Terri’s Tips – Bunker Play

THE PESKY BEACH! (BUNKER PLAY)

With all this hot summer time weather, I hope many have been to our beautiful
beaches – just stay away from the white sand on the golf course! If you can’t then the information below will help you!

I know many of you struggle with sand shots / bunker play. It can be difficult if
you have no clue on how the club interacts with the sand and how it helps the ball out of the bunker!

I hope this article can shed some light on it and help you, at least get the ball out and somewhere onto the green.

Number one rule when in the bunker, get the ball out on your first try! It does not have to be pretty! It just must be out.

The sand wedge was made to interact with the sand. The bottom of the club, the
bounce, is especially important when executing this shot. The pictures below
will show you the bounce and how it should be set before you make your swing.

For your set up. Ball position middle or just slightly left of center. Set the club as
third picture above. The face of the club should be facing upwards, towards the
sky. Setting face as so will ensure the bounce is set and ready to do its job! More
weight should be set into your left, or front knee. This should not change during
the execution. This will help the club enter the sand at appropriate point.

A full swing with a good amount of wrist hinge is especially important to develop
speed. Sometimes I say it is one of the easiest shots in golf as you don’t have to
hit the ball! The club will enter the sand using the bounce, the sand will then push
the ball out. Picture above shows sand between club and ball. This is the reason
why you need a good amount of swing and speed when executing this shot. If
your swing is too short and too slow more than likely the ball will stay in the sand.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me
at tmigliaccio@carolinacolours.com