I play on a course where if you go off the fairway you end up on very sandy soft soil with overhanging trees requiring low firm shot Every week I see players, including myself duff it hitting sand first and progressing the ball less than a quarter of their intended target, quite often remaining in the sandy stuff. After trying virtually every club in the bag I have found a rescue 3 off the back foot with a downward descending blow works best. I have tried the same club with a more neutral ball postion and tried to sweep it which also workd ok as long as you dont let the club face enter the sand. Also tried 4 and 5 irons but they tend to dig into the sand if you dont get it spot on.

What do othr people use for this sort of shot?

Does anyone have any

I tend to play it like a bunker shot. Grip down slightly, ball a little further back in stance, concentrating on hitting down on the ball, making contact before a divot.

Place your feet 4 – 5 inches wider than normal, play the ball 1 – 2” back of normal, make a backswing with arms and shoulders and as little knee movement (none is best) as possible, and try to take as little sand as possible with a pivoted finish. The risk is a bladed shot, but that’s better than 1/4 distance. The reward is a slightly thin shot that travels about 1/2 a club shorter than normal and stops quickly.

The overwhelming desire to hit it solid often mitigates the possibility of hitting an effective shot.

The overwhelming desire to hit it solid often mitigates the possibility of hitting an effective shot.

yep spot on GS
the harder you try and hit this little bunter the more chance of missing the ball or target intended.

i use a 4i pretty much how you describe
i can & have threaded it through some skinny gaps
no high risk stuff just a good 3m or 4m opening
most hi cappers try and go over when under is sooo much easier

Solid contact and scoring don’t always mesh… I once sculled a 9-iron out of a bad lie in a bunker 130m on purpose because hitting it solid was not going to happen. My mates said it was the worst birdie they’d seen—had to tell ‘em it was one of the best.

When you’re in a bad lie, sometimes you have to make a ‘bad’ swing to get a ‘good’ shot.

Solid contact and scoring don’t always mesh… I once sculled a 9-iron out of a bad lie in a bunker 130m on purpose because hitting it solid was not going to happen. My mates said it was the worst birdie they’d seen—had to tell ‘em it was one of the best.

When you’re in a bad lie, sometimes you have to make a ‘bad’ swing to get a ‘good’ shot.

now thats thinking out side the square
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