Find it difficult to play a bunker shot? PGA Professional Samantha Head shares her advice for hitting it out of a bunker.
Imagine this ... you've hit a great drive off the tee and good iron shot from the fairway. You walk up to the green, only to find you've over-clubbed. Ugh – you're now faced with a tricky bunker shot.
How do you feel?
If even the thought of that shots fills you with dread, you need to keep reading.
How to play a bunker shot
There are a few fundamentals that you need to keep in mind when you play a bunker shot.
- Make sure you accelerate all the way through to your follow through – if your club stops when it hit the sand, the ball is unlikely to get out of the bunker.
- Imagine a line a couple of centimetres behind the balls. That's where you want the club to make impact. You want to hit the ball out of the bunker with a little pillow of sand beneath it.
- Keep the ball close to the front of your stance to make sure you get the ball high in the air.
- Widen your stance a bit and wiggle your feet in the sand – that will give you a solid foundation.
- Keep your head and eye gaze over the ball to make sure your weight stays neutral when you hit your shot.
PGA Professional Samantha Head shares her top piece of advice to help you hit the perfect bunker shot.
Wondering what wedge to use out of the bunker? That depends on loft and bounce. Read more about what bounce is and why it's important.
