How To Play Out Of A Bunker

How to play out of a bunker?

To play the shot, take an open stance and then open the face of your club. Position the ball so it’s up in your stance, about even with the heel of your front foot. With your swing, you want to try and slide the club under the ball so don’t hit down, but rather through. Most importantly aim to hit the sand about four to six inches behind the ball. Avoid the most common error I see among amateurs. Don’t just stick your club into the sand, follow through. If you do all this, your club should slide under the ball, which will pop up and out of the bunker. This ball will have a lot of spin on it so it won’t roll too far after it lands. Hitting bunker shots should be a regular part of your practice routine. Make sure you hit at least 10 to 15 shots from the sand in every practice session.

Most times in a bunker, your ball will come to rest on top of the sand, sitting up nicely. However, there are times when your ball will plug in the sand, so it is almost buried and you can only see the top of the ball.

To get this ball out requires a different type of shot and different expectations. Your aim here is merely to get the ball out of the sand and onto the green. Don’t be too worried if you don’t get it close to the pin. To play this shot, stay with the open stance but this time keep the face of the club square to the target line. Keep most of your weight on your front foot and play the ball back in your stance. With the previous shot, you wanted to avoid digging the club in the sand. With this shot, dig the club in about two inches behind the ball using a very up and down stroke. Don’t be afraid to swing hard as it will take some effort to get this ball out. A follow-through is good, but don’t be too worried if you don’t. If you play this shot properly, the ball should pop up and out, and hopefully onto the green.

Top Resources:

Why Does A Draw Go Farther Than A Slice
... usually has a lower trajectory so you get more roll once the ball hits the ground. "Draw" and "slice" are not mirror golf shots. For a right handed golfer, a draw moves gently from right to left, a hook moves severely from right to left, and a fade moves gently from left to right, a slice moves severely from left to right. A draw tends to have over-spin, which will cause it to run, where a fade tends to have backspin and lands "soft". ... (more >>)

Hitting The Ball Off The Toe Of The Club
... This is called an out-to-in swing path and is also at the same time very steep. The only part of the clubface that can contact the ball is the toe end. This happens all too often when a player uses tries to use their muscle strength and swings too hard at the ball causing an in-to-out path. Here is one tip to correct this problem and shallow out your swing plane. Take a 7 iron and stand with your feet together and make shorter swings with mostly the arms. Make sure that you hinge your wrists in ... (more >>)

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... the target line and you hang back onto your right foot as the body spins out to the left. The result is a pull slice if the clubface is square and a pull to the left if the clubface is closed. When you are ready to swing down let your right shoulder move downward toward the right foot! Sounds crazy? I know but try it. The right elbow will move into your side and the weight will be transferred laterally. The butt of the club will start to point toward the target. It's now on plane and all that's ... (more >>)

How To Play Out Of A Bunker

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