Do you have short sides on the under green? Here’s how to get up and down

With Jake Hutt’s help, you can become more comfortable hitting from greenside bunkers.
GOLF.com
Welcome to Shaving Strokes, the GOLF.com series where we share the progress, lessons learned and takeaways from novice golfers like you — including the speed bumps and challenges they’ve faced along the way.
Ed. Note: This article was published in collaboration with Cleveland/Srixon.
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Some bunker shots are tougher than others.
Among the most difficult things: short varieties, which can cause all kinds of problems if you don’t have the right technique and equipment.
During a recent visit to the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. – an excellent par-3 course with views of the Pacific Ocean – I met golf instructor Jake Hutt, who not only gave me a lesson in greenside bunker shots but also challenged me. I entered the competition very close to the pin.
Naturally, I panicked. In fact, I’m pretty sure a few expletives came out of my mouth when he took a shot at me. But it’s important to work on all aspects of your game, so I tried to be a good game.
First, Hutt gave me a new lob wedge: Cleveland’s CBX 4 ZipCore Wedge, which offers a little more forgiveness than the RTX 6 Zipcore Wedge model he was using.
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In the video below, you can see both of us hitting it in the sand – and learn why using a more forgiving lob wedge, like the CBX 4, is a great way to hit a greenside bunker shot.
Do this to escape the nasty green bunkers
Once we were settled in the bunker, Hutt told the usual tales about greenside-bunker play – to which many novices often fall prey.
“One of the biggest misconceptions that comes out of the bunker is that the ball goes too far forward, and often players put their hands behind the ball and try to get the ball out of the bunker,” Hutt said. “Basically, we want that team to get a little bit further behind the ball, and, if you get it right, you can add a little bit of spin.”
After identifying some pitfalls to avoid, Hutt assessed the difficulty level of this green-side shot.
He said: “This is a difficult opportunity. “We have short sides, so I want to open the clubface a little more, and I want to swing long with the face wide open — get the ball up in the air.
“I almost want you to feel like you’re hitting the sand with the back of the wedge here.”
Hutt took the throw to show me what it should look like – emphasizing how he sprinkles the sand – then hit his shot.
“You can see my following, I went all the way. And then you just want to do a little beating there. The ball should come out soft.”
After taking his shot and leaving it about five feet from the pin, Hutt set me up on the ball, walking me up the steps to get closer.
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I tend to use a wide stance, squat low, lower the butt of the club to about mid-thigh and bring my hands back to make sure I use the bounce.
But before taking my shot, Hutt adjusted a few things in my setup.
“I would open up a little bit, and give myself a toe burn by bending my knees,” he said. “Now open that face all the way.”
He gripped the club shaft to exaggerate how the swing should feel, reminding me to loosen the club and “throw” the clubhead into the sand to get that swing.
After taking my shot, I hit it a little bit, but thanks to the swing correction – and some forgiveness from the CBX 4 – the ball hit the front of the putt, used the slope and speed of the green and rolled about four times. feet from the pin.
“We’ve reduced your grip pressure a little bit, held it a little bit closer to the butt of the club so you feel the weight better, loosen it up – which is how you’re going to square the face – and then when you hit the sand in the right spot, the ball will come out nice and soft,” Hutt said. “So- then this game was amazing.”
Who am I to disagree?
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