If there’s one thing you should always do when playing golf with your friends, it’s whip out your phone to video someone who is facing a difficult shot. Odds are, that person will fail miserably, producing a hilarious recording. And if they happen to pull it off, you’re a hero for capturing their heroic moment. Either way, it’s a win-win and something that will be shared in your group chat for a long time.

We’re guessing that was the case in the following video with one golfer’s ball buried high in the side face of a bunker. But facing about as awkward of a shot imaginable, the guy hacked one that barely got over the trap and then trickled down into the cup for an absolutely absurd hole-out.

But even better may have been the celebration. Have a look at the entire sequence:

 

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A post shared by Breezy Golf (@breezygolf)

That’s just pure joy right there. Good stuff. And probably a good decision of that other golfer to refrain from going full chest bump and wrapping his arm around his bud’s neck instead at the last moment. Because that guy is a pretty big dude.

Anyway, congrats on the shot — and on having it on video. That’s what friends are for. At least, on golf courses.

The post The only thing better than this guy’s amazing buried bunker shot was the celebration appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tom Ogilvie
Even the simplest of bunker shots evokes anxiety in most amateurs. The fear factor ratchets up further when you find your ball in a deep bunker and are faced with a high lip to clear with a pin cut tight to the trap. But a high escape from sand that lands soft isn’t as tough as we often make it. Simply follow these five basics and you be on your way to momentum saving sand saves.

Stance
Your stance should be much wider than your normal set up position with a focus on more flex in the knees to lower your centre of gravity. Keep your feet square to the target with your lead foot flared open. It’s also very important to have a little more pressure on your lead food; the weigh should never be on your back foot.

The clubface
Using a higher lofted club such as your sand wedge or lob wedge, open your club face to promote a higher trajectory and a softer landing. It’s essential for a higher flight to maintain an open clubface through the shot.

Ball position
Position the ball adjacent to your left heel. This allows you to have more time to slide the club under the ball with an open club face. Practice by drawing a line in the sand just inside your left heel to help you understand where the ball should be positioned.

The Swing
You have to commit to bunker shots. Even though you’re trying to play a delicate shot, acceleration through the ball is key. I see many high handicap players hesitant to swing through bunker shots. Don’t hit at the ball, swing through it with speed with an out to in swing path.

Contact
Draw a line just behind the ball during your practice which will be your reference point for contact. This practice will give you good feedback on your strike. Stick to the basics and you’ll soon fear the sand no more.

Tom Ogilvie is a PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

The post Five steps to escape deep bunkers and land it soft appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

After grabbing birdies at No. 3 and No. 4, McIlroy’s drive at the fifth found a deep fairway bunker, leaving him a difficult shot to get to the green. Needing to elevate the ball up over the lip, the four-time major champion took a whack at it and heard that dreaded sound most of us weekend golfers hear in a fairway bunker. His ball had clipped the lip, but instead of coming back at him or barely rolling out of the bunker, McIlroy got an incredible break. Watch where his ball ends up:

Remarkable.
Rory McIlroy’s bunker shot on the fifth hole hits the top of the lip, but leaves him in good position. pic.twitter.com/9j5bqCNFHc

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 7, 2018

Are you kidding? Some serious over spin there, and his ball wound up just 13 feet from the cup. When you play as much golf as these guys do, you’re bound to get breaks, but this one was pretty unique. He wasn’t able to hole the putt, but he did nearly make an ace on the par-3 sixth and has moved to seven under, two back of Patrick Reed. Remember this shot if Rory is putting on the green jacket on Sunday night.

The post Masters 2018: Watch Rory McIlroy get incredible break after approach shot hits lip of bunker appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joe Way
With water guarding the front of the 18th green here at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, the approach is tricky enough. Throw sand into the equation and it becomes positively frightening to most club golfers. It needn’t be.

When faced with a fairway bunker shot it is vital to understand the required technique is different to that of a greenside bunker shot. As opposed to a greenside shot, the key focus is ball first, then sand. Anything less than a clean strike and you’ll invariably end up in the drink.

There are a few simple rules to follow in your set up to the golf ball to help achieve the desired result. Firstly ‘wiggle’ your feet into the sand to help achieve a nice firm, solid base to swing from. A must after this is to grip down (right) on your club closer to the bottom of the grip. This balances out the ‘wiggling’ of your feet into the sand and helps to encourage a ball first strike. The final important aspect to remember is to lean your weight onto your lead leg (roughly five percent extra) to help promote a steeper angle of attack into the ball.

From here keep your swing thoughts simple. Swing it easy, perhaps taking an extra club, and remember – hit the ball before the sand!

Practice these simple steps and soon you’ll be hitting those tricky fairway bunker shots onto the green to save par – and perhaps that lucky Titleist Pro V1.

Photo by Masam Ali

The post VIDEO: Fairway Bunker Shots appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Coupled with a bogey from playing partner Patrick Cantlay, it pushed Watson to a two-stroke lead, which he hung on to after finishing with a two-under 69 to become a three-time winner of the Genesis Open.  OK, so making the shot even more remarkable was that exchange with his caddie Ted Scott. Apparently Watson’s bag man felt karma coming on on this 48-foot, 7-inch shot. Great call, Ted.

“You called it baby, you called it!”#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/BqfujkUT0q

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 18, 2018

More amazing was the fact that the ball went in at all given how Watson’s bunker play had been pretty terrible thus far in 2017-’18. Entering this week’s tour stop, Watson ranked a paltry T-185 in proximity from the sand (12 feet, 3 inches) and his sand-save percentage was 43.24 percent, ranking him 154th.

This week he wound up ranked 69th in proximity from the sand, even though he averaged worse than his season mark (15 feet, 9 inches). And he was T-24 in sand-save percentage at 50 percent.

The post Watch Bubba Watson’s final-round birdie from the bunker that helped propel him to a third win at Riviera appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

We tend to categorize John Daly as simply a long hitter with a flair for style and humor that has captured many fans over the years. But on Wednesday before the PGA Championship, we got a look at just how impressive his short game is, too.

It’s no secret that tour players are really, really good from short distance. So Wednesday’s exhibition by the 1991 PGA champion provided yet another reminder of just how impressive these guys are.

The amount of touch @pga_johndaly has with JUST his left hand is incredible. ?

A post shared by Golf Digest (@golfdigest) on Aug 9, 2017 at 7:59am PDT

We actually saw Long John putt one-handed in a PGA Tour Champions event last year (we’re still not exactly sure why), so perhaps this shouldn’t have been a surprise.

But watching Daly practice his short game for a half hour at Quail Hollow’s practice area was a sight to see — and another reason to marvel at Long John’s game.

The post PGA Championship 2017: John Daly is really good at hitting bunker shots one-handed appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Jordan Spieth’s reaction to his winning bunker shot on Sunday at the Travelers Championship might have been even better than the shot itself. Well, rather the reaction by Spieth and his caddie, Michael Greller.

While Spieth’s club toss got most of the attention, Greller’s rake toss was even better. Factor in that the two happened simultaneously — and of course, the ensuing (attempted) chest bump — and this jumped right to the top of all-time golf celebrations.

You’ve probably seen Spieth’s shot and reaction a bunch of times by now, but here’s an angle that focuses on Greller’s toss. In slow-mo, no less:

That Greller *rake launch* = ?? pic.twitter.com/cczWQ74934

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 26, 2017

So good.

PGA Tour caddies often keep the flag from the 18th hole at tournaments won by their bosses, but Greller will bring back a special memento from TPC River Highlands. That rake.

Nice touch for Spieth's caddie Michael Greller after his man won the Travelers Championship from a green side bunker. #Champion'sRake pic.twitter.com/IT1wsfLhZ0

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) June 26, 2017

Even better, Greller won’t have to take it himself:

.@TravelersChamp will be sending the rake home via @fedex to Greller… https://t.co/ULCBYUVQKl

— Amanda Herrington (@PGATOURAmanda) June 26, 2017

Good thing. That might have been tricky to get by TSA.

The post Jordan Spieth’s caddy is keeping that rake he tossed in that epic celebration appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Playing in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters back in December was a massive learning curve for me, but after coming through that tough week, I’m more determined than ever to keep working hard and doing what I need to do to get my game to a level where I can compete with the girls on tour. I’ve been working hard on my full swing lately, but it’s the short game that has always been a strength of mine, and I’d like to share my favourite tips with you guys here. So check out this video, and I hope these tips help your short game!

Related: Paige Spiranac and her crazy professional debut

The post Video: Paige Spiranac’s <br />Top 3 short game tips appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.