A bunker shot has to be the one shot that brings the most anxiety to average golfers. However, the fear experienced is as a result of not following the basic fundamentals that make it an easy one. Here are 6 steps that will make you comfortable with this shot as you practice and improve your game.
In order to create more bounce and loft, you need to ensure that you have opened the face of the sand wedge. As you open the face, you will be increasing the wedges degree of loft. It is important to note that your regular sand wedge is 56° loft. If you open your wedge 20°, it makes your effective loft 76°. Opening the face means making sure that your bottom edge is pointed 20° to the right side of your target line.- Ball placement is also critical. You should place it 2 inches in front of your stance right in the middle. You will need to make a shallow divot that starts 2 inches behind where the ball is. Your body alignment should open at the same degree as the opened face. So, if you open the face 20° open your body 20° as well.
- When you make a swing, let it be along your body line. Don’t swing across your ball, or inside or at the flag. Imagine that you were going for a pitch of 35 yards and then swing up and along your body line, turning the chest.
- The swing should not be a full one. Instead, go for a ¾ swing. You want to make sure that your chest turns 69°, your hands swing up and opposite your rear shoulder. It is important to think of your thirty-five-yard pitch shot when making this particular swing.
- Many players tend to fail in the downswing. You should follow the same trajectory swinging down that you are following in the upswing. This should be along the target line, which is your body line and not the flag. This means that you should aim for a 20° swing to the targets left.
- It is important to note how your hips, legs and lower body is positioned at this point. Put your weight on your left as you unwind and also clear your hips. The body line is what the sand divot follows and the divot is kept at 29° on the flags left. You need to maintain the angle of the spine and your posture. The ball will come up on a sand cushion.
With a bunker shot, your club will not contact the ball, but sand and the ball will them be lifted out on a sand wave. Now that you know how to deal with a bunker shot, why don’t you challenge yourself to master all of our holes at Handara Golf & Resort Bali.
