A bunker shot is not everyone’s favourite. Amateur golfers tend to panic, but if you follow these simple steps from Samantha Head, you’ll find the confidence you need.
A bunker shot is not everyone’s favourite. Amateur golfers tend to panic, but if you follow these simple steps from Samantha Head, you’ll find the confidence to escape sand with ease.
Lip and Loft
When playing a bunker shot there are some important decisions to make. Firstly, you need to select the right club. You’ll need to assess the lie and how close the ball is to the lip of the bunker to be able to get the ball out the first time.
By placing your foot on the clubface (spikeless shoes preferably), this will show the angle at which the ball will fly out of the bunker with that club. This is particularly useful when playing out of a fairway bunker when you need to get as much distance as possible without leaving the ball in the bunker!
Sand Set-up
The mechanics of a normal bunker shot are as follows. Position the ball forward in your stance. Open your clubface and take your grip. Grip down the club slightly for extra control.
Open your stance until your clubface aims to the target, keeping the butt of the club at the centre of your body. Stand further from the ball and dig your feet into the sand.
Bunker Head On
Make sure your head is always directly between your shoulders and not tilted. The tendency can be to tilt backwards in an attempt to lift the ball out of the bunker. However, this will do the opposite and more often than not, cause a fat or thin shot. The head is the heaviest part of the body so keeping it central is important.
Forward Thinking
A common fault is to break your wrists and try and scoop the ball out of the sand. To avoid this, concentrate on keeping your hands ahead of the ball at impact. This will eliminate a fat or thin shot.
Don’t quit on the shot, hit through the sand and ensure your weight stays on your left side (right-handed golfers).
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