I do fairly well with normal golf shots from a bunker. But when the sand is wet and compacted I have struggled a lot. What do you have to change to hit this shot? Or is it a completely different golf shot?

Well, I really have two answers for you on this one. There is what I call the “technically correct” golf shot for a wet bunker and then there is the “what works for me” golf shot. I will cover both and let you amateur golf nuts figure out which one is best for you.

The proper technique that a teaching pro might show you could go something like this. A normal shot (a splash) would cause your golf club to dig too deep into the sand and come to a stop. So set up as a normal sand shot. But the difference is a shorter and shallower back swing. Take the club head back but don’t take it up very far. Keep the club head low during the backswing. You still hit behind the golf ball striking the sand first. The key is that you golf club doesn’t dig in very far because of your back swing and trajectory.

Now, that being said, that was always a little tricky for me. I would still hit some thin, screaming golf shots sometimes that had my foursome partners diving for cover. Here is what I developed that worked for me. I take a golf swing that is like a greenside chip but a little stronger. So like in a normal golf shot with an iron, I strike the ball first. The little bit of extra swing helps with the wet sand because you will catch a little sand with this shot. The length of my backswing depends on size of the bunker, how far the shot needs to carry on the green, etc.

The difficulty is if it is a deep bunker with steep sides. The shot that I described may not work. What I use in that case is what is called a “blast” golf shot. This is what you use when you golf ball is buried in a normal sand bunker. Some people call this a “fried egg” lie. In this case you hit down into the sand just behind the ball and you don’t have any follow through. You in effect bury your club in the sand. You have to practice this golf shot to get a feel for how hard to swing to carry the ball different distances.

Both of these last two are a little different, but that’s why they call me The Golf Nut. I may be a little nuts but I try to find what works for me.