There’s a chance that the ball might end up in one of the other bunkers if the bunker shot is performed wrong, therefore the golfer will have to deal with another bunker shot. Aside from the water hazard, a number of the bunkers are positioned just in front of the green, and even shoot towards the out-of-bounds area beyond.
Here are the top 5 mistakes golfers make when in a bunker:
1. Fearing Bunker Shots
Beginner golfers are often put off by bunker shots because of their fear. This implies that the golfer slows down and freezes up just when they should be accelerating to get the ball out of the bunker and onto the green. There’s a good chance the ball will land in the sand, which normally means a hard stroke.
Golfers should keep the club high on the grip in order to prevent giving up on the stroke. Extra length on the club will increase club head speed through the ball, resulting in a higher degree of impact acceleration.
2. Putting a Lot of Sand
You don’t need a lot of skills to get the ball out of the bunker since you only need to slip the club beneath it! Putting too much sand behind or beneath the ball can reduce club head speed quickly. To avoid a huge sand load, the golfer must not strike too far behind the ball.
3. Not Enough Sand
Taking too little sand might lead to additional issues. To maximize distance from a typical splash bunker shot, a straight hit with the ball is necessary. It is possible for the golfer to lose even more control of the ball if no sand is taken at all. The golfer must touch the sand at least an inch before the ball in order to guarantee that adequate sand is taken during the bunker shot.
4. Flicking of Hands
To free the ball from the bottom of a bunker, some golfers would flick their hands at the ball. At contact, the left wrist breaks, resulting in this flicking. During impact, this breakdown increases the swing’s upward arc by a significant amount.
The flick nearly always results in a thin shot since the club either doesn’t penetrate the sand at all or rises so rapidly out of it. Keep the left wrist down and tight through contact for the best results in the golf swing. There is enough loft in a sand wedge to provide the ball adequate lift without the assistance of the player.
5. Scooping
After hit, you’ll be able to lean backwards by snatching the ball away. During the stroke, the golfer shifts most of their weight to the back foot in an effort to get beneath the ball and avoid a bogey. As the swing arc bottoms out too early and the ball reaches the sand a long distance behind the ball, the weight is transferred backward, resulting in heavy or fat strikes.
It’s a bad habit to develop and should be avoided by keeping the body weight forward at contact and the left wrist (for right-handed golfers) stiff and stable through impact.
How to Accurately Shoot a Bunker
At every golf course ever developed there has been at least one sand trap. Greenside bunkers are dreaded by many golfers since they don’t know the best method to strike from them. Inconsistent set-ups, erroneous swing patterns, and out-of-place ball positions plague these players. When it comes to any facet of the game, you need to be confident: you don’t want to be caught in a trap worrying about going up and down.
You must first study and practice the best approach to hit it close out of greenside traps in order to achieve this confidence. You may follow these steps:
Step 1: Choose the right golf club
Choosing a high-lofted wedge like a 60-degree lob wedge if you find yourself in a greenside bunker with little room to work with is the best strategy. As a result, the ball will not roll as far. A sand wedge (56 degrees) or a gap wedge are good options if you have some green to deal with (around 52 degrees).
As a result, the ball will leave the trap at a little higher altitude. A sand wedge doesn’t imply you should just use it when you’re trying to get out of a greenside bunker.
Step 2: Take the Right Stance
From the bunker, a successful shot requires a precise set up. To begin, sink your toes into the sand. As an added benefit, you may obtain a sense of how deep the sand is surrounding your target area.
It is best to play the ball off your front foot on the vast majority of sand shots you will come across. The lower the ball’s trajectory and the more it runs out, the farther back you move the ball. As a general guideline, you should play the ball off your front foot wherever possible. Keep in mind that this is not a pitch-and-run situation. Backspin will be applied to the shot.
To finish up, open your stance as well as your club’s front face. This can’t be stressed enough. As a result, the ball rises higher and the clubface slides beneath the ball at a desirable angle.
Your weight should be concentrated on the front foot. The front foot should bear around 80% of the weight, while the back foot should bear about 20%. In order to get the distinctive splash of sand (the digging) and backspin associated with a successful bunker shot, this step is critical.
Step 3: The right swing
Once you’ve got your feet firmly planted, your weight on the front foot, and your stance and clubface slightly open, it’s time to make the shot. Swing from the outside in, with a little wrist hinge at the top, is what you’re looking for.
To put it another way, how far back you put the ball is entirely up to you. The ball is released high and softly with the most control while using this swing path. Practice this until it comes naturally to you and until you are able to accurately assess the yardages.
Step 4: The follow through
Sand shots need a lengthier time on the sand. Delaying or stopping at the point of contact will cause it to shatter. You must have a high follow through and a steep swing to get the ball out of a greenside bunker. If you approach it too quickly, you’ll miss the shot entirely.
It is okay to take a somewhat larger swing since you will be taking sand with your shot. Not as far as expected. Get a touch more technical after you’re comfortable with your greenside sand shots.
Sand shots of medium length (the 25-25-yard shot to the green) and plugged balls are two frequent sand shots seen on the course. Despite the difficulty of these pictures, don’t be intimidated by them. With just a few minor tweaks, you can play them like any other greenside shot.
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