Sand Shots

Sand Shots

 

 

 

 

By Frank d’Marco, PGA

 

When the ball is in a fairway bunker and the objective is to get greater distance, a fundamental principle changes. Whereas in the normal greenside bunker shot, you should always contact the sand first, in a fairway bunker you should always contact the ball first. Most of the adjustments are related to this objective. Once you have selected a club with adequate loft to safely clear the lip of the fairway bunker you should then make the following adjustments.

 

1.      First, check the lie. A good lie will allow a normal swing with few adjustments. A medium lie may require more descent; a poor lie may require a “pitch out” to the fairway.                                   

 

2.      Establish solid footing, especially with the right foot.                                             

 

3.      Choke down on the club the same number of inches the feet have been worked into the sand.

 

4.      Position the ball more toward the center of the stance.

 

5.      Place the hands slightly ahead of the ball as with a normal shot, not sitting too much in the knees, even playing slightly “stiff-legged.”

 

6.      Sweep the ball from the sand as though it were resting on a sheet of glass. It may help to visualize making contact with the ball “below its equator, but above the sand”. If the lie isn’t good and more descent is needed, open the clubface slightly, aim left and use one more club. This will help the heel to lead, encouraging bounce, rather than the toe to lead, and causing dig.

 

7.      Look not at a spot behind the ball as some do in a greenside bunker, but look rather at the front edge of the ball, or just slightly ahead of it, to help assure ball contact is made before sand contact.

 

8.      If you are not a low handicap experienced player, do not use a wooden club in the sand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greenside Bunker

 

One golf shot which strikes fear into the hearts of some otherwise brave people is the bunker shot.

 

Walter Hagen said: “The bunker shot is the easiest shot in golf – you don’t even have to hit the ball”.

 

But if you lack the knowledge and skill for execution of this shot, apprehension prevails. If you understand the principles of bunker play, with modest amount of practice, you will become quite comfortable in playing bunker shots.

 

The sand irons are designed to glide, skid or bounce rather than dig. All other irons in the bag are designed to penetrate or dig. The loft of sand irons is from 56 to 60 degrees, compared to the pitching wedge at 50 to 54 degrees. The sand irons are heavier than any other irons by 4 to 8 swing weight points. There are many sand iron designs. The correct choice will be affected by the design of the bunkers you regularly face, the nature of the sand and the firmness of the sand. Wet sand needs a different swing.

 

The shot from the Bunker:

 

1.                  Establish a firm footing that will support the swing without slipping, yet will not dig the feet too deeply. Longer shots require a better base.

 

2.                  Take an open stance to restrict back swing length and to steepen the swing. Play the ball off your left heel.

 

3.                  Open the clubface to match the address position. The grip should be lowered to match the depth of the feet in the sand.

 

4.                  Start with the weight favoring the left side at address for the normal shot.

 

5.                  Swing the club like a full cut pitch shot, matching the length of the backswing and the follow-through to the force needed for that shot. Always follow through to the top of the flag on the green.

 

6.                  Strike the sand from two to four inches behind the ball, although slightly more or less distance can still be useful, depending on the sand’s texture.

 

7.                  Do not let the face close until after impact, if at all.

 

8.                  Continue to accelerate through the ball to a natural finish, to the top of the flag.

 

 

There are lots of different lies in bunkers. The swing needs to be adjusted based on the shot needed to get the ball out of the bunker.

 

Examples:

 

1.                  Ball buried in the sand, can’t see the ball but the sand indicates where the ball is. Sand can be removed to see a small part of the ball, no penalty. No penalty if you play the wrong ball.

 

2.                  Ball stuck against the lip of the bunker, front or back. Have a choice to declare an unplayable lie and go back as far as you hit the shot from. You can take a hard shot and cut part of the lip.