Buried in Sand

photo credit: jurvetson   If you find your ball is buried two-thirds in the sand don’t panic, try the following technique:  1)  Stand with your feet at medium width ( a bit less than shoulder-width).  2)  Open stance slightly (lead toe towards target).  3)  Tilt body towards the target.  4)  Keep most of your weight on lead foot.  5)  Position ball off of your lead heel.  6)  Open your clubface wide.  7)  Keep the clubshaft pushed slightly forward during set-up. 

Your swing should be very upright with a steep downward path.  Keep your weight on lead side and make sure your lower body remains very still throughout the swing.  The open clubface will pop the ball out of the sand for a soft landing.

Playing the Bunker Shot

photo credit: D.Hilgart   Playing a sand shot, using the correct fundamentals, is not difficult.  Follow these tips for better sand play:

1)  Grip your sand wedge high on the handle which encourages a high follow-through.  Don’t quit on the shot.  2)  Grip the club tightly with the ring and little fingers of the left hand (for right handers).  This prevents the clubface from closing as it enters the sand.  3)  Open your stance and dig in slightly with your shoes.  4)  Open the clubface so that it points directly at the target.  5)  At address, the shaft should be pointed at your zipper with hands slightly ahead.  6)  Maintain more weight on your left side.  7)  For the normal explosion shot, hit 2 inches behind the ball.

Bunker Shots Made Easy

photo credit: star5112   Most high-handicappers don’t allow the clubhead to do the work in a bunker, instead they try to scoop the ball.  The sand-wedge is made with what is referred to as “bounce,” which allows the club to cut cleanly into the sand creating an explosion shot.

Address Position:  1)  Hands ahead of the ball.  2)  Weight favoring lead foot.  3)  Play ball off of lead heel.  4)  Open stance.  5)  Don’t ground the clubhead, hover it behind the ball.  6)  Feet flat and solid.  7)  More upright backswing.  8)  Full wrist-cock.  9)  Very little body turn.  10)  Full follow-through.

The sand shot is more of an arms and hands shot.  Maintain minimal body movement.  Follow-through is critical.  Many players give up on the shot and leave the ball in the sand.

Plugged Sand Shot

photo credit: nsaplayer   Nothing strikes fear, in the average golfer, more than a buried lie in the sand.  There are two ways of executing a successful shot:  1)  Place about 70% of your weight on your lead side which will help you hit through the sand.  B)  Shut down the clubface a little. . . Pros open their clubface but they have enough clubhead speed to do so.  Most amateurs do not have that kind of clubhead speed so shutting the clubface helps to ”dig” the ball out.  C)  Hover the clubface two inches behind the ball and aim for that spot.  D)  Since a sand wedge is made to “bounce” off the sand, it would be more beneficial to use a pitching wedge for a buried sand shot.

Hitting From the Bunker’s Edge

photo credit: danperry.com   Facing a shot on the bunker’s edge, where your only stance is in the bunker, is a difficult shot to play without the proper technique:  Try the following:   1)  In your address, stand taller than you normally would.  2)  Bend slightly from the hips at address.  3)  Feel as if you are raising your collarbone which will give you room to swing the club around your body, preventing a chunk.  4)  Widen you stance by moving your forward foot six inches towards the target.  5)  As you swing down, you must allow your head to swing slightly to the left; doing so delays the release of the clubface.

Be sure to practice this shot, although this type of lie is not that common, there will come a time when you need to play it.

Stop Your Bunker Shot

photo credit: danperry.com   For a high bunker shot that stops quickly try the following:  A)  Set your blade of your Sand Wedge considerably open.  B)  Grip the club in a weak position (turn them counterclockwise – to the left).  C)  Play the ball well forward so that your hands are behind the clubhead.  D)  On the backswing, bring the club up quickly and fan it open by cocking your left wrist.  E)  Swing down into the sand as hard as you want, release your hands fully.  F)  Make sure the clubhead passes your hands through impact. 

With such an open clubface position at the top, the clubhead should not dig into the sand.  It will pass under the ball and your shot will be high, land soft and stop quickly.

Downhill Bunker Shot

photo credit: ultracuerpo   Facing a downhill bunker shot can be intimdating, to say the least.  Follow these tips:  1)  Tilt your shoulders to conform to the slope and swing with the slope.  2)  Open the clubface considerably,  in order to offset the decrease in the club’s loft from swinging down the slope.  3)  Accentuate your open stance to the left (right handers) to offset the open face to the right.

Many players feel the need to lift the ball out of the sand.  They end up “chunking” it and are faced with another sand shot in the same bunker.  Make sure that you force the clubhead down and under the ball.  You will find that with a little practice, you can master this type of golf shot.

The Long Bunker Shot

photo credit: bradleypjohnson   Almost every player fears  long bunker shots (50 yards or more).  Most sand shots are played from around the green, the swing routine is typical, hit an inch or two behind the ball and explode it out.  The long sand shot requires a much different approach.

As long as the lip is not too high, try playing this type of shot with a 9 iron.  Since the 9 iron has little bounce, the sharper sole of the club will clip the ball which, in most cases, will cause the ball to run when it hits the green.

Open your stance and the face of the club a little.  Make a three-quarter swing, contacting the sand and the ball together.  The length of your backswing and the quality of contact determines the success of this shot.

Raking a Bunker

photo credit: danperry.com   In many cases, after a bunker shot,  golfers simply try to cover over footprints or divots with their sand iron, this won’t cut it !  Raking a bunker after your shot is necessary and simply a matter of good etiquette.  The next time you hit out of bunker follow these steps:  1)  Use your foot to level out the club mark and footprints.  2)  Turn the rake upside down and push the sand forward.  3)  Turn the rake over once again and skim the top of the sand as you pull toward you.  Keep the rake handle low.  4)  Push the rake towards the hole.  5)  Rake your footprints on the way out of the bunker.  6)  When finished, place the rake behind the bunker.

Bunker Shot in Hard Sand

photo credit: nsaplayer   The flange, on the sole of the sand wedge, will tend to cause the club to bounce off of hard sand.  For this type of shot use your pitching wedge because there is not a significant amount of bounce on the sole.  A pitching wedge digs in the sand enough and won’t bounce off of the hard sand.  The pitching wedge will allow you to play a traditional bunker shot.  If you are concerned because you won’t get as much loft, just open the face a little more. 

Hit a little closer to the ball than normal and use a very upright swing for best results with this type of shot.

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