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How that shot should have been hit?

J

JuKu

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On a par 3, I hit my shot to greenside bunker, less than 10 inches from the far side lip. So, I had to hit more or less straight down to hit it. I could have hit away from the green, which would give a flop shot over the bunker from deep(ish) rough. I could have hit it back towards the tee, again giving me a shot to green from rough. I closed the club a bit and hit down to create a splash. Ball got out but just barely, and run so hot and low, that it ended up in the bunker other side of the green, less then 10 inches from the far side lip. Same situation. Not having a better idea, I did the same thing with a little less force. Anything less, and it would not come out, but it did: Agaij hot enough to run over the green to the first bunker. Finally I have a regular bunker shot. I missed the sand save by an inch, but I missed. Three bunker shots and two putts kind of ruins the score on any hole.

looking back, a tap and a regular bunker shot would have given me a double, but did I have a better option? In other words, is there a shot that has a chance to get the ball on the green from that position? If there is, please tell me, because I certainly don't have it.
 
I'd be interested to hear but this sounds like one of the hardest situations you could find in the game.
 
I had the same shot yesterday. Pin was also short side and green sloped away from me. I tried to open the face and splash it out, but i came up short and simply advanced myself out of the bunker. I then hit my next bunker shot well, but it rolled past the pin and down the hill leaving me about 15 feet for bogey. Left the bogey put just short and finished with double.
 
Was the green big enough to aim right or left to give you little more room to swing? If not, coming up short for a normal bunker shot was probably a good idea.
 
Regular bunker shot with tons of spin. Super hard shot. You're just trying to hold the green.
 
On shots off of the downslope in the back of the bunker, it's important to set up parallel to the slope. Most people angle their shoulders upwards trying to find a way to get height and that leads to disaster. With your shoulders aligned with the slope, a "normal" bunker shot will still come out low, but should hold most greens.
 
Depending on the firmness of the sand. You can try to putt it. Saw Ricky Fowler do this not too long ago. It's a nasty shot either way, but it's also time to get creative. Sometimes you just have to pitch out sideways like at St. Andrews, or flop it backwards Phil style.
 
I have had similar shots.
I think you did the right thing. One guy told me to drop down a club (e.g.: GW instead of SW) and just hope to hold the green. I shoot for the fattest part of the green.
Other alternatives all involve giving away one shot for certain.
Depends on what happens, but the thought and process seem correct in my mind. Sometimes lousy results occur.
 
thats not a fun situation. i may have tried like you to play it out with a steep descending blow and deal with the consequences. being in the second bunker in a similar situation i probably would have looked at hitting out sideways somewhere or as mentioned above considered an unplayable.

then with hindsight being 20/20 i would consider going with the least score wreaking option of either an uplayable or hitting out to the short grass and chipping/pitching from there.
 
It depends on how tall the lip is behind. If not too high then I would play it like a flop and come way across the ball. If it is too high for that then I would play out sideways to the safest spot then try to chip it in or get up a bogey.
 
I would have taken an unplayable, moved it back one club, keeping it in the bunker and knowing that I only lost one stroke instead of more. I've tried in the past to hit these out and three shots later I end up kicking myself in the butt for not taking the unplayable. I've way over shot the green and I've hit that lip causing it to roll back into the bunker more than I've got out with one stroke. Play the percentages, limit the damages, and try to make up the penalty on another hole.
 
Personally I'd try some ridiculous flop.
 
All depends on how close to the lip and how high the lip of the bunker is. If it's not to high, I'd try a normal bunker shot towards the biggest part of the green. If the lip is pretty high, then I'd go out sideways to whichever side gives me the most green to work with.
 
ForeOnFour said:
I would have taken an unplayable, moved it back one club, keeping it in the bunker and knowing that I only lost one stroke instead of more. I've tried in the past to hit these out and three shots later I end up kicking myself in the butt for not taking the unplayable. I've way over shot the green and I've hit that lip causing it to roll back into the bunker more than I've got out with one stroke. Play the percentages, limit the damages, and try to make up the penalty on another hole.
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That's generally the smart play when faced with an impossible bunker shot. However, he mentioned we as against "the far lip side" which I interpret to mean he was against the back lip. Not likely there's a place to take an unplayable, except stroke and distance.

I had a similar one of these not long ago. Had 30 yards of green in front of me and yet I still failed. I ended up knocking into the hazard beyond the green. As I reflected on it later, I realized it was simply too difficult a shot for my skill level. Yes, I could get lucky, but it wasn't 1-in-5 type luck, it was 1 in 1,000 type luck. In short, stupid to try. I should have knocked it out sideways, or just tried to advance it both farther into the bunker where I could play a traditional sand shot.
 
wadesworld said:
That's generally the smart play when faced with an impossible bunker shot. However, he mentioned we as against "the far lip side" which I interpret to mean he was against the back lip. Not likely there's a place to take an unplayable, except stroke and distance.

I had a similar one of these not long ago. Had 30 yards of green in front of me and yet I still failed. I ended up knocking into the hazard beyond the green. As I reflected on it later, I realized it was simply too difficult a shot for my skill level. Yes, I could get lucky, but it wasn't 1-in-5 type luck, it was 1 in 1,000 type luck. In short, stupid to try. I should have knocked it out sideways, or just tried to advance it both farther into the bunker where I could play a traditional sand shot.
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Why not take an unplayable and retee?
 
blugold said:
Why not take an unplayable and retee?
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In my case it wasn't on a par 3, it was a par 4, and I had hit a 170-yard second shot, so I would have been going *way* back. Nothing wrong with knocking it out sideways if that's the only reasonable play.
 
Without actually being there to see and feel the situation, I guess I would have opened both my stance and the club and tried to pull off a flopish shot.
 
Those are not easy shots and unless you practice that shot, it's hit or miss. The shot requires speed and a steep angle of attack with an open club face.

In this instance I would have played out of the trap, chipped on the green and tried to make a bogie. The hero shot or the lack of a shot is never an option. Sometimes yoy have to take what the course gives you
 
Had one of these today. Flew the green. Chipped up and 1-putt.
Win some, lose some.


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rollin said:
What the problem! I would of simply done one of these :)

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Someone in our team tried this on the weekend facing a road on a very steep slope. Skinny shot out of bounds and almost hit into a car driving past. Almost died from laughter.
 
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