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Sand Trap Tips And Tecniques
By Lee MacRae
Many golfers have a tremendous fear of sand traps and bunkers on the golf course. Let's take a look at some handy tips to improve your play from the bunkers.
One way to prevent dipping and hitting your ball heavy when playing a long bunker shot is to concentrate on keeping the knees "on the same level" throughout the swing. Note that we say he "on the same level" and not just "level". The idea is to stop you from lifting up or bending down. If you lift up, either you hit the ball thin or you run the risk of hitting it fat if you bend down again. If you bend down first, you'll almost definitely hit the ball fat.
Ask any professional golfer the toughest shot in golf and he'll say the 60 yard sand shot. Even the top players have trouble deciding whether this calls for an explosion shot or a normal wedge shot. Fortunately, we average players don't have to make that decision. The 60 yard explosion just isn't in our bags. So we'll make do with the normal wedge shot. Stand squarely, with the ball in the middle of your stance. As with the long bunker shot, you should make contact with the ball first, to remain as steady as possible for as long as possible. As this requires you to swing with only your hands and arms, you'll want to take a club or two more than usual [but bear in mind that playing the ball farther back than normal will deloft the clubface slightly]. For anything up to 75 yards, the average players to use a pitching wedge hit with a three quarters swing.
The delicate explosion shot [where you see a puff of sand and the ball flies to the hole and stops on a dime] is tough to hit consistently. Most attempts see the ball rolling more than expected. So why not anticipate the roll and play for it? The idea is to take the spin out of the shot by hitting even farther behind the ball than usual [three or four inches is recommended] and compensating for the removal of power by making a full swing. Your ball will explode out of the sand but will roll a good three or four yards.
Once you have a feel for the basics of playing from sand, you can easily understand some of the finer points of bunker play, and you will find it easy to adapt your technique to different types of sand challenges and lies. Make your golf game more enjoyable with good sand play.
About the author
Lee MacRae runs several online stores where you can find a great
beginners golf training aid or a great
golf wedge today!
Additional Info On Golf TodayTake Off Like A Jumper
A correctly timed pivot will cause the left leg to straighten just after impact, like a ski jumper launching into the air. This maximizes distance.
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Level Legs
The lack of traction in bunkers forces the legs to function differently than they do on full shots�they must maintain their flex during the entire swing instead of posting up through impact. This will keep you nice and level through the shot.
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Weighted Practice Club
Swing one of these properly (smoothly), and your technique will improve, just like Vijay�s does.
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Passersby
Although they might look somewhat similar, the mechanics of hitting a bunker shot are different than those used to play a chip shot from grass. In the sand, it�s actually advantageous to allow the clubhead to pass your hands past impact. This move encourages a higher, softer shot by increasing the clubhead speed and amount of spin that can be created. Due to the unstable nature of sand, think of these shots as more �handsy� than most others in golf.
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