Playing sideways or backwards

I had a lesson last Sunday in dire conditions, but we were only working on the short game and sand shots. Whilst in the bunker I was practicing different techniques from different lies and positions, including the fat git treading the ball in. The pro surprised me at one stage when he said 'what would you do with this one'. The ball was fairly close to a steep section and lying downhill in wet sand. I thought I'd be flash and open the blade and went for a high power lob, which ended up buried in the face of the bunker after thinning it. The pro placed the ball again and promptly played out sideways, leaving a little chip up to the pin.

So trying to get par instead of accepting your error and taking the punishment, must be down to being a bloke and too much testosterone. So be honest with yourself, how many times did you wish you had gone to the side or backwards instead of taking on a TV shot?

In all honesty I have hit a few sideways Doc, never usually intentionally though!

It really depends on the situation Doc. I think our normal reaction is that we have to advance the ball towards the green or pin all the time. I've been in some positions where I can't really advance the ball forwards so it's sideways or backwards to get me back in play.

I've also unintentionally had the ball end up behind me or on the other side of the fairway from where I've been playing from much to the amusement of my playing partners.

doc, have you tried phil's backwards shot?

I have to confess that many times I wish I'd taken my medicine and played out sideways, but in the heat of the battle I always manage to convince myself that I am capable of pulling off the near "impossible" shot of playing out towards the pin.

It used to be called percentage golf Doc. Accept the pain and then damage control. Losing one shot is better than 2 or 3.

Where I get 'miffed' is when in a fairway bunker and I go for the 10 or so yards that a 5 iron might give over a 6 or 7 iron............BLAM............either buried just under the lip or it hits the lip and pings straight up in the air travelling all of 5 yards forwards.

percentage golf, accept your punishment ...... Yes I suppose we've all heard these many, many times yet for some reason (Probably because we've gotten away with it in the past) we think we can pull off a TV shot. The problem being, that the damage done by not taking your punishment can destroy your card. I'm guilty of this and couldn't count the times where, I've sulked over the next few holes, because of it.

Scarpa, I think even Phil would struggle to play his backward shot out of our bunkers recently. Can't remember the last time I saw any white fluffy sand It's even getting to the stage when watching PGA golf on SKY, that I just sit there saying; bastards to myself What sort of golf are they playing, when the ball lands from a tee shot, and bounds on down the fairway another 50-yds

It always amuses me when the Sky commentators - usually Mr Doom and Gloom Howard Clark - says "Oh, that's a terrible lie in the bunker" when it looks perfectly OK to me compared to most of the bunkers I've had to play out of, complete with unraked large (male) footprints, dogs' footprint, sandcastles and the like and, of course, currently, large puddles. These pros have it so easy

So we've all at some stage tried to be flash and failed badly, and should have taken a different, more sensible shot. So what was the most stupid shot you've attempted that had you a bit red faced after.

I'll admit to mine, which was a couple of years ago in Portugal. Chunked a drive, which left me 250 yards to the green, but needs to get over the water. A fairly simple hole which should have been a driver/3-wood and then 7-iron. Like a tool, instead of laying up, I took the nasty driver out of my bag ...... Oh I can still feel the red flush now.