No doubt trying to hit out of a golf bunker, without the proper skill can be frustrating. It goes without saying that ideally you would not hit into the bunker to begin with. However from time to time even the pro champions find their balls rolling into sand. Sometimes we are challenged by courses that have so many bunkers there seems to be no other place for the ball to go.
Many golfers find their balls seem to be attracted to a bunker as though they were magnetic, even if the course has just a few bunkers. What is sometimes happening here is that even if consciously we are thinking that we must avoid it, focusing our minds on the bunker leads our body to direct the shot there. When you are challenged with playing past or over a bunker, try to ignore it and keep your focus fixed on the flag.
Should you find your golf ball landing land in the sand in spite of your best efforts, here is how to get it out. As ever, the stance is vital. To avoid your feet sinking or slipping, work them into the sand a little to have a firm stance. Keep the weight more toward the left leg if you are right handed, or the right leg if you are left handed.
If you have an open lie, take a sand wedge and keep its face square to the flag as you swing down steeply. Swing and follow-through are smooth and equal. Have the golf club enter the sand around two inches ahead of the ball and exit an equal distance beyond the ball. The exit must be correct in order to send the ball flying straight up out of the bunker.
To practice this shot, start by marking two lines in the sand, around 4 inches apart. Without using a ball, you should practice having your sand wedge enter the sand on the first line and exiting on the second line. The depth should be just about a half inch. When you are consistently taking out sand at the right depth and distance, place the ball and repeat the shot so that the ball is simply carried out with the sand.
A buried lie in the bunker can be helped by closing the club face when entering the sand, still two inches ahead of the ball. You should practice with using golf equipment consisting of a pitching wedge and 9 iron as well as the sand wedge to find which works best for you in this situation. Keep in mind that once on the green, the ball will travel further because the sand has absorbed any backspin.
A buried lie in the bank is another shot that you can learn to handle with practice. Many beginner golfers instinctively try to scoop the ball out with an upward swing. But doing creates an ineffective, haphazard shot. What you should do instead is send the sand wedge into the bank just under the ball. The ball should then soar up out of the golf bunker onto the green.
Learning skills on how to hit out of a golf bunker can be a big plus for your game.
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