Golf Tip – Beating the sand bunker

Golf Tip – Beating the sand bunker:

During the Open Championship, we saw that Royal Lytham has plenty of tricky deep sand bunkers to contend with. Here are some golf tips to help you escape the sand bunker.

 

Golf tip #1 - The key is to get the ball up as high as possible to clear the sand bunker lip. If your course has deep bunkers or you just want to improve your sand bunker play, follow my golf tips.

Golf tip #2 - If you’re in a nasty fairway sand bunker, the key is not to try to gain too much distance. Take your punishment and make sure you get out of the sand bunker the first time. For the purpose of this golf tip I’ll discuss playing out of a greenside pot bunker.

 

Golf tip – Sand bunker drill

1. Start by opening the clubface. In order for us to get the required lift, we need to activate the bounce on the club. There are two images that I really like to use – the first is that of balancing a wine glass on the clubface at address. You should be able to keep the wine glass balanced on the clubface as you take the club away.

2. The clubface needs to stay open throughout the swing, and a great way to do this is to use the mental image of your clubface being a mirror. You should be able to see your face in the mirror at the end of your swing.

3. The last golf tip we need for a successful sand bunker shot is to be aggressive. Remember, you need to make a fairly aggressive swing, contacting the sand a couple of centimetres before the ball.

 

James Loughnane is a Class AAA member of the South African PGA and a member of the British PGA. He is currently the director of golf at King David Golf Club in Cape Town. For lessons or to contact James, call 021 934 0365.

(Via Compleat Golfer)