Adjust setup. Lots of bunkers like this in Arizona. The setup for bunker shots includes how your feet are aimed and how the clubface is aimed. 95% of golfers are making bunker shots way more difficult, because they're not doing THIS!Make this simple change and see how easy it is, to not only get out. NEW Titleist TSR Hybrid Our Best Golf Club Fitting Yet? Sliding under the ball. 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. One of the inherent challenges with bunker shots is that you never quite know what sand conditions you will face when stepping down into a trap. Most of the time, golfers overthink bunker shots. 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. The fish grabbed on to the back of the fly, and kept it in its . This will help you come in a little bit steeper and negate some of the bounce. If you find yourself playing well during the week and struggling during your weekend matches, dont go to the club pro for a swing change. TRAVEL: Horseshoe Bay Announces Spring Break Events & Activities, TRAVEL: Keswick Hall (VA) Offers Top-Tier Private Club Experience. Hovlands lucky shirt In fact, you will typically want to avoid doing this on a fairway bunker. Amazingly, Rahm doubled his first hole of the tournament thanks to a four-putt on the 1st green. Titleist TSi3 10* TPO 1K 60-TX Join InsideGOLF for only $20 - includes instant $20 Fairway Jockey credit! Obviously, this is a lot of information to consume in an effort the digest what Tiger is doing and trying to accomplish with this drill. One of my favorite swing thoughts in a bunker is to finish high. You should also dig your feet into the sand to make sure your base is set. Commit to turning to a full finish, and you'll get the ball out every time. If a course has the staff and equipment needed to regularly care for the bunkers, the sand will usually be soft. Technique for hitting high, spinny bunker shots Our guide featuring how to hit a bunker shot will give you a step-by-step method that is guaranteed to get you out of a bunker (the first time!). Have you ever hit a ball in the bunker and got excited about the shot you would get to hit next? Too often, players hit weak slices because they fail to transfer their weight optimally during the swing. The Secret to Clearing a Tall Bunker Lip Every Time - Golficity If you exhibit solid fundamentals with respect to both ball position/shoulder tilt, and youre still not neutralizing the flight of your ball/hitting a draw, its time to keep digging. 3. Try to hit a draw instead of a cut. The simple answer is that it all has to do with hitting the ball farther. Golf Speed Sticks: How to Hit the Ball Further with Speed Stick Systems Firstly the leading edge is closer the ground with a more square face. Here are five tips for playing from the sand. If you only open your clubface and never adjust your stance, you will miss the shot to the right of the pin. If the sand is packed, you want a more shut clubface, whereas if its fine sand, you want to open it up more. You can post now and register later. Golf Pro Tip: Chipping Over a Bunker - DICK'S Sporting Goods Darin de Lelys Golf on Instagram: "Better Out Of The Bunker!!! Based on 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!! ET. One of the most critical factors of hitting out of the bunker is to ensure that you take some sand with your golf shot. Slow down, take a deep breath, pick a target, and make an aggressive swing on that conservative line. Keep in mind that the digging in of your feet helps with greenside bunkers, but it is not necessary with fairway bunkers. If the ball is positioned off the inside part of your lead heel, you are in a good spot. You want the leading edge to dig a bit. Most golfers would agree that hard bunkers make for more difficult shots, but they arent impossible. Biggest mistake I see on these shots is way too much speed. Most of the time, having 56 degrees of loft or more is a good amount for launching the ball from a sand trap. "You take your spine, [and] it's not comfortable, but you put it . Golfers have access to a ton of useful information on the internet and elsewhere these days. In addition, starting with a little weight on the left ensures that you are hitting down and through the sand. Bunker shots are some of the most difficult in golf. And theres no better choice among pros than Harrington to pass the secrets to their success on to the masses. 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. When you are hitting out of a bunker, the open face is minimal. If it's a longer shot, go with a pitching wedge or 9-iron. How do we do that? THE MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, TRANSMITTED, CACHED OR OTHERWISE USED, EXCEPT WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. 2023 DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You are going to be a bit nervous when playing a bunker shot from behind a tall lip. With the tournaments result still hanging in the balance, players are fully aware that they must avoid the pond that runs along the left-hand side of the greens surface in order to remain in contention. But that doesnt mean there isnt a way to successfully navigate bunkers with too much sand. We hope that our comprehensive guide on how to hit a bunker shot has helped you feel a bit more confident in your abilities. Finau's sixth career PGA Tour victory was worth $1,386,000. Dig your feet in and make an extra wide stance. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Alternately you can close down the face to keep the bounce out of a shot where it might interfere. Turn your brain off and fire your arms and hands thru the hitting area. And naturally your follow though should be abbreviated. Hitting out of a bunker with a pitching wedge can be very difficult. If your lead foot isnt open enough, this may discourage you from delivering the clubhead into the ball so that it produces a draw. Hit the sand 2 inches behind the ball. Feel your core stretching or working as you get your upper body more over the ball. I like my low bounce 60 degree in this situation. Thats just golf. By moving the ball back, we are giving ourselves less room to hit behind the ball, which is ideal in this situation. 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. But I sort of forgot about that during the tourney. Golf Podcast 476: These Three Guys are Changing the Long Drive Game, Golf Podcast 475: Scottie Schefflers Rise to Success: His Trainer Reveals the Secret. I know youve heard this line before, but have you really approached your game in this manner in all environments? 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. Finishing high is not just about looking good for the photographers; it has everything to do with acceleration through the ball. He pounded his high, piercing cut dead down the middle of the fairway and made a lot of big putts inside ten feet. If your toes are pointed in too much, as if youre pigeon-toed, allow yourself more freedom by opening it up. LIVE! From the Circus: 27th April | circus, merchandising - Facebook Hitting out of hard "sand" - The Sand Trap .com When the trouble is across our body at the setup position (left for righties), were often served best by opting for a draw as opposed to a fade/straight ball. You want to take less sand than usual when it's wet. What I will say, however, is that putting comes down to confidence. Lots of bunkers like this in Arizona. Lastly, how do you dunk a basketball? As part of Tigers execution in playing numerous beautiful shots that week, like the tee ball on 16, he relied heavily upon his ability to turn the ball over from right to left. BREAKING: LIV Golf Signs Another Top-50 Golfer, Ex-Good Good Members Micah Morris and Grant Horvat Sign Equipment Deal With TaylorMade Golf, TRENDING: Costco Preparing to Release Kirkland Signature Irons. I should be able to draw a line perpendicular to the ground that runs through your shoulders, knees, and feet. Take a page out of Koepkas book in how he internalizes a bad day on the course. Hard sand - bunker shot - Instruction & Academy - GolfWRX Top 100 Courses in the U.S.: GOLFs all-new 2022-23 ranking is here! So tight lies, use less bounce and hit the ball crisply? Lets talk about hitting draws. Use a sand wedge; Grip down on the club slightly, Open the clubface, Open your stance, Position the ball slightly forward in your stance; Widen your stance; Dig your feet in E.g. Ball: Ksig 3 piece. Why cant I just be happy with my driver? Many sand wedges have massive bounce soles which are exactly what you do NOT need in a hard packed bunker. Find a practice green and set to work; this is not something you can learn on the course. Either experiment with square face or lower hands. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF. In many ways, that process for one great player is very different than another great players process. The easiest way to get out of a bunker is to open the clubface, aim your feet slightly left of your target, and hit down and through the sand with a descending blow. But in reality, wet sand sometimes offers a better chance of success. Notice how." Golf Tips And Advice! Brands Explained. If the clubface is open like you would do for a blast shot, the bottom of the club . Once the club digs it wants to stop, and 9 times out of 10 that is how folks end up leaving it in the bunker. If the sand is soft, your club is almost certainly going to sink down into that sand as you swing through the ball. 4. I sculled them all. 3 keys for getting out of bunkers with soft sand - GolfWRX Key is you don't have to hit it hard. Ball pops clean out of the bunker with height. But any chip, even with a 64 degree wedge, becomes problematic if the face of the bunker is tall. How to Hit a Short Bunker Shot in Golf - Golf Distillery Playing Bunker Shot Technique Out of Compact Sand. How to Hit ANY Bunker Shot - Nextgengolf My friends and I do this when we play matches against each other. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com. 2I: TourModel III True Temper S A full swing is completely counter-productive when trying to hit a low golf shot. Golfers tend to have fewer issues with fairway bunkers than greenside bunkers. I treat it like a chip from a really tight lie. Display as a link instead, Step 4: Put 80 percent of your weight on your lead leg. 7 Tips for Getting Out of the Sand Trap We must hit behind the ball in the bunker and launch some sand up into the air. I tried my hardest, gave it my all, remarked Koepka. Also, a very high percentage of mid-to-high handicappers hit weaker fades or even nasty slices. Is the sand packed and wet? If the ball doesn't get out, you are going to waste at least one stroke - and probably more. For more great instruction like this, watch Best Lessons Ever Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Will take a lot of mulligans. I have a terrible time in the sand. It's hard because it's in between how to play a greenside bunker shot and not long enough to hit like a fairway bunker shot. Golfers almost always dig themselves in for a greenside bunker shot. You have to get your weight behind the golf ball in relation to your target in order to optimize distance. 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. Rapsodo MLM2PRO Launch Monitor Outdoor Accuracy Test (with Range Balls), Callaway Big Bertha and Big Bertha REVA Offer Ultimate Forgiveness, Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta, Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta, Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report 2023 Zurich Classic, Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions 2023 Zurich Classic, Golf Digests Course Raters Struggle with Maps, Five Takeaways From The Opening Round At The Zurich Classic, LIV Allowed Koepka to Rise Like the Phoenix. Play a practice round with low wind and hit shots from the sand at 100%, 95%, 90%..etc. This shot is more forgiving using the low-bounce wedge because it doesn't tend to bounce up into the ball. How do we do that? I always move a ball out of a footprint, rake it and try and drop it as I think it landed in the bunker. Make bunker practice a regular part of your routine and you should gradually gain confidence and see improved results. TaylormadeSIM 10.5*VentusTR Blue6TXTaylormadeSIM Ti 16.5*Ventus Blue 7TX||TaylormadeStealth+16.5*Kuro Kage DCXM Prototype 80TXCallaway Apex UW19*Diamana S+ 100TX||Taylormade P790 Black19*Graphite DesignAD-IZ95x HybridCallaway X-Forged UT 22*Brunswick Precision Rifle FCM 7.0BridgestoneJ40 DPC 4i-7i24*- 35*Brunswick Precision Rifle FCM 7.0Bridgestone J40 CB8i-PW39*- 48*Brunswick Precision Rifle FCM 7.0Taylormade Milled Grind Raw54*Brunswick Precision Rifle FCM 7.0VokeySM658*Oil CanLowBounceK-GrindBrunswick Precision Rifle FCM 7.0Scotty Cameron Newport Tour Red Dot|| Taylormade Spider X Navy Slant. At this point, you should have your clubface slightly open yet aimed at the pin, your stance aimed somewhat left of the pin, and your feet slightly dug into the bunker. 1) Have you considered your penalty options? Try a wedge with much less bounce, maybe the 50*. I know in the past, I tried a chipping motion, and it worked pretty well on hard sand. Assuming you have a good bunker technique to begin with, there is not a lot of adjustment for hard packed / think sand. However, you will typically have a much more open club face and stance with a flop shot. Public courses in Tucson are the same way. FOLLOW THROUGH to the finish like any other shot. The result is too much sand and a low lofted running shot. Watch 'The Golf Fix' Mondays at 7PM ET. 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. If this is you, you need to learn, at a bare minimum, how to neutralize your ball flight. In other words, a bad round can quickly follow a good round and vice versa. By involving our core and leg muscles on the downswing. Feel as if youre pushing off the ground on the downswing and using the upper body to cover the golf ball. 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. Be patient, this will not happen overnight! If youve performed all of the above and youre still struggling, you can always strengthen your lead hand on the golf club. Titleist 917F3 15* VA Composite Drago 75-X Keep Calm & Carry On. Square the clubface to hit a better shot out of a bunker with hard sand. 5. As Harrington demonstrates in the video, the secret to making short work of fluffy lies is to open the clubface and expose the bounce as much as you like, then swing hard to help it get up in the air. Check to make sure your grip isnt too weak. Five-time major champion Phil Mickelson highlights how he tackles bunker shots from firm lies in the sand. As much as I wish this mode of thinking was something that we could achieve overnight, it requires practice. Mickelson Sounds Off on Twitter at the OWGR, Tony Finau Spotted Caddying for Sons Hours After Winning PGA Tours Mexico Open, Talor Gooch Performs A LIV Golf First With Back-to-Back Victories, Brooks Koepka Gets 200-Club-Length Relief in Strange Ruling at LIV Golf Singapore, Jon Rahm & Scottie Scheffler Skipping The Wells Fargo Championship. 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? On the other hand, hard sand will cause your club to bounce off the top you probably wont be able to get down deep into the bunker with your swing. Again, Im back to stressing the importance of a happy medium. So far, Paddy has dished out quality lessons on chipping, breaking 80, and incorporating your hands, arms and wrist into your swing (although that one went haywire). Tip #1: Move the ball slightly back towards the center of your stance. Takes some practice to get the timing right but it will stop that tail arm/hand doing crazy stuff. Give it your all, no matter what. As is tradition on Sundays at the Masters, the back left hole location on the par 3 16th hole presents players the opportunity to use the slope located in the middle of the green in order to feed the ball closer to the hole. The more willing you are to put it all on the line, the more youll accomplish in the long run. Aim further left and get the handle higher than usual. 3H: Titleist 910H 19 * Diamana Kai'li 80HYB Mid R It doesnt matter if that personal goal happens to be winning your weekend match, winning the club championship, breaking 80, or qualifying for the US Open. Then set a . Your link has been automatically embedded. Padraig Harrington's latest backyard lesson backfired in hilarious fashion. Swing only slightly harder than a chip/pitch of the same distance. For greenside bunkers that are more than 30 yards to the pin, there are times that it may make sense to use your gap or approach wedge. 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? Square face. Hitting the ball out of the sand requires technique that is unlike any other shot in the game. Once you understand that you need the club to dig to get the same contact as a normal bunker shot it gets much easier. The key to hitting out of hard sand, the easier of the two options, is to lean left and make sure you don't open the . Special Select Squareback 2 w/ SuperStroke Pistol GT 1.0. If youre able, find any wall and stand flush up against it just as would in an effort to measure your own height. MEMBER REVIEWS: Cleveland Frontline Elite Putters! The toe will dig in first. Perhaps a club with less bounce. Bunker Shot Basics: Adjusting Your Technique for Hard vs. Soft Sand It's a really good all-round club and will work well from the bunker. We don't want the club to dig, but we also don't want to blade our chips. Like hitting off a dirt road. One of the ways is to increase your swing speed and gain optimal results. When the sand is hard, however, it doesn't really work at all the explosion shot really isn't an option. The more bounce the less the club will dig into the sand. When this clubface opens, it is essential to turn your feet open so that your clubface lines up with the hole again. It helps the club glide through or on top of whatever you're hitting from (turf, sand, hardpan, a mat or whatever). Lets take a look in the article below at how you should adjust your technique to get good results in either situation. 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. There's some amount of bounce on every modern wedge and iron. Generally, the more we open or rotate our trail foot at the setup, the more we can rotate our lower/upper body during the 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. The next time you play a bad hole/round, try not to overreact to its existence by making a physical swing change. There are various ways to get more yardage from your tee shots, or any other shot on the golf course. Swing improvement secrets: best golf training aids revealed - MSN Unfortunately this is a dicey way to make this shot. My 55* sand wedge has a medium bounce that works well out of fluffy sand. If you have a high lip in front of you and not much green to work with, a lob wedge may be a better choice. If we dont have goals, its easy to practice without a purpose, to accept mediocrity, and to never feel the satisfaction that accompanies success. Just like a shot from the rough, youll need to evaluate the type of lie your ball has. Eastern Long Island Fishing Report- April 27, 2023 USGA and R&A announce proposal to limit golf ball performance for elite level competition, Quick SaleToulonTSR2 152 Ball OGStroke Lab, Cobra 2020 Forged Tec One Length irons & LAB Link.1 putter, Ventus TR Blue 6S Velocore Driver Shaft (Ping Adapter) , Phantom X 11 weld neck, Scotty shaft, Scotty grips. I have also chipped when the lip is low and the shot allows it. How to hit a bunker shot: 5 easy steps to get up-and-down from the sand This will dictate your approach. This will ensure that the leading edge will make contact with the ball below the equator of the ball (see picture below). Besides having a good base for the shot, which is vital, you get a feel for how deep the sand is around your shot. Square the clubface to hit a better shot out of a bunker with hard sand (or if there's not much sand in the bunker). However, those are the rounds that we learn the most from. If done right, that's how to play a bunker shot when you are in a greenside bunker. The previous points only dealt with the specific challenges of a short bunker shot. If the sand is pretty hard you may have to hit it harder to really get the club into the sand. Approach your shot with soft arms and a weak grip. Bob Vokey Bunker Tips: Which wedges work best from the sand?