Bunker Shots

[jonny1409]

Hello,

Can anyone offer any advice on bunker shots please ?
Maybe some drills, swing routines etc as I'm having real problems at the moment.

Basically if I'm in a greenside bunker, and attempt to splash it out and land it on the green, I either :

a) Take no sand whatsoever and the ball shoots about 30 yards over the green
b) Advance the ball a foot or so, and therefore leave it in the bunker

Now obviously my technique is all wrong somewhere, as one of the above happens every single time I attempt a bunker shot, but obviously I now think a lack of confidence makes it worse.

I don't have a conventional SW, I use a Nike 56 degree wedge. Does this matter ? Should I invest in a specialist SW ?

Any advice at all would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[birdieman]

Sounds like you're scared of it. You must accelerate into the shot, if you decelerate it will go badly wrong.

Basically aim feet hips shoulders well left but open the clubface right up so that is is almost horizontal. By opening the face up you will have the clubface pointing at the target.

Get comfy in the sand and waggle your feet to get well grounded, choke down grip a little and have a good bit of knee flex.

Then imagine a fried egg - the ball is the yolk. You want the club to enter the sand about the outer edge of the albumen.

See if that helps. It really isn't a difficult shot but you need to be confident.

Regarding your 56 wedge that should be fine as long as the bounce isn't too low or the club may dig in to the sand too much, depends of course if you have nice fluffy light sand or baked mud like ours!

 

[Tommo21]

Don’t want to take anything away from Birdieman, but some golfers open the face way too much and don’t realise this can increase the bounce resulting in skinned shots or no consistency.

I sometime's play the ball a bit further back in my stance, square club face, to make sure the club goes under the ball rather that skim or bounce. This technique is good for a plugged ball also. Worth a try.

 

[toonarmy]

Have a look at http://www.videojug.com/tag/golf for some good videos on how to play bunker shots.

 

[Parmo]

I generally aim my body left and open a 52 degree to a 56 and relax and play the shot, it some times works and some times doesnt.

 

[muttleee]

I once read a tip from Ernie Els in GM that helped me. It sounds incredibly obvious but I was concentrating too much on the ball rather than the sand behind it, so I was thinning a lot of shots. Ernie's tip reminded me that I should be concentrating on the sand about an inch behind the ball. Hit the sand there and make sure you accelerate through it. Worked for me.

 

[HTL]

I pretend there is a £10 note under the ball and im trying to get it out, seems to work.

Does not sound like your lacking commitment if your hitting it 30 yards plus when you cock up.

 

[birdieman]

In response to Tomo's comment you can open it up too much for some bunker shots but I was referring to a greenside bunker shot where you don't want it flying too far and you have a steep face in front of you to get over.
I think Tomo's technique may work fine with a 60 deg lob wedge in a greenside bunker but for a 56 deg sand wedge you need it open a bit to have more loft.
Open face works well for me but I appreciate there are different ways of doing it particularly if you use a 60+ lob wedge in the bunker instead of a 56. I play nearly all mine witha 58 degree medium bounce club.
Get in the practice bunker at your course.

 

[The23rdman]

It's important to open the face up, but one key thing for consistency is not to open the feet up too much or you'll risk coming in at the hosel. Open yes. Way open, no.

 

[toonarmy]

Of course, at the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious, your best solution is to have a lesson with a pro on bunker play - you'll be amazed at how much you'll learn with just one lesson.

 

[Tommo21]

In response to Tomo's comment you can open it up too much for some bunker shots but I was referring to a greenside bunker shot where you don't want it flying too far and you have a steep face in front of you to get over.
I think Tomo's technique may work fine with a 60 deg lob wedge in a greenside bunker but for a 56 deg sand wedge you need it open a bit to have more loft.
Open face works well for me but I appreciate there are different ways of doing it particularly if you use a 60+ lob wedge in the bunker instead of a 56. I play nearly all mine witha 58 degree medium bounce club.
Get in the practice bunker at your course.

No problem.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I use A 56 degree sand wedge for bunkers without too many problems. The key is to adjust how open you have the face (the more open the higher the ball will come out and less distance it will fly). Position the ball just inside the left heel, plenty of flex in the knees. Open the stance and swing along the line of the feet. Focus on a point some 3 inches behind the ball (I look for something in the sand - a few darker grains etc). Look at that focus point and remember to take a fullish swing and commit through the shot.

If you are still struggling I echo the call for a bunker lesson. It may be something as basic as not opening the face correctly

 

[RGuk]

I can't see the choice of wedge has much bearing for an average player. I play 95% with a standard 56 SW, but sometimes use the 60 LW or even a PW for a 30 yard monster.
The technique is not hard to find in books or on the internet but there are some pitfalls for the inexperienced.
I think it is important to find a comfy way to get a consistent result, even if it's only 1 "length" of shot.

The danger is mostly trying to get clever, cranking the face open a lot, standing way open and trying to swing along the line of the feet, which is going to feel too different to a normal 30+ yard pitch. Basically, you've got to hit the shot fat which goes against all that golfers try to work against. Focussing on a spot on the sand before the ball is great and many books recommend running the blade in the sand an inch or two short of the ball for practice purposes. Most players would do well not to go overboard with any of the prescribed techniques. Open the face a tad whilst you grip the club (you might actually want to turn the shaft with your right hand whilst lightly holding the grip with your left) perhaps even before you get in the bunker. Stand a little open, sure, but try to swing almost normaly; if you end up swinging with the arms coming away from the chest mirroring the whole "open" idea, the feeling can just be too odd to get a good rhythm or confidence to come down hard and positively.

 

[medwayjon]

For me its nice relaxed arms, an open face, a steep and slow backswing and the accelleration through the shot.

 

[Nico]

Jonny, like most things in life you must keep it simple!

If you are a competent golfer then use the open stance open wedge method,however.......

Why bother when there are loads of specialist wedges out there like the Hogan "sureout" ,Alien,etc.etc.etc.

It is all relative to handicap,most of us just need to get it out and somewhere on the green,then 2 put, so why make life hard?

One thing is certain sure....it is easier to hole a put than a bunker shot.

 

[shanker]

Jonny
The advice given by Birdieman is good. Just thought I'd add that you should take a full backswing, hit the sand an inch behind the ball. Open stance of course, and follow through. Personally, I don't find bunker shots too difficult and think some golfers get intimidated by them. I HATE a downhill 3-iron with the wind blowing left to right. Even before I get the club out of the bag I know I'll f*** it up.

 

[jonny1409]

Thanks for all of your replies fellas - it seems there is a lot of consistent advice, which is pleasing as it means I can work on just few things.

The lesson from a pro is something I was looking into, however our pro has just left today so we are waiting for a replacement.
Obviously I could go to another local course, but I need to look into a couple of things first.