Chipping from a Sand Bunker

Sometimes you will find yourself with a sand bunker lie and are just sure that there must be another way to play this.

Sometimes chipping the ball out of sand bunker may be the easier and smarter play. It can be a riskier play however because hitting the sand first is unforgiving. But, the benefit of a good solid chip are feel and sure distance control.

To chip out of the sand, never use a wedge. A wedge's bounce will always skim on top of the sand on a shot like this and cause a thin hit where the leading edge of the club hits the equator of the ball first. Instead, consider an 8-iron.

Play the ball back to maximize ball first contact. Open the club and hit down confidently contacting the ball first and then sand. There is little margin for error so concentrate on good solid contact or the ball will go nowhere. I good swing thought is to 'pick' the ball off of the sand.

Sand Bunker Play