Close the face to deal with a plugged ball in the sand

There can be nothing more demoralising in the game of golf than walking up to a bunker and seeing your ball plugged deep in the sand.

Thoughts of double or triple bogey and a completely wrecked scorecard start going through your head and this inevitably leads to a poor execution of the shot.

When playing from a plugged lie, there are some changes that need to be made compared to playing a standard and more straightforward splash shot.

Firstly, position the ball more towards the centre of your stance and then close the clubface a little.

This makes the leading edge of the club sharper and helps it dig under the ball (pic 1).

Your backswing should be steep and fairly full (pic 2), followed by a hard and powerful hit down into the sand five or six centimetres behind the ball.

There is no need to be delicate on this shot and, as a result of the steep swing angle, you will find that your follow through is restricted (pic 3).

Regardless of this, you should find that the ball just pops up and out of the bunker and rolls towards the pin.

Remember, there is no need for any finesse on this one.