Lessons - Greenside Bunker Shots
Greenside bunkers are notoriously hard to get out off. With step walls, not much space to land the ball on, people tend to become down hearted and try to hack the ball out. This works one time out of ten times if you are lucky. It is in situations like this, that your game mentality can make or break your game. for more information on this visit our Game Mentality section.
You need to stay positive. If you start thinking negative thought your game is up. Visualize your shot, including exactly where it is going to land. Then step up to the ball. If the ball is laying on top of the sand, you may wish to play this shot like it is just an ordinary pitch. This may help to calm you, and will help you play a better shot. If this is the case, use normal stance, open up the club face, and scoop the ball out with a smooth three quarter swing.
If the ball is buried in the sand, it is more challenging to get the ball out. Stay positive and pick a realistic target on the green. Now take your stance, with your feet slightly closer together than usual. Remember to swivel your feet to dig them in. This will give you more stability when hitting your shot. Open up your club face, and concentrate on your target. Also think where you club is going to make contact with the sand. Depending on the steepness of the bunker face, you will have to judge how much before the ball you need to hit and how much loft you need. I would advise to only use a half swing here. With the correct technique this shot can be played, with no extra effort. However, if the wall to the bunker is steep and you are close to it, on your down swing I would say to put a bit more force into your shot, using your arms to push the club into the sand.. Please note, this is one of the only times I will tell you to do this. Since you are putting some extra power into the shot, it is imperative that you continue looking down after the ball has gone. Keep the head down and you should be out no problem. More advanced players may also want to think about putting backspin on the ball. For more information on this visit our Spin Section.
Why not watch our Greenside Bunker Shots Video.
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