Improving bunker shots - tips and information

  Find out how to do it! Information for improving your shot!

Hit a shot into a bunker shortly after a downpour and your golf ball is likely to bury itself in the sand (the ball is then said to be plugged). Only the top half of the ball may be visible above the surface. When this happens your sole objective should be to get the ball out of the bunker and anywhere on the green. The shot is simply too difficult for you to worry about the position of the flag. Even the top professional players have to bite the bullet in this situation, knowing they have little chance of controlling the ball and getting it to stop close to the hole.

Aim to bring your club head into the sand about an inch behind the ball. Drill the head deep into the sand as hard as you can. You will find it hard to follow through because of the sand’s resistance. That’s okay, it isn’t necessary to follow through this time. The ball will explode out on a cushion of sand with a lot of top spin. So expect the ball to run far more than it would if played from a good lie in the bunker.

The most dreaded shot of a golfer is the bunker play. This is basically a shot where the golfer attempts a sand shot. Bunker shot is a difficult shot to execute. However, with the proper technique, and practice, you can very well make bunkers your friend, and not enemy. It is always better to practice bunker shots when there is no one else. If you can pretty much master the bunkers, you could very much make use of another person’s downfall, to your advantage.

When playing a bunker shot, it is necessary that you first establish some firm footing; you may perhaps dig your feet a little into the sand. Make sure that your toes are deeper in the sand, than your heels. Stand taking a comfortable and open stance and relax yourself.

It is very important that you keep the clubface open as a closed clubface only brings about a low trajectory. You have to hold the club loosely, but make sure that you stay under control. When hitting the ball, the club should be swinged back, at the same distance. You may have to choke on your club to compromise on the buried feet.

When hitting, try to hit the sand at a distance of 2 inches behind the golf ball while you accelerate through the ball. Your main focus should lie in splashing the sand that is under the ball as it provides for clean contact.

With bunker play, it is important that you don’t sway to the left. You should imagine that you are in a tube, where you can only swivel or turn. This is why you have to turn your body when making your shot. You could find out if you are doing this right by standing with your back to the sun wherein your shadow is in front of you. Along the axis of the shadow, place a piece of cord on the ground. Bisect your head shadow over the cord and then swing the bunker while watching the shadow. There shouldn’t be any movement on the left, so concentrate on rotating your body without any left-side movement.

You could also practice hitting the sand about an inch behind the ball and then placing a soft marker there to look at it. Then remove the ball and with a slow and deliberate back swing, hit the marker behind the ball, with a divot that includes the ball. This is the trick of bunker play, to concentrate on taking the sand and not the ball. This is because the ball goes along with the sand. It is important you have a good follow through to this, else you may quit upon hitting the ball. With this shot, the ball flies out of the bunker, to stop quickly as your shot applies some spin to the ball when you hit the sand near it. So with the marker as a target, you can improve your game till you feel confident of yourself with bunker play.

About the author:
Richard Myers is a keen golfer and his golf gifts, tips and advice web site and Left handed golfers site contains many more free tips and great golfing advice plus training videos and DVDs to help you to improve your swing and lower your score using some very simple exercises.

http://www.clickgolf.co.uk

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