HOW TO PLAY BUNKER SHOTS

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Posted by Lance

Whilst I was on our GOLF holiday my Dad gave me a few tips on escaping from those greenside bunkers. Here in the photos you can see me play one of my shots that finished just a few metres from the pin.

Basically for this shot you have to grind your heels into the sand and set up your feet pointing to the left (for a right-hander) of where you are aiming your shot.

Keep your feet close together and at a 45 degree angle and position the ball near the middle of your stance. The ball should be about on line with your left heel, and near the middle or front of your right foot.

The sand wedge, obviously, is the clearest choice for a sand shot. Dad tells me bunker shots of over 20 yards should be attempted with a pitching wedge or 9 iron, and further shots should be attempted with longer irons, depending on the length of your shot. You could generally knock off about 20-25% of the distance on your clubs when hitting from the sand.

When swinging at a ball in the sand, open your club the same degree as your feet, like you are hitting a lob shot or a flop shot. Open your club around 45 degrees and practice your swing without hitting the sand (as this is usually a penalty stroke). Aim between 2 inches and six inches behind the ball on your swing, depending on the length of your shot.

The shorter you are shooting, the farther behind the ball you should aim. Take an open club swing between three quarters and full, and be sure not to slow your swing through the zone or on your follow through. It will feel at first as if you are swinging too hard for such a short shot, but your results will soon tell the truth, just like me in this shot.

Good luck.