Love Letters In The Sand --
Trapped Again!
Other than First Tee Anxiety, the sand shot is considered
the most dreaded shot in golf. You watch the professionals
on TV just pop it right out on the green and you think how
do they make it look so easy. Guess what? It took practice
and patience. Here are a couple of tips that may help your
play out of the bunker.
To hit the green side bunker shot correctly, the club must
contact the sand first. In order to do this, you must open
your stance and club face, and the weight should be favoring
your back foot about 60/40. On the take away, the golf club
should come up and outside with a cut-across motion with the
golf club finishing high.
One of the most frequently asked questions about green side
bunker shots is how to spin the ball and make it back up like
the pros. In order to spin the ball, you must hit closer to
the ball with more club head speed and soft hands. This is
a tough shot to master.
Your second shot to the green lands short and you are faced
with a long green side bunker shot. There are three keys to
success here.
- First, the stance is square to the target line.
- Second, contact the sand a little farther from the ball.
By taking more sand with a square club face, this will allow
the golf ball to roll more.
- Third, swing the club back more inside like a normal short
iron swing with the hands finishing a little lower. You
may want to try a pitching wedge or nine iron to get the
ball to release and roll.
Here's a shot even the pros have difficulty with. The ball
is plugged in the sand. The dreaded Fried Egg. Most players
want to play this type of shot with a closed club face with
the ball back in their stance and the weight on their front
foot.
Actually, it's just the opposite. The stance and club face
should be open and the weight on the back foot. Swing the
club back up and then down. Hit behind the ball and do not
try to finish. The ball should pop straight up.
There are many types of shots that can be played from the
bunker. These are just a few. But with some practice and patience,
I hope these tips will help.
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