The Buried Lie - Greenside

Tom Wilson

How do you play from a buried lie in the grass just off the green?

Here's the situation - you hit a decent shot from 150 yards but you missed the green by 6 feet and your ball is sitting down in heavy grass....aka "buried lie" in grass. How do you play it? Do you play it like a basic chip shot with the ball in the back of the stance - hands forward and weight slightly positioned over your lead leg. Afraid not. Believe it or not you have to play your typical bunker shot out of grass using your SW or Lob Wedge. That's right!

Why - because you have no chance of hitting the ball cleanly due to all of the grass around the ball - play it just like a bunker shot where the goal is not to hit the ball at first - just like a bunker shot. Play the ball slightly forward in your stance and a little open. When you swing the club back - hinge your wrists rather early and hit behind the ball and follow through just like a bunker shot - use the grass just like the sand and your ball will come out easy. With a little practice you'll get the hang of it and maybe your bunker game will improve too.

If you are already a decent bunker player - you should have no problem playing this shot.