How To Hit The Dreaded Buried Bunker Shot

Having your golf ball buried (fried egg) in the sand trap doesn't happen very often, but when it does it can be daunting golf shot to golfers of any level. Here are a few simple tips to help you pull this golf shot off.

The first thing you should remember is to not take a big swing and follow through. I know this sounds a little strange, but let me explain why. The idea is to pick your sand wedge up quickly, swing down steep with your golf club and have it stick into the sand. The force of the golf club coming down will cause the golf ball to pop out, but it will have very little spin if any. You'll have a much better chance of getting your golf ball out of the bunker than if you tried to blast it out.

This swing works because it allows for the golf club to get underneath the ball. When the golf ball is resting below the surface of the sand you need to compensate to get underneath it. The short, steep, attacking type of swing works best.

Here are the 3 swing thoughts to remember when confronted with a buried lie from a greenside bunker:

1. Set up with a much squarer stance than you would with a regular sand shot.

2. Also square the clubface more, which will allow the leading edge of the golf club to enter the sand first.

3. Pick a spot about 1-3 inches behind the golf ball. Pick up your sand wedge quickly and steep on your backswing, and then swing down with same step angle of attack with no follow through. Your golf club should remain stuck in the ground. If you make the correct swing you won't be able to follow through because of the steep angle of attack, which will be a sign that you made the correct swing adjustment to hit this golf shot.

Like I said in the beginning you won't be faced with this golf shot very often, but it's worth practicing it a couple times so you know what the swing feels like. After a few practice shots you'll see that this golf swing isn't that difficult to make. Put this swing into your bag of golf shots and it could save you a stroke or two.

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Why You Should Chip From The Bunker

One of the toughest golf shots for most golfers is from the green-side sand trap mainly for two reasons; 1) they rarely practice their sand shots, 2) they don't know the correct technique to hit from the sand trap.

Here's a really simple golf tip to hit a sand trap shot when the bunker is firm with a medium to small lip and you have some green to work with.

What I like to do in these cases is use a 7 or 8-iron to chip the golf ball out of the bunker. Noticed how I said chip the ball instead of blast the ball. This is important because you want to hit the golf ball first as you would with a chip shot. The idea is to get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible so it can run out to the hole. On occasion I've even used a 5 or 6-iron to chip the ball out of the green side bunker when I've had a lot of green to deal with.

When you're able to get the golf ball on the green sooner and run it out its easier to judge the distance. Also, chipping the ball is a lot easier for most golfers than blasting the ball out with a sand wedge. No you still can't ground your club so I would suggest trying this a few times at the practice sand trap the next time you're at the range.

Let me know if the golf tip helps you out on your next round of golf.

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Master The Fairway Bunkers

Do you have difficulty hitting your golf ball from the fairway bunkers? I've seen a lot of golfers struggle with this golf shot and its really not that difficult. The 2 biggest mistakes I see golfers do when trying to hit from the fairway bunkers are:

1. They try to scoop or lift the golf ball out of the trap.
2. Their body isn't quite during the golf swing. Meaning there's too much movement when they need to reduce as much of the swaying as possible.

Here are 4 swing thoughts you can do the next time you're in the fairway bunker.

1. Make sure your feet are secure in the sand trap.
2. Play the golf ball more towards the middle of your stance.
3. Make your normal swing. Don't try to scoop or lift the golf ball out.
4. Keep your weight on your left foot throughout the swing.

If you use these tips then you'll see a big improvement in your fairway bunker play and probably drop a few strokes from your golf score.

Tags: golf, golf tips, golf instruction, golf lesson