Editors Note: Each week, we receive hundreds of questions for our PGA Experts. Though we can't answer every one of them, we will take some of the most illuminating and beneficial questions and have one of the top authorities from the PGA of America to answer them for you. We are in the process of finding ways for more experts to answer more of your questions! Thank you for your support and keep the questions coming!

Instruction: Martin Hall, 2008 PGA Teacher of the Year

Q: Green side sand. I get out of soft and fluffy sand very well. however untended and unraked, wet, hard packed sand i tend to blade the ball so my open face, bounce exposed, slide the club under the ball obviously is the wrong technique. What do you suggest for sand that's more hardpan than bunker?
Tim Livers

A: If the sand if firm, untended, unraked, most times you have to dig the ball out rather than splash it out. At address, square the club face, put the ball back in your stance, put more weight than usual on your front foot. Leave the weight on your front foot as you pick the club up more sharply on the backswing, and hit down more than normal. The ball will come out lower than usual and run more, but it will come out and it will be on the green. - Good Luck.

What's the best grip for you? (Getty Images)

Q: I feel very comfortable with the 10 finger grip. When watching the big boys they either use the over lap or enter lock grip which I also can use. By using the 10 finger grip am I at any disadvantages like loosing distance or accuracy
Leo Attard

A: With regard to your 10 finger grip, as long as your hands are close together and it's not a split grip, I don't feel you are at any great disadvantage and might even be more likely to hit the ball with a draw. - Good Luck.

Rules: Brad Gregory, Vice-Chairman of PGA Rules Committee

Q: If a player holes out from off the green and another person pulls out the flagstick, causing the ball to come out of the hole, what is the ruling?
Sharon Arnaiz

A: The Definition of holed says: "A ball is "holed" when it is at rest within the circumference of the hole and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole." Once a ball is holed it does not matter who removes it or how it is removed.

Q: Player A chips onto the green near the hole. Player B is on the fringe and asks player A to mark his ball and leave it there so if he missed the hole he might carom off player A's ball and go into the hole. Player A elected to pick up his ball after marking it. The question is: Who has the prerogative as to picking up the ball?
John Good

A: Rule 22-1 (Ball Assisting Play) says in part that; except when a ball is in motion, if a player considers that a ball might assist any other player, he may: a) Lift the ball if it is his ball, or b) Have any other ball lifted. Player A may lift his ball even if B requests him not to.

Equipment: Eric Hogge, PGA Professional

Q: My golfing friends cannot tell me (a non-golfer) why golf clubs have different lengths. I thought the idea was a repeatable swing, so why different lengths? Thanks.
Roy Sanders

A: This is a great question. In the simplest terms, clubs are designed to do different things. For example, the wedges are built for finesse shots and precise distance control where as the driver is built for maximum distance. With a shorter instrument I should have more control but not much distance. This would be perfect for the shorter wedges but not great for producing the distance I want from the driver and other longer clubs. In a perfect world each club would produce a shot approximately 10-15 yards different distance from its neighboring club (I. E. 8 iron 145 yards / 7 iron 160 yards).

To achieve this difference the clubs will be built to different lengths as well as different lofts. A longer club will carry more club speed than a shorter one. A player should be able to make roughly the same swing, using the same mechanical processes and timing with each club.

The differing attributes with regard to length and loft, as well as a few other differences between clubs, should produce the desired results in the many different situations on the course depending on the club being used.

A few companies have tried to make a "same length" set. The results have not been well received.

Thank you

Q: At what swing speed should you use regular shaft irons versus stiff shaft irons. Also, what happens if you are swinging the wrong shafts?
James Grigsby

A: There is no hard rule for the speed matching a shaft flex. Having said this, if your driver speed is around 95 or higher, a stiff shaft iron may be beneficial. Another rule of thumb that you can use is your 7 iron carry distance. If you are carrying you 7 iron longer than 140 and definitely if your are carrying it over 150 a stiff shaft might be beneficial.

With regard to your second question, if a shaft is too stiff for you it will not cost you speed but feel. The club will feel unusually "clanky"

or difficult to hit. On the other hand, if the shaft is too soft for you it will cost you club speed and potentially create a less controllable ball flight. I generally go with the highest stiffness club I feel comfortable hitting.

Thank you