Tip of the Week: Tough lies next to green

By Marc Spaulding
Special to SCORE!

There are two different situations around the green that I will talk about today.

The first one is a ball buried in the deep rough just a few yards from the green and the second is a very thin lie (very little or no grass under the ball) near the green.

I know that most of you, when encountered with these situations, just move the ball to a better lie.

But if you are ever faced with a bad lie around the green and you have to play the ball as it lies, then you might want to read on.

When your ball is in deep rough near the green you should just play it like a sand shot.

What this means is, you should open your stance slightly, play the ball position a little more forward and try to hit the grass an inch or two behind the ball following through with the club face pointing to the sky. This will loft the ball up in the air softly with very little spin. Use your sand wedge or lob wedge for this shot.

When faced with the very thin lie you need to try a different approach. It is very difficult to hit the ball high in the air with this type of lie. So what you need to do is chip the ball with the lowest lofted club possible using your putting stroke.

The club of choice will depend on how much green you have to roll the ball.

If you have a lot of green to work with then try a 5- or 6-iron, if you don’t have much green then try an 8- or 9-iron.

Set up just like you would as if you were going to putt with a few modifications.

Position the ball in the center of your stance and make sure the handle of the club is ahead of the ball. Now just stroke it like your putter and the ball will be slightly lifted off the ground, land on the green and roll next to the hole.

The key to this is to keep your arms moving through the ball and keep your wrists firm.

I hope this helps.

If you need more help see your local PGA Professional.

Marc Spaulding is Director of Golf at Cane Creek Golf Course.