Golf decisions
Awkward bunker lies: choose an exit before the shot
An awkward greenside bunker lie changes the task. Getting the ball onto a playable surface can be a better objective than attacking the flag. Start with what is visible: how the ball sits, the slope, room for the swing and the landing area each possible exit would require.
Competitive Play · Updated October 24, 2026
Four fictional recovery decisions
Original teaching comparison
Four fictional recovery decisionsFictional: a buried ball
Ava sees only part of the ball above the sand, with space beyond the near lip.
She identifies the plugged lie before borrowing the setup she normally uses for a clean splash shot.
Fictional: restricted room behind
Ben's ball is near the back edge on a downhill surface, with little room for his usual motion.
He compares available exits instead of assuming the flag-facing route permits the stroke he intended.
Fictional: a clear sideways route
Cara can see a broad landing area to the side, while a direct line requires clearing a much higher lip.
She treats the sideways recovery as a separate option and compares the likely next shot rather than judging only distance to the flag.
Fictional: no workable stroke
Dev cannot identify a recovery he is comfortable performing from the actual lie.
He checks the governing bunker-relief options separately; difficulty does not itself establish a free drop.
These are invented lie-assessment cases, not demonstrated shots, measured outcomes or individual coaching. The illustrations do not prescribe an exact technique.
The short version
- A plugged lie is different from a clean ball sitting on sand.
- Choose a feasible exit and trajectory before selecting a landing spot.
- Keep shot choice separate from any rules option.
Compare the space before the stroke
Describe the lie before naming the shot
James Sieckmann's written short-game process begins with the lie, slope, moisture and available green. That ordering is useful in a bunker because the same target can present very different problems. Record whether the ball is buried, how the sand surrounds it and what space is available for the intended motion.
A useful sketch has two parts: a side view showing the ball and surrounding edges, and an overhead view showing possible exits. Keep unknowns visible. A drawing without scale cannot establish an exact launch requirement, and a description of one ball should not quietly become a claim about every downhill or plugged lie.
Compare outcomes rather than forcing one method
Titleist's written plugged-lie description presents Justin Parsons' heel-first alternative alongside a conventional extraction approach. The existence of alternatives is a reason to seek instruction for the actual lie, not a reason to transfer one face position or motion to every bunker problem. Exact angles and entry distances are not supplied here.
Compare each feasible exit with its landing area and the shot it leaves next. A sideways option may offer a wider target even when it does not move directly toward the hole. That is a planning comparison, not a promise that the recovery will succeed or that a particular method produces a fixed amount of spin.
Separate the playing decision from the rules decision
Once a shot is chosen, identify the trajectory before choosing the landing spot, then observe how the result differs from the intention. Keep the record descriptive: lie, selected exit, intended landing area and actual finish. It can guide later practice without inventing a success percentage from a few attempts.
The rules question uses a different checklist. A difficult lie, an embedded ball and an unplayable-ball procedure are not interchangeable concepts. Use the separate bunker-relief guide for the governing options and any applicable penalty. This page keeps its focus on constrained greenside recovery; a playable fairway-bunker shot has a different distance and contact task.
Follow the related task
Sources and scope
Written primary-source material checked October 24, 2026. Examples and diagrams are original educational illustrations. The linked instruction-video descriptions were read; their videos were not reviewed.
Your next move
Read the source teaching
Check the full explanation and the conditions that apply to your task.
Read the source teaching(Official source), opens in a new tabKeep reading
Sources and review
- What it covers
- Written lie/trajectory assessment and conservative exit comparisons; no unsupported back-lip mechanics, video review, measured results or new rules procedure. Written source text checked 2026-10-24.
- Checked
Primary sources
What this page cannot tell you
- No bunker demonstration was filmed, shots tested or personal coaching provided; the hypothetical choices require judgment about the actual lie.