How Senior Golfers can Play their Best Golf Shots from a Buried Lie in a Bunker (Video) - by Dean Butler
How Senior Golfers can Play their Best Golf Shots from a Buried Lie in a Bunker (Video) - by Dean Butler

Okay, I'm going to show you how to play a bunker shot with a buried lie. How many times have you, if backing off is not going in the bunker itself. But then if you go to the bunker, you will find that ball is literally in a sort of a [Indiscernible] [0:00:21] egg position where it’s literally gone in, and it's almost heartbreaking, especially if the face is up here somewhere and the pin is just on the other side. So how do we go about it? Well, the first thing is, we know the ball is buried. So we are going to have to dig, we are going to have to go down to that sand.

So here I have not chosen my sand wedge, I have chosen my lob wedge, I’ve gone for the most lofty club. Now some of the amateur golfers think, I'm going to open my clubface uh-uh, if you open your clubface, you're now encouraging this bounce at the bottom to come in, and skin the sand and bounce back over the ball so I bet you might catch the top of the ball, but what you're not going to do is get the ball up and out. So what we're going to do is close the clubface, so we're going to close that clubface and put the hands well forward because we're going to create a digging action here. Remember this ball sat down, it's really buried, so let's put the hands well forward, close the clubface. And put the ball off the back foot because again we are trying to encourage you to dig. By putting the ball back, this is going to make you go up and down. So we got the setup, we got the ball position, we got the hands forward, we’ve closed the clubface. Now by closing the clubface, it's going to create a digging, a digging effect, that's what we want. But because we are catching the ball so early, one thing you have got to watch out for, is when that ball comes out, it's going to come out with topspin. And when it comes out off topspin, there is nothing you can do about it. Number one, we’ve got to get the ball out of the bunker. Two, if you get too close, well that's a bonus, you have got to get the ball out and this is a very, very bad lie, it’s buried. So hands well forward, weight 60:40 on the left hand side and them from this position here, keeps your hands well forward and I want you to pick the club up, break that wrist going up here and from there execute down and I want you to play safe. I want you to put the club coming into that -- into that sand about 2 inches behind and I want acceleration. Now this is the word commitment, you have got to commit here, you are going to think that, that ball is going to come out like a 1-iron on a windy day and of course it isn't. Keep those hands forward, so here we go, we are going to break my wrist, break the wrist. And I have really hit down and through and that ball is going really, really high. And if you can see that ball, you will be quite surprised how high I have closed that clubface. I have picked the club up and I have executed, I have committed to that shot. But I know, that ball is going to come out. Now once you have got the technique right, it's very simple, we just need to adjust the length of the swing. But the number one thing was to get the ball out of the bunker, let's do the shot again, but this time a shorter shot. All we are going to do is shorten the swing, so from here, and the ball is up in the air and there is a massive difference in the distance. And all I have do is reduce the swing, that's all I have done, the technique is still the same. So there you go, you have got the knowledge now to play, you know before it was wicked bunker lie where it was buried. But now there is no reason to fear this shot now, because you have got knowledge, and knowledge is king, go away and practice it in one of your bunkers on the golf course and believe me, that ball is going to pop out.
2013-10-28

Okay, I'm going to show you how to play a bunker shot with a buried lie. How many times have you, if backing off is not going in the bunker itself. But then if you go to the bunker, you will find that ball is literally in a sort of a [Indiscernible] [0:00:21] egg position where it’s literally gone in, and it's almost heartbreaking, especially if the face is up here somewhere and the pin is just on the other side. So how do we go about it? Well, the first thing is, we know the ball is buried. So we are going to have to dig, we are going to have to go down to that sand.

So here I have not chosen my sand wedge, I have chosen my lob wedge, I’ve gone for the most lofty club. Now some of the amateur golfers think, I'm going to open my clubface uh-uh, if you open your clubface, you're now encouraging this bounce at the bottom to come in, and skin the sand and bounce back over the ball so I bet you might catch the top of the ball, but what you're not going to do is get the ball up and out. So what we're going to do is close the clubface, so we're going to close that clubface and put the hands well forward because we're going to create a digging action here.

Remember this ball sat down, it's really buried, so let's put the hands well forward, close the clubface. And put the ball off the back foot because again we are trying to encourage you to dig. By putting the ball back, this is going to make you go up and down. So we got the setup, we got the ball position, we got the hands forward, we’ve closed the clubface. Now by closing the clubface, it's going to create a digging, a digging effect, that's what we want. But because we are catching the ball so early, one thing you have got to watch out for, is when that ball comes out, it's going to come out with topspin. And when it comes out off topspin, there is nothing you can do about it.

Number one, we’ve got to get the ball out of the bunker. Two, if you get too close, well that's a bonus, you have got to get the ball out and this is a very, very bad lie, it’s buried. So hands well forward, weight 60:40 on the left hand side and them from this position here, keeps your hands well forward and I want you to pick the club up, break that wrist going up here and from there execute down and I want you to play safe. I want you to put the club coming into that — into that sand about 2 inches behind and I want acceleration.

Now this is the word commitment, you have got to commit here, you are going to think that, that ball is going to come out like a 1-iron on a windy day and of course it isn't. Keep those hands forward, so here we go, we are going to break my wrist, break the wrist. And I have really hit down and through and that ball is going really, really high. And if you can see that ball, you will be quite surprised how high I have closed that clubface. I have picked the club up and I have executed, I have committed to that shot. But I know, that ball is going to come out. Now once you have got the technique right, it's very simple, we just need to adjust the length of the swing.

But the number one thing was to get the ball out of the bunker, let's do the shot again, but this time a shorter shot. All we are going to do is shorten the swing, so from here, and the ball is up in the air and there is a massive difference in the distance. And all I have do is reduce the swing, that's all I have done, the technique is still the same. So there you go, you have got the knowledge now to play, you know before it was wicked bunker lie where it was buried. But now there is no reason to fear this shot now, because you have got knowledge, and knowledge is king, go away and practice it in one of your bunkers on the golf course and believe me, that ball is going to pop out.