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The main problem Richard Baker struggles with is fairly typical of a high handicap golfer in that not only does he find a lot of bunkers, but he also has trouble getting out of them first or second time. Whether it’s a chunk where the ball stays in the sand or a knife over the green, inconsistency from the sand is leading to some high numbers on the scorecard – something he was desperately hoping Top 50 coach and adidas brand ambassador Dan Grieve could help with.
WATCH: Dan Grieve explains the technique required on bunker shots
Luckily for Richard, both bad shots that Richard hits stem from the same incorrect set up position.
“In Richard’s set up, he isn’t creating the platform that he needs to play good bunker shots,” Dan explains. “Successful bunker shots are 90 percent address, 10 percent swing. His stance is too narrow and he has the majority of his weight on his trail side. Often in bunkers the temptation is to lean back away from the target and try and help the ball out, especially if the bunker has quite a tall lip.”
To help Richard feel the correct set-up position, Dan set up to the ball, wiggled both feet into the sand and then asked Richard to step into his footprints. The result was a stance that was much wider, with his feet further away from the ball and by pushing Richard’s pelvis more towards the target, he was then in a much better position to hit more consistent sand shots.
(Image credit: Howard Boylan)
“I wanted Richard to feel more stability in his legs,” Dan added. “This helps get his hands lower and enter the sand 2 inches behind the ball more consistently. Once we got his set up right it was just a case of getting his chest to turn towards the target into the finish and feel like the loft was pointing more towards him, which helped to activate the bounce and ensure the club didn’t dig too much.”
The results were almost immediate with Richard hitting some high, soft-landing bunker shots that stopped quickly next to the flag. As Dan pointed out during the lesson, there’s no reason why anyone can’t stand to the ball like the world’s best players. Getting this right then set off a chain reaction in terms of how he then moved during the swing.
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