Bunker Play

[ThatCanadianGuy]

What I think about is simple.

Up, out, Down and through.

with an open stance,

1)pick the club up, on a pretty steep backswing.
2) take it outside
3)swing down, and through the sand.

before every bunker shot I say to myself..up out down and through.

of course bunker practice helps quite a bit.

[chemboy2]

Originally Posted by ThatCanadianGuy

of course bunker practice helps quite a bit.

That's the key right there!!

The more you practice, the more comfortable you are with the shot and therefore the more likely you will be to execute the shot.

[benk]

I'm not gonna talk technique with you, you have said you already have it. But I think of 3 things every time I hit a bunker shot.

1. Try to go to a full finish. This makes sure that you accellerate through the shot. I usually won't get there, but it does make sure I accellerate.

2. I pick a spot behind the ball, and hit that spot. Usually a inch behind the ball, sometimes closer if I need more spin.

3. Stay steady over the shot. I really feel steady and in good tempo. If I don't, I'll hit a bad shot [ this is probably where your bad shots come from ].

anyway, hope that helps.

[flomarilius]

I just want to pass on a tip that I recieved in the middle of playing a junior tournament. I was close to last on sand saves on tour and was struggling quite a bit getting inside 6 feet from a greenside bunker. The pro at that course I guess took sympathy and worked with me for a bit and fixed me up. He told me
" Take the club in your bag with most loft and let the length of the swing determine how far you gotta go." This worked perfectly aswell as showing me how far to enter the sand behind the ball. I took my 60 got a pretty open stance with an open face and entered the sand about 1-2 inches (15 feet out) with a good amount of clubhead speed and it was working. Also remember you want to think your hitting a hard slice so the bounce of the club gets exposed to the sand before your face.

Hope it helps,

flo

[fore142]

in my opinion people are always too technical. No offense amir but can you actually think about all 9 of those things when in a bunker. i guess for me i just step in and hit it. i for one take very little sand. by this i dont mean none, but less than the average person. Open you body, feet and clubhead and swing. its just something you have to learn how to do. I hit a bunker shot that goes fairly low, but i can honestly say i have never hit a lip of a bunker because the flight was too low and i have played courses in Ireland, Kiahwah, and some of the courses around ohio that are known for extremely deep bunkers, such as Scioto( the course Nicklaus grew up on) as well as Ohio State University: Scarlet. Its just a low spinner. I wouldnt worry too much about it now, its january. But i think with just a little bit of practice and a little less fear of the sand can lead to much better results.

[Sandpiper3]

Ok, someone asked about bounce, 10 on my sw and 4 on my lw.

Demon, absolutely no trouble out of fw bunkers anymore (i did in the fall and it killed me in a couple tourneys)

Thanks a lot for all these tips guys. As soon as the bunkers/greens thaw out ill pull this thread back up and be right back out there.

[demon]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

Ok, someone asked about bounce, 10 on my sw and 4 on my lw.

Demon, absolutely no trouble out of fw bunkers anymore (i did in the fall and it killed me in a couple tourneys)

Thanks a lot for all these tips guys. As soon as the bunkers/greens thaw out ill pull this thread back up and be right back out there.

Fairway bunkers are easy to get out of, I just have a little trouble controlling my distance out of them, but so does everyone else. You just have to make sure you pick it clean out of the bunker.

[Sandpiper3]

Indeed about pickin the ball.

O, forgot to add, bunkers around here for the most part suck... Most are heavier and usually dont have the best drainage either... I play well when i get to courses with nice bunkers though (which has been maybe 8-10 rounds this past season...). For some reason the bunkers around here arent very well kept?

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

Ok, someone asked about bounce, 10 on my sw and 4 on my lw.

Not sure what you use or how the sand is at your course, but I would likely use the LW on firm or wet sand to be able to dig a little unless you have a long ways to go, then maybe close the face (about square as opposed to open) a little more on the sw and do the same. On softer, powdery sand, I would likely go for the 54* sw, or possibly even a PW. If you find you are coming up short on soft sand with the 54*, it could likely be a matter of needing more bounce so the club does not dig as much, or try doing contrary to what you may think and open the face more to take advantage of the bounce.

[Fastback]

Originally Posted by fore142

in my opinion people are always too technical. No offense amir but can you actually think about all 9 of those things when in a bunker

I cant say i actually felt like i thought about all those things when hitting out of a bunker, i've done it this way quite a number of times now, so the main thing that comes to mind is my stance and where i want to hit it.. the rest just comes without much thought, but before i tried these things, i couldnt hit out of a bunker to save myself, so i think its important to initially think about some key points

[bames]

I thought this was helpful. I beleive there is another article in January's issue about sand that I liked.

http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...els_swing.html

[twofast2s]

one thing i noticed from my fairway bunker shot was that i take 7i and hit it normal w/ ball little bit forward of my stance, i get a beautiful greenside bunker shot.

what helped me the most was visualizing that i'm splashing sand on to the green, more so than the proper set up and mechanics. set your mind and your body will follow.. hopefully..

[Sandpiper3]

Originally Posted by twofast2s

one thing i noticed from my fairway bunker shot was that i take 7i and hit it normal w/ ball little bit forward of my stance, i get a beautiful greenside bunker shot.

what helped me the most was visualizing that i'm splashing sand on to the green, more so than the proper set up and mechanics. set your mind and your body will follow.. hopefully..

This has to be one of the best ideas ive heard. Im all about practising the technique and mechanics, but in a round you can hardly do that. This is the perfect swing thought! Love it twofast, thx a lot.

[phil048]

Sounds like you have a mental block to bunkers if as you say you can do all the mechanical moves.

I would try and focus purely on hitting sand out of the bunker. Focus behind the ball and try imagine the ball isn't there. Practise without a ball trying to scoop out sand. I don't know it might help.

Good Luck

Phil.C