Buried & Thin lies in the sand….

By Tom Ream, PGA Head Instructor at the Pinewild Golf Academy in Pinehurst, NC.

Playing from different conditions in the sand does not have to be difficult as long as you understand how your wedges are designed and how to alter them based on sand conditions.

All of your wedges have bounce, with the sand wedge typically having the most bounce.  Eight to twelve degrees would be the norm.  Pitching, gap and lob wedges all come with bounce between 5 and 8 degrees.  Additionally, any time you open up one of your wedges two things happen, the first is that you add loft (as every one knows) and the second is that you increase the amount of bounce.  The opposite is true as well, when you close the clubface the club loses loft and the bounce decreases. 

Buried lie options:

1.      Close the club face

2.      Choose PW or LW (less bounce)

Thin lie options:

1.      Close the club face

2.      Choose LW only (due to less sand the ball will travel farther)

Fluffy sand options:

1.      Open the club face (increases bounce)

2.      Choose club based on distance control

In a perfect world we all will go back to our carts when we don’t have the proper equipment with us, however, human nature tells me that most golfers won’t travel back to the cart.  My suggestion is to learn to modify the sand wedge because that is the club you will typically go into the bunker with.

For information on putting or any of the academies schools and lesson plans available with Tom Ream please call or email at 910-235-9191 or academy@pinewildcc.com