Tip From the Archives

Tiered Green

Problem

The ball is sitting on top of the sand in a bunker next to a tiered green.

Cure

If you take a normal sand shot, you risk coming up short and having the ball spin back into the bunker or a difficult, uphill putt. As long as the lip of the bunker is low and you can make clean contact with the ball, you can try chipping the ball up onto the green.

Therapy

Select a club with just enough loft to get the ball over the lip of the sandpit. Place the ball off of the big toe of your back foot and set your hands well ahead of the ball. Take an open stance with most of your body weight on your forward foot. Set the club standing upright so the toe of the club is closer to the ground than usual; this will require you to stand closer to the ball and to bend your elbows more. Then turn the clubface in just slightly so it is square to the target to help reduce spin. Try to limit the amount you break your wrists. Make contact with the ball first and then take a divot out of the sand.

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5 votes

 
Michael Henry | 7 months ago

Presume you are suggesting "the to of the club rests on the ground a little", as a guide only.As to do otherwise in a bunker will incur the relative penalty grounding a club in it!

Golf Medic | 7 months ago

You are absolutely right, Michael Henry! Thanks for catching that. Having the toe of the club resting on the ground a little is helpful to gain the proper feel for the club placement. However, in play you would of course not ground your club in a bunker. We changed the tip to reflect this.



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