One of the biggest problems I have seen golfers suffer with over the years is the dreaded bunker shot. Many a time I watch them hit it past the green and into more trouble or just struggle to get out of the bunker after multiple shots!
In this article, I’m going to demonstrate a visual drill that will help you escape those greenside bunkers by producing a high soft-landing shot which will help you lower your score. To execute this shot most of my focus is on making sure I don’t de-loft the face of my club and use the bounce (sole) of the club correctly; in other words, I’m trying to keep my loft on as much as I can throughout my swing.
The drill
To visualise the correct shot, I have made a training aid where I have glued a tee on to my club face which represents the loft. You need to ensure the tee is pointing towards the sky as you address the ball until you follow through. This will help you get under the ball and lift it up for a soft landing on the green. I have noticed when the tee is pointing left after impact it de-lofts the club face and therefore does not use the bounce of the club correctly which won’t help to elevate the ball from the bunkers.
When doing this drill at your local short game area you just need to ensure that tee on your club is pointing towards the sky which will help bring more bounce into play and better the interaction through the sand for more successful escapes from the bunkers.
