Tips For The Sand Bunker

Every so often you will find yourself catching a sand bunker with a wayward shot. Wondering what to do? Here are some tips and techniques for getting out of the sand.

A good way to gauge distance on a sand shot is to think of hitting the ball twice as far. Let's say you have a sand shot of 25 feet. Hit it with the same power that you would use for a fairway shot of 50 feet. A word of warning; this system works well on medium to long sand shots. On the short touch shots you're better off practicing to get a feel for finesse. After all, you may well have a 6 foot long sand shot, but how many 12 foot long fairway shots do you ever have?

Simply because the technique is similar to that used for a level lie from a bunker the sidehill lie is not that tough. While you take into account the affect the slope will have on the flight of the ball, you do not alter the steepness of your swing. A ball above your feet will want to go left. A ball that is below your feet it will tend to go to the right. Just adjust your stance accordto the circumstances and swing along the slope. To make this easier, flex your knees more and stand closer to the ball when it lies below your feet; stand straighter and farther from the ball when it lies above.

The delicate explosion shot [where you see a puff of sand and the ball flies to the hole and stops on a dime] is tough to hit consistently. Most attempts see the ball rolling more than expected. So why not anticipate the roll and play for it? The idea is to take the spin out of the shot by hitting even farther behind the ball than usual [three or four inches is recommended] and compensating for the removal of power by making a full swing. Your ball will explode out of the sand but will roll a good three or four yards.

And no matter what you do, even for sand play, always imagine the shot before you take it. And imagine the shot being succesfull! That is very important in your golf short game. Not much sense in defeating yourself before you even start.