Bunker shots: poor golfers find this shot easy!

Bunker shots: if you think the golf swing is difficult, then the sand shot will be easy. By the way, the bunkers are not called sand traps. Traps catch animals, and the original bunkers were actually that, because they were carved out of the sandy Scottish landscape by the seaside winds and gave the sheep bunkers in which to sleep secure from the wind. In PGA School if we mistakenly used the word "sand trap", it cost us $100.00 each time and it was not returned. That was in the 70s so $100.00 was a lot!!!

Enough history; let's talk how to get out of bunkers easily and with accuracy.

In proper right handed golf swings, we move left, (forward), and slightly down on the ball. The bunker shot is almost the opposite dependent upon the type of blast bunker shot we choose to hit. In all cases relative to greenside shots, not full golf shots from sand, we seek to hit sand, slide under the ball, never making ball contact with the ball.

Execution of the shot: first, do not touch the sand with the club, it is a hazard, not rough, or regular playing area. Set the ball forward in your stance with hands slightly behind the ball. Lean on your left side a bit more than the right. Aim a little left of your intended target because you will be opening the sand wedge face which will aim it to the right, in other words, at your target. You merely swing the club along its left aimed track, sliding under the ball to a finish representative of the backswing. The backswing and finish should be close to equal. The ball will gently sail slightly right of your left aimed track since the club face has remained open. Often, golfers are told to accelerate the club head speed as we move to and through the ball, but that is not the case. In all short game shots: putts, pitches and chips, we attempt to move at one steady speed. Watch the big boys on TV, they seemingly do not accelerate. There are times we do accelerate, but that's not the norm. Of course the club does picks up speed, it must, but we FEEL it does not increase. The reason instructors commonly say or write that the golfer should accelerate is due to the typical golfer's tendency to stop, or decelerate, the shot rather than complete the swing. So, rather than decelerate we say, accelerate. Since sand is abrasive, the shot will necessarily have backspin. If you choose to add more backspin to a shot we hit the sand a bit closer to the ball. Normally players attempt to strike the sand 2" behind the ball, and move a touch closer to make it spin more. The size of backswing decides how far it will travel. Remember, the forward swing, finish, should correspond to the backswing!

I continue to feel passionate about golf instruction because I'm tired of watching poor golf swings and those who make them, instruct others!!! When we attended high school and college, the sports we played required daily attendance to practice. However, most golfers have not received instruction, they merely bought a tool kit, a tool box and commenced playing. They often, proudly announce, "I'm self taught", and their swings clearly demonstrate the lack of good golf swing fundamentals. Lessons are a low cost, fairly quick way to improve if the golfer is willing to make changes or start with instruction prior to developing bad swing habits.