| Bunker play is a bit
like chipping, at least when it comes to your address
position. As you did for the chip shot, you want to
create ‘impact’ at address.
So set up this time with your sternum directly above
a point about an inch behind the ball. In other words,
above the area of sand you want the sole of the club
to enter the sand as you skim it through.
Again, you want most of your weight – about
90% – on your left side. Again, you want to
leave it there throughout the swing. That has the
benefit of angling your shoulders downward from right
to left, which allows you to make a slightly steeper
than normal backswing and forward swing and encourages
you to ‘skim’ the club through the sand.
When you get that right, the ball flies out high and
soft. Perfect.
How open?
Good bunker technique revolves around a good set-up
position. For me, that involves letting the length
of the shot |
I am playing dictate how far left
I aim my body at address and how much I open the clubface.
It’s a trade-off.
The simple rule of thumb that I follow is that for
every degree I open the clubface, I open up my body
by the same amount. So, for a standard greenside shot,
a line along my feet will be aimed roughly 30 degrees
left of the flag, the clubface opened until the leading
edge is aligned 30 degrees right of the flag –
as we have illustrated here (left). If I want the
ball to go further than normal, I square up both my
stance and the clubface.
If I don’t want the ball to go as far –
say, when I want a very soft pop-up type shot –
I would significantly open both my stance and the
clubface until I was satisfied that I had the perfect
set-up for the shot (right).
One last thing. Even the briefest of glances at all
the best sand players reveals that every one of them
has a significant bend in their knees at address.
They ‘sit down’ to hit bunker shots. You
should, too. |