Gary Player is unquestionably one of the greatest bunker players in the history of the game of golf.
Player was hugely successful throughout his career, winning 159 tournaments worldwide, including nine major championships.
The diminutive South African was not as powerful as the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer so he had to make marginal gains in other areas of the game.
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His short game was exceptional, with his bunker play proving to be one of the cornerstones of his success.
With that in mind, any bunker tips the great Gary Player has to offer should be listened to intently by amateur golfers who struggle out of the sand.
One of the most difficult shots amateurs face in golf is extricating their ball from a plugged lie in a bunker.
Now help is on hand from one of the best to ever do it out of the sand. Player has provided amateur golfers with plenty of golf tips throughout the years, but his latest offering may well be his best advice yet.
Gary Player’s advice to help amateurs play from plugged lies in bunkers
You all know the feeling.
You find a bunker with your approach shot into a green and walk up to find the dreaded ‘fried egg’ lie.
Most amateurs will either end up leaving their ball in the sand, while some will fly it over the green due to the amount of power and topspin imparted onto the golf ball.
Player took to his X account to help amateur golfers who struggle when faced with plugged lies in bunkers.
“How do you play a plugged lie?“ Player began.
“I have always found that closing the clubface and hitting steeply down on the ball has always been the best way to create some kind of consistency in a typically inconsistent lie.
“PS, be aware of the topspin.“
That advice from Player is pure gold.
The physics behind Gary Player’s plugged lie advice
The reason why closing down the clubface works better from plugged lies is because you’re reducing the bounce.
Hitting down into the sand with a steeper angle of attack with a sharper blade means that it is easier for the clubface to get underneath the ball.
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When you open up your sand wedge, adding loft to the club, you are also exposing more of the sole, or the ‘bounce’.
This means it is harder to get the club underneath the ball and help it out of the sand.
It obviously takes practice to trust this method but I guarantee you now, it works better than opening up the clubface and playing a bunker shot like you usually would.
If it’s good enough for Gary Player, it’s good enough for us!
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