Golfing Tips - How To Get Out Of A Sand Trap

Bunkers can ruin a great round but do you ever find the chance to practice in it.

It's always a nightmare when you lose out on a good score because of a nastily placed bunker.

The bunker shot is a strange shot because it's the only one where you're not trying to hit the ball - Although as a golfers you might joke that not hitting the ball comes naturally.

You can spend just a small amount of time mastering the tricks below and you will never have to worry about bunkers again.

A good bunker shot will splash the sand just under the ball and send ball and sand onto the green. Luckily for you the sand wedge, invented by the great Gene Sarazen, is the perfect club to do just that.

The bottom of the sand wedge is what is called the bounce. The greater the bounce of your sand wedge the easier it will be to splash the sand knocking your ball out of the bunker and onto the green. You can add even more 'bounce' by opening the edge of your wedge.

So, what kind of sand wedge should you use? It is sometimes confusing what kind of sand wedge you should use, especially nowadays with so many choices available. A 60 degree wedge is probably best for most golfers. It helps to maximize your bounce and makes playing the sand shot a lot easier.

After you have the correct wedge how do you play the bunker shot? Playing the bunker shot is a lot like pitching. The biggest difference is that you are aiming to hit the sand about one inch behind the ball. As you club enters the sand don't stop it dead. As an alternative accelerate your swing through the sand. If you don't do this your ball will not get out of the bunker.