Golf lessons with Scott Connor - How to master the sand
20 Nov 2009 - 06:13:30
How do you feel when you see that 130-yard, 9-iron shot sail into a greenside bunker?
Some amateur golfers will immediately have that sinking feeling and start to wonder just how many shots they are going to drop before they complete the hole and the thought process will be 'Just get it out'!
The pros, on the other hand would, more often than not, rather be in the sand than hitting a pitch from the side of one. Why? Because a correctly hit bunker shot will produce backspin, will grip the green much better and probably finish closer to the hole.
Lesson 1 - Reading the green
Lesson 2 - Practice swings
You should use a sand wedge when playing short sand shots around the green. A sand wedge may vary from 56 to 58 degrees of loft with 8 to 12 degrees of bounce. I personally prefer a 58-degree sand wedge with 8 degrees of bounce.
Some amateurs struggle with bunker shots because they just shorten their normal swing thinking that their regular golf swing is designed to work well in every scenario. It doesn't have to be this way though, being successful out of the sand depends on three things: correct setup, proper technique and consistent point of entry.
To setup correctly for a bunker shot stand with the same amount of weight on each foot with a slightly open stance - you will see that many of the world's top players spend a great deal of time getting their stance correct in the bunker.
Check out Phil Mickelson who is statistically the best short game player in the world, he takes an age to get his stance just right.
The face of the club should be slightly open. This puts loft on the ball and allows the back portion of the bottom of the club to bounce off the sand, as opposed to having the leading edge dig into the sand.
The start of the backswing should be straight back or slightly outside the target line. There is an immediate breaking of the hands as you start this motion, producing a more vertical swing which encourages the club to enter the sand about an inch behind the ball. What you are actually trying to do is to take as little sand as possible without contacting the ball. Allow the sand to lift the ball from the bunker.
During the swing, ensure that you swing through the ball with the same length of swing on the backswing as the follow through and maintain your height rather than dipping towards the ball as this will cause you to catch the ball heavy.
These are the three most important things regarding sand play around the greens. You don't have to be perfect to get out of a sand bunker, but you have to have enough of the basic principles to get started.
READ SCOTT CONNOR'S GOLF LESSONS EVERY WEEK EXCLUSIVELY AT GOLF.CO.UK. BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE GOLF PERFORMANCE CENTRE IN MANCHESTER - www.golfperformancecentre
