It’s a nightmare – You’re golfing along with a perfect swing, perfect stance and you’ve even managed to eliminate that slice that’s plagued
you. Despite doing everything right, even the best golfer will find
himself (or herself) occasionally mired in the sand, knee-deep in grass
or standing behind the largest tree on the golf course. If golf courses
were all perfectly smooth with no bunkers, sand or water, the game
would likely become boring for even the most dedicated golfer.
Obstacles make golf a better game, and you’ll be even more
appreciative of these traps if you know the best ways to get out of the
situations.
What are the odds that your golf ball will roll to a stop directly behind
a tree? You have a couple of options. You can bore a hole through the
tree large enough for your ball to pass through, but that’s probably not
going to meet the approval of either your fellow golfers or the course
maintenance crew.
The option many golfers take is to sacrifice one putt to put the golf ball
in a better position. Whether this is your best option depends on your
ability as a golfer, and how much you’re willing to risk on this one
play. If there’s another tree handy, a ricochet shot is sometimes an
option, but it’s too uncontrollable. You can’t tell how the ball will react
against the rough bark of the tree.
A better choice is to work on a curve ball before you get to this point,
so that you’ll be confident trying it when the time comes.
Sand presents another problem altogether. Many golfers choose the
“whack and see” method. Just pull a sand wedge from the golf bag,
whack the general area of the ball, then watch the sand flying through
the air to see if a golf ball happened to take flight as well.
Consistency is the key to golfing overall, and getting out of the sand
trap is no exception. Sand is a real problem when trying to control a
golf ball. Golf balls don’t roll well in sand and you’re going to have
trouble controlling a putt from the sand trap. Add to that the fact that
you’re often going to be dealing with an upward face of the trap before
you’re back on open course, and the only consistently reliable way to
get out of a sand trap is to use the wedge and get enough loft on the
ball to clear the face of the trap.
Choose your wedge carefully. Remember that you’re looking for
enough loft to clear the sand, but less loft is usually easier to control.
Regardless of the obstacle you’re facing, controlling the ball, choosing
the best club and setting up your shot are the steps that will get you
back onto open ground.