The goal of this bunker lesson is to help you get rid of your fear of playing out of bunkers. After practicing what you learn in this bunker lesson you will shave strokes off your golf score, improve your bunker play, and no longer fear shots out of the sand.
Good bunker players can shoot directly at tucked pin locations because they are not afraid of playing out of the sand. They actually enjoy hitting sand shots. Here are seven basic golf bunker tips that will help improve your bunker play:
- Pretend there is a tee under the ball and just clip the tee
- Open your clubface and then take your grip
- Open your stance
- Place the ball off your left heel
- Swing the club on the line you want the ball to travel
- Use the same length backswing
- Regulate the distance your ball will carry by the length of your follow through
Wet Sand – Hit the shot harder, use a longer follow through and finish high.
Buried Lie – Close the blade a little, play the ball back a little in your stance, use a descending blow, don’t follow through or help the ball up. The ball will come out faster, lower and run farther.
Uphill Lie – Set your shoulders on the same plane as the slope, hit the shot a little harder, stay behind the ball and use a longer follow through. Remember the ball will fly left so aim a little right.
Downhill Lie – Adjust your shoulders to match the slope, open your stance and make it a little wider, play the ball off your left heel, keep your knees flexed and stay down, and use a longer follow through.
Ball Above the Feet – Play the ball off your left heel, open the blade then take your grip and aim right of the pin. Remember the ball will naturally pull left from a side hill lie.
Fairway Bunker – Take one extra club, make sure the club you choose will clear the lip of the bunker, take a hook stance and try to draw the shot, play the ball back a bit in your stance, catch the ball first, use very little lower body motion, keep your feet relatively still and knees flexed. Easy to Understand Bunker Play DVD
