Tour players make bunker play look very simple. For amateur players, however, finding the sand often ends in disaster. It’s time to put that right.
In this particular article, we ask PGA professional Keith Williams to guide us through how to play long bunker shots – a shot that a lot of weekend golfers struggle with.
When you know how to hit a bunker shot, it’s amazing how many shots you can save, particularly around the greens – and your confidence can receive a huge boost when you master the correct technique.
So, although bunkers are a hazard, finding one needn’t lead to a big number – as Keith will now demonstrate.
FAIRWAY BUNKER TIPS
Keith Williams
Keith is a former European Tour player and Wales international. He has coached Tour winners and international amateur teams. A former Head Coach at England Golf, Keith also led Ian Woosnam’s academy at Celtic Manor before taking up a coaching position with the Czech Golf Federation.
Assess the situation
Fairway bunker shots present quite a challenge for the handicap golfer. The first thing to do is step into the bunker to assess the depth of sand, the height of the face and how far away from you it is, all of which should influence your strategy.
If you have a decent lie, you must assess how you can get the ball out safely, and should always favor more loft rather than less. It’s better to be on the fairway even if you can’t make the green, rather than staring at another shot from the sand when you leave it in there through over-ambition.
Your first step should always be to assess the situation
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)
‘Clean’ strike
There are two ways of playing these shots – you can either take the ball fairly cleanly off the top of the sand or squeeze it out with more of a ‘ball-divot’ method.
For the clean strike, have the ball about halfway between your lead heel and the center of your stance with a mid-iron. Weight distribution should be fairly even but favoring the lead side a fraction.
Stability is key, so stay relaxed in the hands and arms as they will dominate the swing. Sense that you need to be gliding the club over the sand and collecting the ball cleanly off the top, then focus on a smooth, fluid action and accept that your footwork will be a little…
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