3 Tips for Navigating Abnormal Bunker Lies

Whenever we step up to a bunker, we cross our fingers for a good lie. Unfortunately, we aren’t always so lucky. When stepping into the bunker, there are three main challenges that any golfer might find themselves facing, including a fried egg lie, buried lie, or hard-packed/no-sand lie. Depending on which of these you’re looking at, there are different approaches you can take to help navigate corresponding trick shots in order to find success.

#1: Fried Egg

A fried egg lie happens when your ball ends up in the middle of a small crater created on impact, resembling an egg dropped into a hot pan. When approaching a fried egg lie, you’ll want to open the club face a bit more than usual and take a steep angle of attack. This involves bringing the club up and down a little more abruptly, and you should expect the ball to run out a bit more as well.

#2: Buried Lie

A buried lie is exactly what it sounds like. Your ball ends up buried deep in the sand and becomes difficult to approach or hit. You’ll want to approach a buried lie with a steep angle of attack. Additionally, and potentially against your own instincts, you should close the face a bit in order to adjust for the sand in your way, which will force open your shot a bit in the end. Close up the face with soft hands in order to allow the face to open through the sand, helping the ball pop out a bit. These shots also tend to require a bit more power. Keep in mind that there won’t be a lot of backspin on shots like these.

#3: Tight Lie/No Sand Lie

After heavy rain or harsh sun, sand can pack itself down and make it difficult to hit without chipping. In order to approach these shots, you’ll want to focus on your club selection, choosing a low-bounce club and take more of a chipping-style approach. If you have a little bit of sand, you’ll want the shaft leaning forward a bit in order to dig into the sand. This is key when faced with a no-sand lie.

The most important tip is to avoid getting discouraged in the face of difficult lies! Your main objective should be to simply get the ball back on the green for more accurate play. You can collect valuable insights like the ones shared above in our 6-week Compete Confidence Signature Course, which covers dozens of helpful topics specially curated for female golfers looking to improve their game.