Golf Sand Shots, Don't Be Afraid of the Bunkers Cont'd, Long Bunker Shot

It is time to finish the Bunkers Series with Long Bunker Shots.

Sometimes these can be the most difficult shots because they are relatively uncommon.  Sometimes you have bunkers flat, with lips, rocks, soft and firm sand.

To play long bunker shots, say around twenty yards, you need to stand less open, with your club face only slightly open.  Put your weight forward on your left foot ad your and slightly ahead of the ball.  Play this off the center of your stance and you aim to enter the sand closer to the ball, about  three-quarters of an inch behind.  The set-up gives you more of a U-Shaped swing arc, a flatter one through the sand, which drives the ball forward.

During takeaway, still cock your wrists early as with the standard shot and you swing back slow.  During impact your left hand goes through ahead of the ball, your left wrist has a convex bend.  This will take loft off the club, so that the ball flies lower, with a "skip and bite" action, as you have entered the sand that much closer.

This technique will serve you well for all long bunker shots, but what do you do for the thirty and forty yarders?  Answer: as with a low running shot, you take another club.  If you are faced with a thirty-yard bunker shot, you would use your pitching wedge, not your 60-degree sand wedge.  When you are forty yards recommend your 9 iron.

One last observation on bunker shots: no matter what the lie, the average golfer usually leaves his sand shots will short of the hole.  So you need to work on this.  Recommend the next time you are out with your group on the weekend four ball, make a few friendly bets.  Anyone who leaves their shot short of the green has to pay 50 cents, or whatever, towards the drinks at the 19th hole.  I promise you it won't be long before you're getting up and down in two with the best of us.
 
Well, that is it for the bunker series and I hope you all have been able to take something with you.

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask and if you want me to talk about any particular subject I am open for suggestions.

It is winter again and not much time for working on your golf game unless you are in a warm climate.  See some of my previous blogs on working drills during the winter months.

Till next time, keep your self limber and warm.....

Golf Dreams Still Happening, Continuing the Dream

I am back from a long break.  I know some of my readers have been looking forward to my tips and story of my dream.

I have had other things going on in my life and have had to stop blogging for a while.  For those of you that have been my avid readers I apologize for not giving you any thing new for a while, but hope you have enjoyed the re-reading of the blogs that I have already written



Through the course of the 2013 attempts of disappointment of my dream of qualifying in a PGA event I am not totally displeased with my year. 

I have had a marvelous time practicing, traveling and playing in events even though I didn't qualify for any of the tournaments.  My biggest disappointment was the qualifier that I broke my finger/hand while going into the last four holes with a chance only falling to unexpected disappointment leading to my withdrawing due to injury.

I am very hopeful that the 2014 year will be more eventful and injury free.

I have learned a lot through the course of the year on my game and philosophy of the mindset in course management and working with the pressure of disheartening rounds.

Through the next several blogs we will cover more on how to deal with adversity, course management, dealing with the pressure of performance and fighting through the bad shots.  We will also discuss what you can do through the winter months to keep your game sharp for the spring.

Before we start on that my next blog will be the final blog on my bunker series, Long Bunker Shots.

Until then, swing smooth and enjoy the game.

Golf Sand Shots, Don't Be Afraid of the Bunkers Cont'd, Low Running Shot

LOW RUNNING SHOT

When I have a lot of green to play with and the flag is on a plateau, this is when I would consider using this shot.  when you have a plateau to play to you don't want to pitch it directly on the plateau, because you could find it difficult to stop your ball rolling off the green into deeper trouble.

Play this shot planning your landing spot and the amount of run you need.  Play the ball off the center of your stance, with weight o left and your hands slightly ahead of the ball.  This technique is similar to that required for the low, spinning shot.  Only this time you use your pitching wedge instead of your sand wedge.

Open your club face and stance just a little.  This delofts the pitching wedge and allows the ball to fly out low.  Stand Closer to the ball and aim to hit to the sand about half inch behind the ball.    If you did this with your sand wedge the ball would bite, but the loft of the pitching wedge will send it running on the green.

Next we will go over Long Bunker Shots,

Until next time, Don't be afraid of the beach and learn to play in the sand......

Golf Sand Shots, Don't Be Afraid of the Bunkers Cont'd, Low Spinning Shot

LOW SPINNING SHOT

Another shot you want to add to your bag is the low bunker shot that bites on the green.  As all shots, they are made in the set up, this one is opposite of the high shot, although, still just a variation of your standard shot.

You play this shot with the ball off the center of your stance.  Have your weight on your left side as usual and your hands, with your normal grip, are lightly ahead of the ball.   Don't set up very open and the club face will be a little open from square.  Also, stand closer to the ball and aim to hit into the sand closer, perhaps half an inch behind it.

By opening your sand wedge very little - is delofting it - resulting in the ball coming out lower.  Reason you get more spin is that you have less sand between club entry and ball.  The ball should land on the green, take one bounce and then grip firmly.

Next we will go over the Low Running Shot.

Until next time,  keep your shot low and your spin hot....

Golf Sand Shots, Don't Be Afraid of the Bunkers Cont'd, High Shot No Spin

HIGH SHOT NO SPIN

This shot has a very similar V-shaped action, although there is little spin on landing.  You need to play this shot sometimes when you're in the deep greenside bunker and there is little or no green between you and the flag.




To successfully hit this shot, you set up with the ball even more forward toward the left foot.  maintain a wide stance, but this time you should set much of your weight on your right foot.  This shot you will place your hands slightly behind the ball, having your right hand turned well to the right, as you are aiming for an even earlier flip action through impact.

You will strike the sand farther behind the ball than for a standard shot, about two and a half inches behind the ball.  The extra sand will help provide no backspin, just a high flying ball that drops gently and stays put.  Once you have set up correctly, just swing back with a smooth tempo and strike the match.

Next I will write about low spinning shot.

Until next time, enjoy the sand and bring your shovel.....

Golf Sand Shots - Don't Be Afraid of Bunkers Cont'd - Making the Short Shot

We have gone over the past few blogs how to overcome fear, understanding why the traps or bunkers are there, strategy, types of sand, bunker designs and now we will go over how to hit the shot out of these bunkers.

We will take a look at shots out of Fairway and Greenside Bunkers.

Before we go into those bunkers let me just state the standard shot from a good lie is called a splash shot because it is played with feeling; gently, yet firmly, without the sheer force used in an "explosion" shot from a difficult lie.  The basic fundamentals, you dig your feet in, bring the right, open your stance, keep your weight left, cock your wrists early and swing back slow, then strike the match, splashing through the sane under your ball.

Once you have mastered it through plenty of practice you will have a general purpose bunker shot in your bag.  You will also be well on your way to mastering even the most difficult sand saves.  The action you are practicing I used in every type of bunker shot you play around the green, with different variations of set up.  From long ones of 40 yards plus, high shots with no pin to low shots with plenty of bite and short shots of a few yards away you only need to understand how to adapt the basic shot to gain real confidence n the sand.

SHORT SHOT

On these shots that have good lies he shorter the shot the more you open the club face.  For a shot just over the front lip of a bunker, say four or five yards of green to play with, I stand so open that my body almost faces the target area, with the club face as open as you can.

Grip the club with your left hand in the usual position, but your right hand strengthened a little, turned more to the right, so that it is under the left through impact.  Play the ball off your left heel, with weight on left side and plan to enter the sand about one and half inches behind the ball.  As stated above slow takeaway with same tempo, cock the wrists quickly and the backswing is full.  Timing a shot with a short swing is difficult, although you must guard against decelerating the club from a full one.  Swing like you are striking a match.  Remember when striking a match and you go easy the match won't light.  You have to pull the match quickly through the striking area firmly so the stick will start the fire.

The set-up creates an abrupt up and down, almost V-shaped, swing arc, which gets the ball up quickly.  Your positioning of the right hand allows it to flip under the left through impact, which farther increases the loft of the club and holds the club face open.  This action has your club face go through the ball slightly ahead of your hands and there will be a concave break in the back of your left wrist through impact.

This will give you two point to bear in mind.  If you don't practice this shot, swinging with a wide open club face often results in you hitting the ball with the hosel or the neck of the club, driving it deep into the bunker face.  When you start practicing it, try addressing the ball more off the toe of your sand wedge rather than the center of the club face.  Remember also, your ultra open stance and club face will put a lot of cut, or slice, spin on the ball.  On a level green, it will spin to the right o landing; something to think about when you're picking your target spot. 

As I continue writing about the Golf Sand Shots, I will cover the High Shot without Spin next.

Until next time, while in the sand keep your tempo smooth........