Very often, golfers fear the greenside bunker shot.
This usually happens when they do not have a clear
picture of how the shot should be played. In fact,
it is the only shot where you actually are trying
not to hit the golf ball first. You should aim for
the sand behind the ball to slice out a pillow of
sand that will carry the ball out of the bunker
and onto the green. To help you create this necessary
“pillow” and hit better bunker shots,
try the following three keys.
WEAKER GRIP
The grip is the first place to start when attempting
to adjust your swing for bunker play. A weak grip
is created when the “V” formed by your
thumb and forefinger points toward your chin. This
grip will encourage the clubface to rotate open
during the backswing and through impact. This added
loft will help the club slide through the sand,
under the ball and force the sand and ball upward
and forward toward the green. Keep in mind that
this grip is not recommended for your full-swing
shots.
SHAFT-ANGLE CONTROL
The angle of the shaft is another important aspect
you must consider when you are in a bunker. For
these shots, lean the club shaft slightly away from
the target. This means that the clubface will be
slightly closer to the target than the handle. Leaning
the shaft slightly away from the target will promote
less dig and more bounce so the clubhead continues
through the sand and does not get stuck.
With a wide, rounded mass behind and below the
leading edge of the clubface, the sand wedge is
designed specifically for this unique shot, which
requires more bounce. Remember, bounce is your friend,
especially when it comes to greenside bunker shots.
I recommend that my students have 14 degrees of
bounce on their sand wedge, so if your current sand
wedge lacks some bounce, it may be time to make
a change.
LONG & LAZY
Once you are set up correctly for a bunker shot,
you will need to make a long and lazy swinging motion.
You want to create a big arm swing in both directions
but still try to maintain a sense of smoothness.
Keep your arms and hands very relaxed. Your arms
will feel like heavy ropes hanging from your shoulders
ready to be swung in both directions.
Allow your arm swing to follow the body’s
rotation. This will create a propelling effect with
the arms swinging to a nearly full finish. If the
swing stops short of the finish, the ball usually
will not have enough momentum to get out of the
bunker. A good rule of thumb is to make a swing
that you would use from a fairway lie to hit the
ball twice as far as the actual length of the bunker
shot.
These three keys for hitting greenside bunker
shots will help you get out and onto the green.
Make it your goal to first get out, and then you
can start working on distance control. Set yourself
up for success with a weaker grip and a shaft angle
leaning slightly away from the target. These two
things will add loft and promote the bounce of the
clubhead. Also, make sure you have enough bounce
on the current sand wedge in your bag.
Finally, keep in mind that there should be no violence
in the bunker. Instead, just be long and lazy with
your swing. If you do all of these things, the ball
will come out. I guarantee it.
