how to hit bunker shots out of hard sand

In this article, I will focus on one simple and cost-effective way to get faster swingsspeed . Keep Calm & Carry On. One of the most critical factors of hitting out of the bunker is to ensure that you take some sand with your golf shot. If you aim to get the ball out, finish up high, and go. In a greenside bunker, the swing path should be steeper. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'3nx5qjsHRYBYRMIsCHNlTg',sig:'TcY-OVpYXOnkjkeDBbcTHqFKb7PLkyPEfyuD42zHOkY=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1481056353',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Whether youre trying to rebound from that awful four-putt or attempting to identify the cause of your horrible round, do your best to not overreact. 4. I like my low bounce 60 degree in this situation. The weaker your grip, the more susceptible you are to hitting slices. If done right, that's how to play a bunker shot when you are in a greenside bunker. If you chunked a chip shot into a bunker from a great lie, why not take a stroke and distance penalty and replay the shot? @europeantour @pgatour #golfathome #staysharp pic.twitter.com/RI19l4qiA4. Continue to use it. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'87NnzwKTRiZPBDlAWZjr9w',sig:'HQiI6Z9jVNZfWTzKISoTtWbIaBjxZ3yXcWEuEJBEXmg=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1481003185',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); At the same time, The Masters champ often cards a 2 on 16 during Sundays final round like Tiger Woods did back in 2019. Learn the basics, so you don't fear the sand, and adjust your expectations. One of the best things to do when overthinking your golf swing is to come up with a simple tip, swing thought, or trick to help you get out of the sand trap. Lets take a look in the article below at how you should adjust your technique to get good results in either situation. Rotating the trail foot open will help you get your weight where it needs to be in order to deliver a more powerful punch at impact. The More You Open the Clubface, the More You Use the Bounce A basic chip shot will work very well from the wet and compressed sand, due to two things. Giving lessons, I often witness the same these inconsistencies among my students. You want to take less sand than usual when it's wet. At the same time, you should feel your backside/thigh muscles being engaged. The key takeaway is to be open-minded about the golf wedge you use when you hit a bunker shot. If the club face is square to your stance line the club will often dig into the sand resulting in a shot that does not travel far enough or fly high enough to exit the bunker. Low bounce 58 or 60, square face, hit 1/2 behind the ball. Dropping the trail shoulder or raising your lead shoulder promotes a sweeping action at the bottom of your swing. Many people like moving the ball up/forward slightly in their stance (closer to their target) in order to hit a draw. TRAVEL: Giants Ridge (MN) Should Be On Your Golf Trip Short-List! 4. Lets talk about hitting draws. Your previous content has been restored. In the last few years, Tiger Woods has received lots of attention for making the below body/swing rehearsals on the driving range: Throughout Tigers illustrious career, hes battled to keep the club/club head out in front of his body more on the downswing. also compact sand, use less bounce, hit closer to the ball but still behind the ball in the sand or hit the ball like a tight lie? "You take your spine, [and] it's not comfortable, but you put it . Chances are, youll be best served by alerting your mental approach. The ball should explode out of the bunker with the sand you hit and settle safely on the green. By involving our core and leg muscles on the downswing. Thanks, yes this definitely sounds like the way to go. Ping Glide Forged, 48, 52, 56, 60, DGS300. Paste as plain text instead, It also helps the better players get the ball up higher, and is easier . Step 2: Take the Right Set Up. About 4-6 inches. Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. For a greenside bunker shot, that's too far back. For this reason I like having different bounces on the two highest-lofted wedges in my bag. To be clear draws fly from right to left for righties and left to right for lefties. On holes like the dogleg-left par 5 13th at Augusta National, righties hoping for a shorter approach into the green will opt for a draw-biased swing/setup off the tee. With more loft on the clubface when it slides under the ball, you get more height and more spin to keep the ball on the green. In an effort to bump and drop on the downswing, they end up sliding with their bodies and throwing the golf club with their arms and hands on the downswing. Assuming you have a good bunker technique to begin with, there is not a lot of adjustment for hard packed / think sand. However, bounce does elevate the leading edge of the club which can, in theory, make it more likely that you will hit a shot thin or blade it. With the bounce on your wedge and the grooves on the club face, you will be able to launch the ball out of the bunker when you have a more steep swing. With it, you can let the club enter the sand an inch or two behind the ball and exit an inch or two after it and the ball just jumps out with the sliver of sand you carved out with your wedge. Titleist T200 3i Thump 90-X Ball: Ksig 3 piece. Barely faster than chipping speed. Maintenance. Top 100 Courses in the U.S.: GOLFs all-new 2022-23 ranking is here! Now, hit the golf ball in front of you without moving your feet during the golf swing. He left a bunker shot in the sand on the sixth hole and managed to get up-and-down for par. Is the sand packed and wet? When we are playing out wet, compact sand it is important that the club doesn't bounce against the firmness and you end up with a bladed shot. By getting our arms/hands/club out in front of our body on the downswing. Tour players don't fear bunker shots the way most amateurs do, but only a handful of the pros get up and down from the sand more than 60 percent of the time. Clear editor. Tiger flushed an 8 iron to within 3 feet of the cup in Sundays final round after his well-struck ball turned over from right to left, landed pin high at the top of the slope located in the middle of the green, and rolled towards its final destination. Top 100 Courses in the U.S.: GOLFs all-new 2022-23 ranking is here! Hackinator, May 24, 2022 in Instruction & Academy. Its a good idea to pay attention to the normal sand conditions on your home course. The trick to hitting good bunker shots is considering the fluffy, sticky resistance of the sand and hitting your shot twice as hard as you might from that distance but half as fast, so the club . Play a practice round with low wind and hit shots from the sand at 100%, 95%, 90%..etc. Line your feet up left of the target. Just the degree lofts. Square face. The fluffier the sand is, the more you will open your stance. I know in the past, I tried a chipping motion, and it worked pretty well on hard sand. For most sand shots you face you want to play the ball off your front foot. Some golfers tend to have better luck with the higher lofted lob wedge in play. We must hit behind the ball in the bunker and launch some sand up into the air. Or, theyll make the above change/changes and still struggle. All golfers should know how to hit bunker shots, so lets break it down into simple steps. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'SXrXsUnLS2Bd_fkY7wkv0g',sig:'RhOO0SFXizoxEkh3-6II-0Prmj41tcPnIiQhy4fST4A=',w:'509px',h:'339px',items:'1398778760',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Focus solely on your intent and not what you hope doesnt happen as you watch your ball fly through the air. When you are hitting out of a bunker, the open face is minimal. Michael Breed, host of 'The Golf Fix,' improves your sand game, with tips on bunker shots with little sand. If you need to get it up and over a lip you can use a butterfly grip to lock the top hand wrist into extension and fire the toe under the ball. I would open the face a lot less, otherwise you will bounce into the ball. Moreover, theyre both unafraid to lay it all on the line. Viewers and amateurs alike are always looking for ways to get inside the minds of professional golfers. If the clubface is open like you would do for a blast shot, the bottom of the club . If the clubface is open like you would normally do for an explosion shot, the bottom of the club will bounce up and hit the middle of the ball giving you a skulled shot over the green. You wouldn't know it but a lot of more accomplished players actually use a 60 degree lob wedge out of bunkers. Achieving a more-neutral ball flight involves learning how to produce the mirror image of your preferred miss. Just like a shot from the rough, youll need to evaluate the type of lie your ball has. Before Sunday, Brooks Koepka did everything right at Augusta National. Takes some practice to get the timing right but it will stop that tail arm/hand doing crazy stuff. Do yourself a favor and set a few specific goals for the upcoming season, and dont be discouraged if you fall short of one or all of them. Key is you don't have to hit it hard. 5. But if you have the ball too far back in your stance, you're only going to make contact with the ball. Don't ask me how it comes out so high, but it does. This also works perfectly for buried lies. Particularly when it's on the firm side. There are two things a golfer needs to play the bunker shot consistently well. Most times, golfers slide on the downswing too much. Padraig Harrington reveals the secrets to hitting out of hard and soft sand, Phil Mickelson alleges world ranking collusion taking place, What is a PGA Tour Special Temporary member? Don't even think about it. Be patient, this will not happen overnight! Have you considered your penalty options? REVIEW: Can These Socks Improve Your Golf Game? ^^^^^ This x 100. Dig your feet in and make an extra wide stance. Bunkers look much scarier than they are. I always move a ball out of a footprint, rake it and try and drop it as I think it landed in the bunker. When hitting a greenside bunker shot, it can help to put a little extra weight on the left side. His spine angle is closer to 60 degrees than 90 degrees, his backside is sticking out, his knees are bent, and his upper body is hovering over the ground/ball as opposed to over his lower body as if he were sitting in a lazy boy chair. Yes, all golfers should have a sand wedgeor a wedge with a loft around 56 degrees. Biggest mistake I see on these shots is way too much speed. The result is too much sand and a low lofted running shot. The Cleveland CBX 2 Sand Wedgeis a great option for most players and is forgiving and effective where and when you need it most. The sand carries the ball with it. Jon Rahms surge of birdies This makes it hard to clear the lip of the bunker and to get the ball to spin and check up on the green. The fairway bunker shots will play differently than the how to hit a greenside bunker shot. You should feel your feet pushing off the ground as you simulate the downswing with your arms and hands, as Tiger is doing here. This will help the club get into the sand before the ball so you avoid the club 'bouncing' on the sand pre-impact causing the thin strike. Players who struggle with a line drive bunker shot took the club back too shallow. Slow Swing Speed. Finishing high is not just about looking good for the photographers; it has everything to do with acceleration through the ball. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'EEPAamLWSi1jfjUyrDgcYg',sig:'sOzvCMUzSRltc8jigTsiaz-xAXvOFYoHVVJ1G2x8xzI=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1251616690',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); To hit a draw, get your weight behind the golf ball. Bounce is whatever part of the sole of the club that sits lower than the leading edge. The lob wedge is a bit more open, to begin with, and can make it easier if the bunker has a high lip in the front of it. Think about it this way: Golfers who get ahead of the golf ball excessively either on the downswing or at the setup position also associate excessive lateral body movement away/towards the target during the backswing/downswing. Here are five tips for playing from the sand. Besides having a good base for the shot, which is vital, you get a feel for how deep the sand is around your shot. For a typical sand shot where the sand is dry and a bit fluffy, the bounce helps the club slide under the ball at a predictable depth in the sand and come out the other side. I have a drone shot of me casting a beast fleye and it getting eaten, but not eaten enough. Honestly, the only way to really know how your game measures up is by putting yourself in those situations. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'cc8mprJoQQxU04oAD_WiRw',sig:'GIc2IfGpqgkQxHOxik__Ho4nnUFR_4aCAfHG5wY8lkg=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1481062574',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); If you dont do so already, kick off your golf season by outlining a few goals. Tiger Woods Downswing Rehearsal: What Exactly is he Doing? I get a lot of these at courses I play where the sand is really compacted or almost no-existent. Srixon ZX4 4 iron Sliding under the ball. The end result is a shot that . So tight lies, use less bounce and hit the ball crisply? Step 7: Slap the sand behind the ball. 30 Days with GolfForever: You Wont Believe the Results! Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'AjB58-GNRZFTU9YaB9rusA',sig:'Br2CeQnBSmNfvem9uaMAo1WvwUc_ZiP5RHG1OEeHhb4=',w:'424px',h:'594px',items:'1481228422',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Also, it may promote more weight transfer. Over time, youll realize that one, two, or even three bad rounds in an inexplicably short period of time is no longer that unreasonable. How do we get there? Obviously, Tiger is EXAGGERATING an extreme position here. Itll give you some definition and structure in how you approach your weekly rounds and practice routines. Hit The Sand Hard. In the sand however, the digging edge takes the clubhead down too much and forces the face shut. Take a page out of Koepkas book in how he internalizes a bad day on the course. Lateral movement or weight transfer is an important move during the golf swing thats often applied improperly or excessively, even by the best players in the world. Remember, force equals mass multiplied by acceleration. Make a hard swing with an open face and you will start to see results like the bunker shots you have seen professional golfers hit on TV. Driver: Titleist 910 D2 9.75* Diamana Kai'li 65 Mid S Lots of bunkers like this in Arizona. 2023 HomeTown Lenders Championship (Korn Ferry Tour) - Discussion and Links to photos, 2023 Zurich Classic - Discussion and Links to Photos, 2023 RBC Heritage - Discussion and links to Photos, 2023 Valero Texas Open - Discussion and links to photos, 2023 WGC Dell Technologies Match Play - Discussion and links to photos. Like Rahm, Koepka is willing to put the bad golf behind him. Here are a few of our favorite sand shot tips. If youre able, find any wall and stand flush up against it just as would in an effort to measure your own height. A little steeper to drive down, smooth that tempo, you do not need a lot of speed. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. You want to hit behind the ball to splash it out on a patch of sand, so play the ball forward in your stance, up by your left foot. Putter: Cobra Anvil 005 Now, consider the differences in appearance between the guy standing flush against the wall and Tigers body. I treat it like a chip from a really tight lie. Hovlands lucky shirt In other words, if youre a slicer, learn how to hit a hook. Here's how it should look, Here's how to hit up on your driver to produce big distance gains, How slow play messes with your mind, according to Top 100 Teachers, Don't have time for pre-round practice? If you dont select the correct club from the bunker, youll have no chance. This pro is chipping one-handed in competition. Join InsideGOLF for only $20 - includes instant $20 Fairway Jockey credit! Hitting out of a bunker with a pitching wedge can be very difficult. This is a good idea as it will help give you some stability and control as you swing through your shot. A former two-time intern, he also helps keep GOLF.com humming outside the news-breaking stories and service content provided by our reporters and writers, and works with the tech team in the development of new products and innovative ways to deliver an engaging site to our audience. | Sea Island Seaside Course. King-of-Plebss 5 mo. Understanding Your Golf Swings Life Cycle. No Quit: Keep your body turning through the shot so your chest is facing the target at the finish. I treat it like a chip from a really tight lie. We Played Golf at Sea Island for the First Time! 2I: TourModel III True Temper S ! Plus, they're fearful, so they tend to lock their bodies in place and just wave at the ball with their arms. In order to guard against his club head lagging too far behind his body (commonly known as getting stuck), Tiger knows he must mitigate the use of his arms/hands rotation. In order to strike the ball solidly without losing your balance, youll notice how fast youll need to get your arms and hands down and thru the golf ball. Without the bounce you'd have to be much more precise. Interestingly, whether youre playing out of fluffy or firm sand, Harrington suggests always making contact at the same point behind the ball, instead of moving the contact point forward or backward. However, you will typically have a much more open club face and stance with a flop shot. If a course has the staff and equipment needed to regularly care for the bunkers, the sand will usually be soft. Titleist TSi3 10* TPO 1K 60-TX After firing a disappointing 75 en route to a runner-up finish, Brooks was gracious in defeat during his post-round press conference. This will dictate your approach. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, three-time major champion Padraig Harrington has taken to Twitter to keep golf fans entertained and to help them improve their games. Mizuno MP-20 4-9 PX 6.5 (Testing MP223 4 and 5), Mizuno T20 Raw 47-07 PX 6.5 . My practice motion is straight down, no doubt the leading edge (56 degree) is going to bite. I hit it like a bunker shot. As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes stories on GOLF.com, and manages the brands e-newsletters, which reach more than 1.4 million subscribers each month. While there are no shortcuts in this game, there are ways to practice and play smarter. Lately, theres been a lot of buzz surrounding the use of distinctively unique swing rehearsals. Again, this is a point that has more to do with budgets than anything else. This shot is more forgiving using the low-bounce wedge because it doesn't tend to bounce up into the ball. Pro who taught me this technique had me hitting flops off of a wooden board with my 56 wedge with 14 degrees of bounce. I hope to never need to use that one, but you never know. Pasted as rich text. However, if you have relatively high expectations of yourself the next time you tee it up in a competitive atmosphere, ultimately, youre not being fair to yourself. In other words, practice by playing and practice by playing the right way. You want the leading edge to dig a bit. Ball pops clean out of the bunker with height. Low bounce 58 or 60, square face, hit 1/2" behind the ball. To clarify, an important aspect of a draw-biased setup involves positioning your trail shoulder lower in relation to your lead shoulder. 3W: Titleist 910F 16.5 * Diamana Kai'li 75 Mid R Titleist 917F3 15* VA Composite Drago 75-X You can play a lot of short game shots using the same technique. The good news is that if you have a practice mat, you can still practice the motions, setup, and overall technique of what a bunker shot takes before heading out to the course. This makes getting the golf ball out of the . If that doesnt do the trick, evaluate how level your shoulders are in relation to one another. Keep in mind that the digging in of your feet helps with greenside bunkers, but it is not necessary with fairway bunkers. You cannot paste images directly. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'4Ltqd4kiSBRSwuVO3lBKrQ',sig:'ezy-CPqhss1ofESgr8R43DQlCFnFYUecVW_hvfHnpFk=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1448233525',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Countless mid-to-high handicappers struggle to contact the ball consistently solid (in the center of the face) while also demonstrating these inadequacies in a variety of unfavorable kinds of shots (fat, thin, heel/toe misses). For more great instruction like this, watch Best Lessons Ever Wednesdays at 7 p.m. When you're trying to escape the bunker, the key is to focus on throwing sand. Again, Im back to stressing the importance of a happy medium. Holding your sand wedge in front of you, turn the face open about 20 degrees, then take your grip. This is the proper way to hit a bunker shot and the method that results in the most spin and control. The big key during the swing is to follow through, and turn your body to the target. If your goal is to break 80, that tee shot on hole 10 that you just pumped OB after shooting 39 on the front is going to seem like hell on earth. Easy to have club bounce off sand and skull ball way over green or into lip of bunker, been there done that . Low expectations, just get it out and putt twice -> go next hole. First, dig in: twist your feet into the sand. Trust in the bounce on your wedge and the mechanics of your bunker swing to get the ball headed toward the target. There are a few factors that impact sand conditions on a golf course: Some courses fill their bunkers with soft, fluffy sand, and they refresh that sand regularly. Britt has been playing golf since she was seven years old. CBS commentator, Trevor Immelmann, referred to Brookss game in the final round as being just a touch off. In this game, everything can take a turn for the worst after one bad swing, one change in momentum, or one unlucky break. When you open that up, now it's going to glide through the sand. As I alluded to earlier, the best form of practice comes through experience. I tried my hardest, gave it my all, remarked Koepka. A shot from the bunker needs a steep angle of attack, and a great way to achieve that is by hinging your wrists aggressively. Now with this type of a shot, you want to make sure that you have the face really open. Based on the shot you want to hit, you will focus on hitting the san." Darin de Lelys Golf on Instagram: "Better Out Of The Bunker!! Opening the face and exposing the bounce just skips the club into the ball. Re member: Use a 56 or 58 sand wedge. On other courses often municipal courses or other facilities with modest budgets there may be very little sand, and the bottom of the trap may look like little more than dirt. A bunker shot can be very much like a flop shot. He left a bunker shot in the sand on the sixth hole and . Most of the time, having 56 degrees of loft or more is a good amount for launching the ball from a sand trap. I sure as hell could use the money, but youre best served engaging in positive self-talk. Harrington begins by explaining that there are two distinctly different ways to play shots from bunkers with a lot of sand and ones with very little sand. Find a practice green and set to work; this is not something you can learn on the course. See What Members Are Saying! At the same time, Tiger wants to feel his front/back leg muscles in both the upper/lower thigh area doing whats required in an effort to use exactly what were supposed to. We don't want the club to dig, but we also don't want to blade our chips. Obviously, in an increased effort to use the ground while minimizing excessive lateral movement, dont move your head up and down drastically. If the new claw grip helps you putt better, great! If might get stuck in the bunker lip if it is high enough or the rough next to the lip if it hits in there. First, lets talk about why you should care about the firmness of the sand. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF. Step 2: Widen your stance and open it to your target line. When his body outraces his arms/hands on the downswing, the club also falls behind his body. When it is firmer or there is less sand in the bunker than normal, use a low bounce wedge, maybe even pitching wedge, and play it square. The setup for bunker shots includes how your feet are aimed and how the clubface is aimed. Aim further left and get the handle higher than usual. However, exaggerating specific moves in an effort to reinforce new feels or ingrain new habits will help you achieve your desired results more effectively and efficiently. I was using a full swing but my mindset was that I would open the face so much so the ball wouldn't travel too far if I didn't get much sand. Golfers have access to a ton of useful information on the internet and elsewhere these days. And naturally your follow though should be abbreviated. Obviously, theres a lot to love about the guy who makes triple on the first hole, cracks a beer, and accepts failure after hole number 1. Review the general bunker shot guidelines below in order to correctly execute the shot. Approximately speaking, your body is now at a 90-degree angle in relation to the ground. The bounce on a wedge is arced across the sole so you can open up the face and bring more of the bounce into play. I know youve heard this line before, but have you really approached your game in this manner in all environments? You want a wide stance when in the sand for better balance. In other words, a bad round can quickly follow a good round and vice versa. During many pros pre-shot routines and/or practice sessions, theyll frequently make practice swings in a slow, deliberate manner in an effort to reinforce the unique feels in their swing that they commonly associate with making a good golf swing. Now, as many of you are probably wondering, how should I apply these principles to my own golf swing? Lots of bunkers like this in Arizona. And my entry point would be much closer. But setup the same for everything, except put a little more weight forward. As much as I wish this mode of thinking was something that we could achieve overnight, it requires practice. To get out safely, open the clubface so the club can bounce off the sand instead of dig. You simply must work on these shots for yourself to get a feel for how they are played. I dont notice any difference on full swings. USE OF AND/OR REGISTRATION ON ANY PORTION OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OURVISITOR AGREEMENT(UPDATED 1/6/23),PRIVACY AND COOKIES NOTICE(UPDATED 1/4/23) ANDCALIFORNIA PRIVACY NOTICE.

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