Short Game

Don't Be Scared Of A Fried Egg Lie

June 17, 2016

As if being in a bunker isn’t bad enough, your ball will occasionally find itself submerged in the sand. The dreaded fried egg.

A lot of people’s first reaction is to just hack at it, getting it out by any means necessary. While a valiant strategy, it rarely produces a good shot. Getting out of a fried egg lie doesn’t have to be a throwaway shot. You can accurately advance it. Here’s how:

Swing coach Rick Smith says that there are a few things you need to change from your normal bunker swing when you’re dealing with a fried egg lie.

rick smith fried egg.jpg

“Take your normal bunker stance,” says Smith, “including opening the face of your most lofted wedge, but instead of trying to enter the sand two inches behind the ball and skimming through it to a full finish, I want you to leave the clubhead in the sand.”

This means that your swing is going to be really steep when it hits the sand. Hit behind the ball, and don’t follow through. Hitting the sand with the force of a steep swing will cause the ball to pop out of the bunker.

Smith says to note that the ball won’t come out with spin, so it’s going to roll out when it lands.

Now you can face a fried egg lie, and know that you won’t waste a shot.


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