We've all been there where we've come across our ball in the bunker and it being plugged. The first objective which goes for all bunker shots is firstly have the ball come out of the bunker in one shot. When confronting a plugged lie you will most likely have to accept that you may not be able to get the ball real close to the hole. This will all be dependent on how much green there is to work with between you and the hole.
I play these slightly different to the normal bunker shot. With these shots instead of 'opening' the face to the target, I aim the face 'square' and my feet parallel to the target. The reason why the face is 'square' is because I'm looking to have a steeper divot at impact.
You need a steeper divot so that enough sand can be taken under the ball so that the ball can be propelled out. With this amount of sand, you will get considerably less backspin and therefore harder to have the ball stop around the hole if the flag is close to you.
In terms of the set-up, have the ball around the centre of your stance keeping around 60% of weight on the front foot. Then take the club back and hinge your wrists as normal. On the follow through, the finish will most likely be abbreviated because of the amount of resistance from the sand.
One last thing is that set the club around two inches behind the ball at address or an inch outside the plugged area.
If you need any further help in getting out of bunkers, I'm available for golf lessons at Emerald Lakes Coaching Centre, Gold Coast.
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