Have you ever walked up to your ball and found it laying like it is in Photo 1? The dreaded buried lie.
UGH! If you happen to be in Florida or Hawaii and this ball is sitting in Bermuda rough, your level of difficulty just got raised up a notch higher.
What do you do when this happens to you and how can you get out of it?
It isn’t as hard you might think. Always use your sand wedge. NEVER use a lob wedge. If you don’t own a sand wedge, a gap wedge will work. Play the golf ball WAY back on your back foot (for right handed players), as I’m doing in Photo 2. You will have a bit of an open stance (front foot pulled back). Your weight should lead forward. This makes the shaft of the club point in front of the ball, which takes loft off the club.
I like to grip down on the shaft a little (Photo 3). It helps me feel like I have more control. Doing it is up to you. Keeping all your weight on your front foot, use 99 percent wrists and pick the club head up and out immediately, as I’m doing in Photo 4. You will feel like you are about to hammer a nail. Hinge up and chop down. You want the club head to come down as close to the ball as possible. DO NOT try to hit the grass behind the ball. If you do, you will hit it really fat.
Again, you are trying to get the club head to hit as close to the ball as possible. When you do this, the ball will pop out of the rough immediately (Photo 5). When it hits the green, it will take one hop, and almost skid. It comes out very soft and will not roll over the green.
Trust me, this might be the coolest shot you ever learn to hit. It really works.
Cindy Miller teaches at several top golf facilities in Western New York. Reach her at www.cindymillergolf.com
