Golf Tips: Plugged Lies

One of the worst situations in golf is the dreaded plugged lie in a sand trap. It is very difficult to control the ball. Typically the best way to play the plugged lie shot is to aim behind the ball and take out as much sand as possible. An even worse situation is a plugged lie under the lip of a bunker. Nine times out of 10 an amateur golfer will not be able to get the ball on the green or perhaps even out of the bunker. The problem is that it is nearly impossible to get the ball airborne fast enough. It would almost take some kind of crazy or magic Seve Ballesteros kind of shot to do it. Here’s one of those crazy ways to get the ball on the green from a plugged lie under the lip of a bunker we found on YouTube. This one is by Guy Lester, pro at River Oaks in Sandy, Utah. In this video Guy doesn’t open up the blade. Rather, he closes it so far that the toe of the club is practically pointing toward the target. The results are amazing. Check it out. This is a case of trying something completely different than the “standard” play for a given shot and it worked far better than one would ever expect. That’s one of the cool things about golf, the creativity. Try this next time you’re plugged under the lip!