Tip #54 - Three Trick Shots

I hate taking unplayable lies, and you should too. It's like an admission of defeat. The following three shots are for those situations that seem unplayable but are not. They just require a little ingenuity.

Sometimes a little ingenuity is all that's needed to prevent taking an unplayable lie.

The first shot is played when your ball lies so close to an obstacle that you can't take a stance or swing from the conventional side. So you play it left-handed.

If the ball is sitting cleanly, the best club to use is a putter (if you have one of those models that may be hit either right- or left-handed). Failing this, take a 9-iron and turn the club so that the blade stands on its toe. Grip it like a lefty, with your left hand below your right on the club.

Take a couple of practice swings to get the feel of this shot. Then address the ball with the toe of the club, and make a short, crisp swing. The ball may go several yards, it may go only a few feet, but in either case you should be better off than if you were to take an unplayable lie.

The second shot is an alternative to the lefty shot, when you need a bit more distance. I call it the one-handed chop. Take the same 9-iron, grip it with only your right hand, and stand with your back toward your target. The ball should be positioned about nine inches diagonally in front and to the right of your right toe.

From this position the swing is nothing more than a wristy chop. Again, make a couple of practice chops before you try the real thing. If you hit this one squarely, you can move the ball fifty yards or more.

Finally, when your ball comes to rest under a low-lying tree or bush, try the kneeling shot. If you follow the U.S. PGA Tour, you'll recall the controversy when Craig Stadler played this shot in the 1987 San Diego Open.

Stadler famously played a shot from his knees during the 1987 San Diego Open.

Stadler spread a towel on the ground and knelt on it to protect his slacks, unaware that a recent USGA decision had deemed such a practice to be a way of building a stance and thus a breach of the Rules.

A day after Stadler committed the foul, a TV viewer who saw a tape of the shot reported the infraction. Stadler was penalized, and because he had failed to assess himself the penalty, was disqualified for signing an invalid scorecard.

So if you decide to play this shot, kneel on the ground and on nothing else. Take a wedge or 9-iron and align yourself well to the right of where you want to go. With your arms at shoulder height you'll be making a very flat swing, and with the loft of the club actually pointing to the left, you'll have to compensate.

Once you're aligned, lock your eyes on the ball and make a short, stiff-wristed swing-almost like a big putt. You'll be surprised at how well you can recover, even after the course has brought you to your knees.

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