Depending on the sands condition, your strategy will change. You want the leading edge to dig a bit. Lately, theres been a lot of buzz surrounding the use of distinctively unique swing rehearsals. Ping G430 driver - Loft above advertised? I sure as hell could use the money, but youre best served engaging in positive self-talk. 1) Have you considered your penalty options? There's some amount of bounce on every modern wedge and iron. Most of the time, having 56 degrees of loft or more is a good amount for launching the ball from a sand trap. So there's this big chunk of metal that's sticking down into the sand kind of acting like a rudder. Often, Ill witness amateurs spending loads of time on the practice green trying to reinvent their putting stroke after one bad round. The lob wedge made it easy for me to get out and continue play without the cost of excessive strokes, hit behind the ball with quiet lower body. We must hit behind the ball in the bunker and launch some sand up into the air. Padraig Harrington, a three-time major champion, knows a thing or two about playing out of bunkers. When a bunker has been hardened by rain or irrigation, the golf ball will spin more coming off the clubface. . Practice makes perfect. Unfortunately this is a dicey way to make this shot. Many golfers automatically grab their sand wedge, but you should give it a bit more thought than that. Mickelson Sounds Off on Twitter at the OWGR, Tony Finau Spotted Caddying for Sons Hours After Winning PGA Tours Mexico Open, Talor Gooch Performs A LIV Golf First With Back-to-Back Victories, Brooks Koepka Gets 200-Club-Length Relief in Strange Ruling at LIV Golf Singapore, Jon Rahm & Scottie Scheffler Skipping The Wells Fargo Championship. Join InsideGOLF for only $20 - includes instant $20 Fairway Jockey credit! A more powerful punch is often made visible in ones more draw-biased ball flight. Believe me, golf becomes a far more rewarding game after failing/succeeding on the course while we play in pursuit of something. I treat it like a chip from a really tight lie. When we are playing out wet, compact sand it is important that the club doesn't bounce against the firmness and you end up with a bladed shot. Is the sand packed and wet? Now, consider the differences in appearance between the guy standing flush against the wall and Tigers body. Simple things such as paying attention to the lie you have can help you save shots in the rough. Besides lessening the bounce and almost squaring up the clubface I still swing as if hitting out of softer sand. You cannot paste images directly. It's always a . It's hard because it's in between how to play a greenside bunker shot and not long enough to hit like a fairway bunker shot. Many sand wedges have massive bounce soles which are exactly what you do NOT need in a hard packed bunker. 11 in the world. If you hit the ball first in the bunker, expect your shot to fly over the green. When the sand is hard, however, it doesn't really work at all the explosion shot really isn't an option. Get your weight into your trail foot during the backswing, back into your lead foot on the downswing before striking the ball and ultimately finishing with the clubs shaft wrapped around your shoulders as part of a proper, balanced finish. Step 5: Set your hands low and cock your wrists early. Swing the club along the line of your feet. Finau's sixth career PGA Tour victory was worth $1,386,000. The more bounce the less the club will dig into the sand. You wouldn't know it but a lot of more accomplished players actually use a 60 degree lob wedge out of bunkers. Don't ask me how it comes out so high, but it does. Five-time major champion Phil Mickelson highlights how he tackles bunker shots from firm lies in the sand. At some level, the difference between an opening round 65 and a closing round 75 may not have been all that much. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'Wo1N74xKSWJZXMbr8eyMxA',sig:'rjBNqi7szWMQog3o2b637JNIDzwiQSjrPar_ql7zHHI=',w:'594px',h:'395px',items:'477241188',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Im saying that achieving more consistently solid contact and ball flight for most average golfers requires less lateral upper body movement on the downswing. If it's a longer shot, go with a pitching wedge or 9-iron. From there, make an aggressive swing and the ball will come out high and soft. Despite entering the final round of the Masters with a two-shot advantage over his playing partner, Spaniard Jon Rahm, Brooks failed to capture his first green jacket and struggled in virtually all facets of his game, as was evident in his final round score of 3 over par, 75. Now with this type of a shot, you want to make sure that you have the face really open. Brooks back to his best, Checkout the leaderboard ahead of the Round 2 tee times.#themasters pic.twitter.com/ODyjy9dpfo, BoyleSports (@BoyleSports) April 7, 2023. I tried my hardest, gave it my all, remarked Koepka. Like hitting off a dirt road. If your goal is to break 80, that tee shot on hole 10 that you just pumped OB after shooting 39 on the front is going to seem like hell on earth. Remember, a good setup position should exhibit the following traits: BENT KNEES, BACKSIDE OUT, LINEAR SPINE ANGLE closer to 60 vs. 90 degrees, and ARMS/HANDS (located) UNDERNEATH our shoulders. If the sand is packed, you want a more shut clubface, whereas if its fine sand, you want to open it up more. Lateral movement or weight transfer is an important move during the golf swing thats often applied improperly or excessively, even by the best players in the world. If this is you, you need to learn, at a bare minimum, how to neutralize your ball flight. A former two-time intern, he also helps keep GOLF.com humming outside the news-breaking stories and service content provided by our reporters and writers, and works with the tech team in the development of new products and innovative ways to deliver an engaging site to our audience. Keep Calm & Carry On. Try these adjustments the next time you encounter firm sand: Its important to understand the right techniques for hard and soft sand, but only one thing is really going to elevate your game in this area practice. On the golf course, especially under tournament conditions, you want to be hyper-aware of your surroundings. Perhaps a club with less bounce. Upload or insert images from URL. Low expectations, just get it out and putt twice -> go next hole. There are two things a golfer needs to play the bunker shot consistently well. Lateral movement is a form of energy transfer that takes place during the swing to create club-head speed and distance. But setup the same for everything, except put a little more weight forward. compacted sand look for a . I hope to never need to use that one, but you never know. Squaring up the club face and trying to get the club to dig just seems like a recipe for inconsistency. If this describes your current relationship with bunker shots, you are in the right place. Try to hit a draw instead of a cut. If you can remember your steps and the checkpoints, you will be able to repeat the shot. Lets take a look in the article below at how you should adjust your technique to get good results in either situation. You want a wide stance when in the sand for better balance. For a typical explosion shot, try to hit on the three points listed below: You dont need to make things any more complicated than that. Rotating the trail foot open will help you get your weight where it needs to be in order to deliver a more powerful punch at impact. Today Britt plays more golf than ever with her husband and two children and still loves connecting with golfers worldwide. Just to expand on that a bit, you can ALWAYS use stroke-and-distance for a 1 shot penalty, no matter where the ball is. That shot is very lie dependent. Combine that with the fact that every kind of sand is different, and you have a recipe for a difficult up-and-down. Driver: Titleist 910 D2 9.75* Diamana Kai'li 65 Mid S If you chunked a chip shot into a bunker from a great lie, why not take a stroke and distance penalty and replay the shot? Also, when you head to a new course for a round, spend some time before the round visiting the practice bunker (if they have one available). Public courses in Tucson are the same way. With more loft on the clubface when it slides under the ball, you get more height and more spin to keep the ball on the green. The club gets buried, and the ball advances a few feet. Just like a shot from the rough, youll need to evaluate the type of lie your ball has. As part of Tigers execution in playing numerous beautiful shots that week, like the tee ball on 16, he relied heavily upon his ability to turn the ball over from right to left. Think of your wedge as carrying the ball out of the bunker, and it will help you finish high. I sculled them all. Viewers and amateurs alike are always looking for ways to get inside the minds of professional golfers. Golfers almost always dig themselves in for a greenside bunker shot. About 4-6 inches. Step 6: Use plenty of speed and keep your clubface open. GOLF DIGEST MAY EARN A PORTION OF SALES FROM PRODUCTS THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR SITE AS PART OF OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH RETAILERS. How do we get there? For the average bunker shot, you will need your clubface open slightly. 4. Honestly, the only way to really know how your game measures up is by putting yourself in those situations. Here are five tips for playing from the sand. The big fat sole resists entering the sand and skims the surface which means the ball flies unpredictably, to your dismay. My 55* sand wedge has a medium bounce that works well out of fluffy sand. 2. Pay attention to what you feel in the balls of your feet. As I alluded to earlier, the best form of practice comes through experience. 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However, those are the rounds that we learn the most from. Slow down, take a deep breath, pick a target, and make an aggressive swing on that conservative line. Amazingly, Rahm doubled his first hole of the tournament thanks to a four-putt on the 1st green. Might try this, works for me in wet/hard sand.our course has firmly packed, and often wet white quartz sand Normal sand I use a more "V" shaped swing, hit behind the ball couple inches, Wet/hard sand, I use a "U" shaped swing mainly using shoulders, hit just behind the ball, takes a longer shallow 'divot' and comes out spinning like a mofo. All three holes cost my a bunch of strokes it was so aggravating. I'm not going to disagree with anyone here since this is just based on my personal experience, but i've never seen anyone do anything with a more square or even shut face in a bunker that didn't end in tragedy, regardless of the sand consistency. See What Members Are Saying! Titleist Vokey SM8 Raw 52-08F/56-10S/60-04L PX 6.5/6.0/6.0 Most golfers hit their approach in a greenside bunker, and the panic of what comes next starts to settle in. So it is almost as if the ball is plugged - place a . To do this, turn the toe of the club away from the ball. The toe will dig in first. He hit a lot of fairways, hit plenty of greens, and made enough putts. After a heavy rain, bunkers will often be packed down and youll struggle to play a traditional explosion shot. Achieving a more-neutral ball flight involves learning how to produce the mirror image of your preferred miss. One of the most critical factors of hitting out of the bunker is to ensure that you take some sand with your golf shot. Be patient, this will not happen overnight! If your lead foot isnt open enough, this may discourage you from delivering the clubhead into the ball so that it produces a draw. Very true. With the tournaments result still hanging in the balance, players are fully aware that they must avoid the pond that runs along the left-hand side of the greens surface in order to remain in contention. He pounded his high, piercing cut dead down the middle of the fairway and made a lot of big putts inside ten feet. Step 2: Widen your stance and open it to your target line. The simple answer is that it all has to do with hitting the ball farther. To clarify, an important aspect of a draw-biased setup involves positioning your trail shoulder lower in relation to your lead shoulder. The right set up is the key to hitting an effective shot from the bunker. A bunker shot can be very much like a flop shot. One of the most critical factors of hitting out of the bunker is to ensure that you take some sand with your golf shot. If you feel a ton of sand below you, then you know you will have to alter your angle . You can hit with a square face and shaft lean, effectively "scraping" the surface of the hard sand a la @Nels55. This reduces the effective bounce on the sole so you can dig into the firmer surface. How do we do that? Golfers tend to have fewer issues with fairway bunkers than greenside bunkers. Its as simple as that, make bunker shots routine, and you can pull it off every time. This will ensure that the leading edge will make contact with the ball below the equator of the ball (see picture below). The More You Open the Clubface, the More You Use the Bounce If you find yourself playing well during the week and struggling during your weekend matches, dont go to the club pro for a swing change. Players who struggle with a line drive bunker shot took the club back too shallow. If the ball is positioned off the inside part of your lead heel, you are in a good spot. This is because of the extra loft golf wedge loft, which makes it easy to get the ball out of the sand. The bounce on a wedge is arced across the sole so you can open up the face and bring more of the bounce into play. Many golfers exaggerate the move in the sand trap, and they almost try to lift the ball out with the club. If theyre level with one another in relation to the ground, you may struggle hitting draws. To hit a low golf shot, take a shorter backswing and follow through to minimize the height of the shot. I know in the past, I tried a chipping motion, and it worked pretty well on hard sand. 2 pros found out, The shocking revelation Padraig Harrington had about his game. Works every time. While there are no shortcuts in this game, there are ways to practice and play smarter. This is the proper way to hit a bunker shot and the method that results in the most spin and control. How do we do that? Step 3: Keep the ball inside your lead foot. Opening the face and exposing the bounce just skips the club into the ball. Lots of bunkers like this in Arizona. Now he has a new helpful tip for golfers everywhere: the secrets to, and differences between, playing out of hard and soft sand. I always move a ball out of a footprint, rake it and try and drop it as I think it landed in the bunker. The fairway bunker shots will play differently than the how to hit a greenside bunker shot. I should be able to draw a line perpendicular to the ground that runs through your shoulders, knees, and feet. Based on the shot you want to hit, you will focus on hitting the san." Darin de Lelys Golf on Instagram: "Better Out Of The Bunker!! If the new claw grip helps you putt better, great! circus, merchandising | 876 views, 32 likes, 6 loves, 153 comments, 4 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Cafe Locked Out: The No Goat Show. For a greenside bunker shot, that's too far back. If your kids have a sandbox, that could be an option! Adjust setup. Finishing high is not just about looking good for the photographers; it has everything to do with acceleration through the ball. Notice how." Golf Tips And Advice! MEMBER REVIEWS: Cleveland Frontline Elite Putters! You may need to adjust your body to avoid bottoming out before hitting the ball. 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