Use the ‘ice-cream scoop’ technique to defeat the fried egg lie

Welcome to Play Smart, GOLF.com’s regular game improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.

There’s nothing worse than going up to the basement and getting your ball on a bad lie. Among the deceptive lies? The dreaded fried egg.

A fried egg occurs when your ball connects to the sand when it lands on the ground. And although the lies connected to the common area require free relief, there are no such provisions for the balls in danger.

Most recreational players have little idea how to escape these tricky situations. However, if you use the right technique, these photos can be a breeze.

How to escape the fried egg lie

If you are facing a common bunker shot, it is important to open the club face and dig into the sand under the ball to blast it. If you have a fried egg lie, however, this process is reversed.

“The No. 1 that I think about [approach] this shot is turning the toe over the club face in the direction of the target,” says golf instructor Derek Swoboda. “It will look like you’re going to hit your shin.”

Swoboda likens the clubface look to this technique to an ice-cream scoop. And like an ice cream scoop, you should try to dig its edge into the sand as you hit the shot.

“Normal swing, normal setup,” Swoboda said. “And then what I’m going to do is make sure the club goes down and through the sand.”

In the ice-cream scoop style you use in the setup, the clubhead will dig into the sand and pull the ball out of its socket.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Before joining the GOLF team, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists in all instruction and covers youth and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.