Getting up and down after hitting into a greenside bunker saves strokes, but it’s not always easy to do. The basics for hitting from a bunker—play the ball forward in your stance, open your club face, aim left of target, swing through to a full finish—work well for good lies. But what happens when you have a buried lie and can’t use the basics described above? The cock and pop shot is an alternative.
Below are the six keys to this shot:
- Toe in club slightly
- Aim the clubface at your target
- Position the ball in the middle
- Cock your wrists quickly
- Stop backswing at three quarters
- Swing firmly into the ball
When you’re plugged in heavy or wet sand, you can’t get under the ball. This means you can’t get the spin or achieve lift you need using your normal bunker. Using the cock and pop swing increases your chances of getting out of the bunker in one with this type of lie.
Start by taking your normal bunker address, then toe in the club slightly, which helps the club dig into the sand. Aim your clubface directly at your target, with the ball positioned in the middle of your stance.
As you start your backswing, cock your wrists quickly and completely, stopping three-quarters of the way back. Now swing the club into the back of the ball as firmly and cleanly as you can, driving the ball forward in front of you. The club will dig into the sand, shortening your follow-through.
The cock and pop swing produces a soft shot with little backspin. For best results, use a wedge with 64-degrees of loft for this shot. If you don’t have one 64-degree wedge, use the most lofted wedge in your back.
