One of the biggest nightmare scenarios for any golfer is seeing their ball land in the bunker. The thought of seeing your ball drop into the sand and having to play your way out is something most beginners dread more than anything on the golf course.
It’s important to remember when approaching any bunker shot that not every shot from within a bunker will be the same.
Firstly, it depends where on the hole the bunker is located and today we are going to be looking at fairway bunkers.
Furthermore, not every type of bunker your ball lands in is going to be the same. Some will be very deep and your knees could be below the level of the fairway when playing the shot. Others are very shallow and are almost level with the fairway and it is the latter we are going to be concentrating on today because this type of fairway bunker can throw up a different scenario.
With a shallow bunker, you can sometimes find your ball on the very edge of the bunker, where the sand meets the grass. Sometimes the resulting lie can be fluffy, sometimes it can be tight and this makes them very unpredictable.
Even if there is no lip to deal with, the shot is still very tricky and you will need to look at several options.
The basic set-up when playing a shot from the edge of a bunker is to move the ball back in your stance slightly and make sure you are balanced. A good, solid stance is important if you are standing in a mix of sand and grass.
You may consider taking an extra club when playing this shot because there is a bigger chance you will mishit this shot compared to a standard fairway or bunker shot. Taking an extra club means you still have a good chance of carrying the distance you are looking for to the green, even with a mishit.
If you are finding a solid stance difficult to achieve because the ground you are standing on is very uneven (it is the edge of a bunker after all) then you could even take two clubs more and make a very easy swing. This will allow you to keep your balance and still reach the green with your shot.
Also keep in mind when playing this shot, as you will be working hard to keep your balance, your feet could become quite rigid. This often results in a lower shot trajectory than normal, so if you are trying to clear something like a tree when playing from the edge of a bunker play the shot with caution.
Finally, do not be afraid to attack the ball with a strong downswing and take a little of the sand with you on the shot.
Recent Comments