Buried Bunker Shot Made Easy; #1 Most Popular Golf Teacher on You Tube Shawn Clement

[shaunwoodford15]

i tried the plugged shot and i chipped in on the first fucking go!d advise, cheers mate!!

[liambannin]

Hey Shawn. Just wanted to know, when i open or close the face, do i have to regrip the club? or just take my club back through my swing with my wrists twisted?

[LangeLeppel]

Yep! That's what my pro learned me some years ago. Last weekend I was with friends in LaCala - Spain, and on hole 16 a DEEP plugged ball - downhill and green also downhilll. I told my flight friends before I hit it. Close the club and turn your body almost back to the target. Huh? Yeah. It was the shot of the day. Thanks to my pro Paul Bright! I won the 2 day tournament with this shot. And they learned something! - But do practice first! - Burried balls? No problem anymore

[MadisonMaine]

On my home course the sand traps tend to be firm sand. Do these methods work the same in packed firm sand?

[DeformedBear]

I got sand in my eyes.

[screamingeagletim]

Hi Shawn, when I play this shot at practice and I have people watching me, I this the snow plow shot. lol. Are you using Vokey wedges?  Just curious if you are and if you like them or not. Keep up the great work. Tim

[clemshaw]

@screamingeagletim Yes and I am using the Conditions of Competition grooves as well and halleluia the ball stops where it lands and does not spin off the green anymore; the back pins are now accessible again!! :) Shawn

[TheHappy77]

What happens when the ball is plugged like that but the bunker is much deeper then what you are playing out of here? Wouldn't the delofting of the club face make it virtually impossible to get the ball out?

[clemshaw]

@TheHappy77 Not at all!; especially if you are on a slight upslope; use the lob wedge and unless you are in a pot bunker that has a lip that is 10 feet high, you would be fine; Shawn

[vabr2]

what if there is high lip on the bunker and the ball is buried...how do u get out of that shawn. wudnt the delofted club make it impossible?

[AzTheSpaz]

@vabr2 personally, I'd use a little more course management. Instead of aiming in the flags direction, I'd go to the side that looks more possible, rather than the hollywood shot. But I'd also love to be able to get more height coming out a bunker though.

[clemshaw]

@AzTheSpaz Once you get this down, you would take dead aim and try to put the darn thing in the hole!! This is not a flashy "Hollywood shot" at all! I saw Paul Azinger put one in the hole in competition and he is the only one I know that does know this shot; just a simple case of doing your homework on how your tools work...hey, playing in the sand box has it's benefits! :) Shawn

[houhou75]

hi, great video. can you tell me though what happens when we hit the ball directly in greenside bunkers and why it is "forbidden"?

[bulldog333333]

Great video. This shot has always confused me when going to an away course in a match. We do not play out of our bunkers because they do not upkeep them at my course but now i dont have to be scared. Thanks

[jws4490]

Shawn,

I have really enjoyed your utube videos. Thank - you for your enthusiasm for teaching golf. I will order your DVD next month when budget allows.

John Stevens - Gainesville,Fla

[svsujeet]

Is the bounce of the club something to take into consideration too when selecting the club?

[znov400]

yes, in general bounce helps keep the club from diggin,, but if you have a tight fairway lie or on the fringe, bounce can really kill your shot

[clemshaw]

You generally want a couple different wedges in the bag; one with higher bounce like a 54 or 56 degree sw with 12 to 14 degrees bounce and a 58 or 60 degree lob wedge with 4 to 8 degrees of bounce and a C grind sole; Vokey and Callaway have great combos like this; Shawn

[tpstrat14]

these bunker tip vides don't apply to me because i always make it on the green in 2 hahahaahaha

[tpstrat14]

i went golfing for the second time in my life yesterday and on the last hole i landed in a bunker next to the green. it was the first time i had ever been in a bunker and i got it out within 10 feet, then made the put!!! needless to say, it was beginners luck: when i practiced from the bunker after i was done, i only produced that good a result 1 out of 20 times hahahaaaaaaaaa... i love golf!!!

[clemshaw]

Practice hitting some pennies out of the sand to areas where you would like to see the ball land; then replace the pennies with the ball! Shawn

[justinmert]

Where is the ball in your stance? Forward, back or centre?

[clemshaw]

Forward of centre with the standard bunker shot and centre with the buried lie; Thanks for the question! Shawn

[irltractor]

How would you approach a 30 or 40 yard bunker shot

[clemshaw]

Full blast! I can use the standard blast up to 60 yards depending on the sand texture; this means that you are whipping the club across the sand and sending the sand all the way to the flag; of course the sand dissipates and the big grain of sand continues (the ball) to the target; it is amazing how far you can blast! then it becomes ball first using the toss and fall method in "golf pro lesson momentum toss" part 1 and 2; Shawn

[crazymama1000]

hi shawn . superb tip.will it differ if i use a 54 degree wedge

[clemshaw]

Yes, no problem!

Shawn

[mebaran]

lol "because of the dew the ball didn't really roll up" haha...nice shot either way.

[webbum]

Can't wait to try the closed face on the buried ball tip!

[Cooks28]

i have a 56 degree wedge...is that ok our will it have a different effect

[qbb01]

Hey Shawn, I think you are a very good golfer. I play off 19 (shot 85 last week very happy). I am only 14 and can hit about 240 with my driver but the trouble is the par 3's. I really struggle because my long irons seem to cover the 160-180 range and most of the par 3s are that or longer at my golf course. I was wondering if you had a video or could make a video on the: Stance, Ball Position, and how to swing the club with the long irons. I seem to hit them like a 7iron but they barely get....

[qbb01]

off the ground, and if i make the green they roll straight over. The reason i want to know is just because I could take advantage of the par 3's and birdie them because i can putt like a pro (boasting haha :)) or make par more easily because they aren't too difficult normally. The problem i have is if feels like a shank and i hit down on the ball a bit and that normally happens and i lose accuracy.

Thanks - Ben

PS sorry for long comment :P

[ytorrejone]

How old did you say you were?

[qbb01]

14. Why?

[ytorrejone]

Na nothing. It's just that it says 22 in your profile thingy.

[TheHoyster13]

Whats the ball position for aburied lie??

[clemshaw]

Middle is good; you are using more of a long chipping motion with momentum...Shawn

[joshua7473]

Well said, really enjoy your golf wisdom and for sharing it with us all, you the man.

[chemicalpro]

hey Shawn, quick question, if the ball was lying cleanly on the surface, what would happen if you used a slightly closed club face to out a bunker as you would in a buried lie? And or in what circumstance might you use such a "unorthodox" shot? -Damien

[clemshaw]

It would simply roll out much longer; so if you have a long green and need the ball to release, then there is no reason why not; just make sure you are still focused on what you want the sand to do...Shawn

[chemicalpro]

thanks Shawn! shall test it out the next time I have that shot to play. Cheers! -Damien

[t3n0r2009]

great vid, but it leaves me with an unanswered question. where i play (S, California) there are some bunkers where there is a wall of grass (about 3 ft tall straight up) in the front and 2 sides. how should i get out of these if the ball is close to the wall? thanks.

[clemshaw]

We rarely have to practice these here but I would open the club the same way except play an intentional fade swing which would cause the club to come up and back down and through the sand on a steeper angle popping the ball upward more than usual; the release would be held off with the hands more naturally as well keeping the face more open than usual and this is why I would not open the face more than you need as it would change the way it squeezes the sand forward...Shawn

[t3n0r2009]

thank, i've always wondered how to do that. now i'll have to go try it out :)

[holdemstacy]

Great video! Like always.

[balongrobb]

great video and good tips!

[zacman43vva]

Hi Shawn, as I struggle a bit with precision with my bunkergame I went back to this great vid. Now I have a questin. When looking at tourplayers it seams that they hav a steaper swingplane could this be correct that they go from outside to in like to to a fade but more?

Hope you still read comments from you old vids.

[clemshaw]

Hey Zacman;

Since you should have a slightly open stance to compensate for that open club face, and you swing the momentum along your stance line, you would have what would be perceived as an out to in path in relation to the target line...some pros tend to overdo this which is not really necessary unless in very extreme situations where you need to get over a very high lip...Thanks for the question, Shawn

[juicyfruitzy]

awesome tip Thanks!

[Scampern]

part 2:

THe reason I have been struggling with a normal swing in the bunker is because Im always afraid of hitting it to far/topping it. With the elongated chip swing I don't have this fear because the amount of momentum is limited and the motion very controlled.

Could I continue do this in the greenside bunkers? You can give it a try and see what you think about it.

[clemshaw]

If your focus is on the sand and on where to skip it, then there is no sense in worrying on the ball; practice on some smaller objects like pennies or poker chips out on the green;

Shawn

[Scampern]

What do you think of this alternative approach?

1. Ball just forward of center

2. Weight forward and stays forward

3. Grip. normal, slightly open clubface for normal shot.

4. Swing. No real swing. I actually use the lower case Y swing like a chip except I go a little further back on the backswing and on the forward swing I make sure to turn my body a little hard through.

This ensures me not to be afraid of turning through, gives me a easy swing that I already use and gives me good controll.

[clemshaw]

That works!

Shawn

[swilson1000000]

With the ball on top of the sand and the clubface open, should i swing across the line of my feet or line towards the hole?

[clemshaw]

Feel like you are sending the momentum of the swing in the direction where you want your ball to land;

Thanks for the question! Shawn

[giorgelm]

Shawn, you are really really helpfull! Is easy to learn with you because you explain why things happen and not how.

Thanks a lot

Gracias desde Argentina!!

[clemshaw]

Your welcome!

Must be nice down there right now for golf!

Shawn

[giorgelm]

Is little too hot but is OK.

Shawn I´m an 11 handicaper that doesn´t know how to play from the bunker, the tip of splashing the ball like if it is a sand grain clear me up the situation.

When I achieve my 6 Handicap goal I let you know!!!

Thanks again Shawn

Gracias Amigo!!

Bequet

[hanson8torx]

Shawn, thanks for the sand shot tips. i hit my first great sand shot yesterday. really gives me some confidence for next time.

[mshaun79]

Great Tip

[pecky1234]

shame you didnt hit the buried ball hard enough lol

[clemshaw]

darn greens are so slow at that time of day! :)

[GolfLessonsTV]

Many thanks for the lesson. It's been added to GOLF LESSONS TV.

[TallDownUnder]

Awesome video. Thanks for the tips.

[masonb82]

Hi Shawn - first, thanks so much for all the great videos! As others have said, you really do make your topics easy to understand. One question on the buried lie, though - does the club enter the sand the same distance behind the ball as the other sand lie (approx. 1 inch behind)? Thanks again!

[clemshaw]

yes, that would be right on;

Thanks for the question; it will help others!

Shawn

[hoganwasthebestever]

when you close the clubface, are you aiming to hit the ball with the end part of the club, the part that digs the trench in the sand, or are you still aiming to hit the ball with the face of the club, even though it is so dramatically closed?

[clemshaw]

With the face of the club and part of the hosel, I am collecting the sand and spraying it onto the green where I want the ball to land...the ball is just an overgrown grain of sand...Shawn

[t3n0r2009]

Great advise, i never thought of it that way. Maybe this will help me get out of the bunker in 1 instead of 3, lol ;)

[richl777]

thanks for that-- could you video your thoughts on the splash shot? ie where to aim an open club face relative to pin at set up : correct backswing path with open stance : wrist break or not:how to hit different length splash shots etc-- cheers shawn

[quakeerc]

I think try it on wii sport ... ;)

[itubeutude]

Shawn, can you do another video that demonstrates deeper bunkers (like pots) and the use of the different wedges and how bounce of the wedge plays a part.

[clemshaw]

Good topic, I will try to put it together!

Shawn

[pecky1234]

what should i do if i cant send it out low and have to get it up from a buried lie? i cant close the face, it wont go high enough! lol

[JohnnyDramaFilms]

You obviously didn't listen to Clemshaw's instruction or properly read my follow-up... If you close the face and hit directly down on the sand with little to no follow-through, the ball will pop UP into the air!

[clemshaw]

Just make sure you have a lob wedge to use for the shot; but granted there are times when you are under the lip and have the impossible shot; you can take a shot penalty and re-drop in the bunker or go out sideways...Shawn

[JohnnyDramaFilms]

This is a great demonstration. The instructor seems to really know the game. As I'm sure this guy knows, if you use his technique and hit straight down on the sand, the ball will actually pop up into the air onto the green and land somewhat soft. (Remember, it's almost buried so just getting onto the green is good) The higher and softer you want the ball to explode out, the more downward you'll need to swing and use almost NO follow-through.