here which is the lip of the bunker and put the ball forward and lean on the left hand side if from here I then take the club back by breaking my wrist in an execute down about two or three inches behind keeping my hands here watch the impact so from here break and that ball has gone so high by picking that club up. So hopefully there you’ve got the options, very simple it’s up against the back of the lip there are three options, one that way to the side, one this way to the side or back. The shot forward let’s be honest it’s not an option is it. Maybe one in a million chance is it worth taking that gamble? I don’t think so.