Bunker Play
Posted by Mark Allen
Much has been written about bunker play, yet many club golfers are still afraid of the challenges bunkers give them. I believe this is due to the amount of sand taken before the ball.
Some written instruction tells us that we should take more sand before the ball if we want to play a running bunker shot and less sand if we want a spinning shot. If you are a tour professional, that’s fine but for those of you who haven’t got all day every day to practice, this will just lead to poor bunker play. I believe that to create consistent shots at golf we need consistent positions, these positions in bunkers include:
1. Open clubface (clubface opened and then the club griped)
2. Open feet, knees, hips and shoulders (same amount that the clubface is open)
3. Ball position – 1 club-head inside left heel
4. Weight 70-30 on the front foot
5. Swing length is chest high to chest high
6. Club enters the sand ½ inch behind the ball
If you can keep these positions consistent you will hit a consistent 15 yard bunker shot, which is all that you require to escape from all greenside bunkers.
Troubleshooting
Almost all of the problems I encounter when teaching bunkers is to do with taking the correct amount of sand before the ball.
Taking too much or too little will have an effect on the distance the ball will travel, too little and the ball will fly over the green and too much will see the ball come up short.
Too much sand is caused by too much weight being on your back foot at impact.
Tip – To help with this I recommend you place 70% of your weight on your front foot at address and during your downswing feel that your head moves ahead of the ball.
Too little sand is caused by an attempt to lift the ball out of the bunker.
Tip - The loft on the sand wedge will do the work for you, all you have to do is get the above address points correct and on your downswing feel that your right arm straightens quickly.
I hope this helps with your bunker play. If you need any further help with bunkers or any other area of your game, please come and see me at Hillsborough Golf Club.
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