The shots are the heart of golf. This is the part of golf that mostly decides your winning or losing. That’s why a proper golfer should always look forward to learning new shots and try to improve them as well. A list of different and important golf shots cannot be completed without bunker shots, a necessary shot style that can save you from the craziest trap on the golf course. One must know how to hit a bunker shot in the right way to cope up with this situation.
Necessity of Learning Bunker Shots
You probably wish that your golf ball never goes in the sand area. This is one of the worst things that could happen to a golfer in the game and may ruin a wonderful game. The bunker sorts are used to recover the ball from sand traps. Other golf shots are not that effective in the sand trap than a bunker shot. That’s why bunker shots are very important to understand and learn.
How to Hit a Bunker Shot in Golf
Since bunker shots for beginners can be hard, it is recommended to master the basic shots before learning the bunker shot technique. However, here is a proper and detailed guideline to perform effective and proper bunker shots.
Choose The Right Wedge
The first thing you have to do is to choose the correct wedge for the shot. In this case, choose a sand wedge. A sand wedge is a club is specially designed to lift the ball with a high trajectory and it is perfect for pulling out the ball from the sand trap. Note that some expert golfers feel comfortable with lob wedges instead of sand wedges. But it is not something that is easier for new players. The perfect option is to choose sand wedges between 55 to 58° for having a successful bounce and effective results.
Take Good Stance
For the bunker shot, take a wider stance than your regular fairway stance. It will keep you stable and comfortable for standing in the sand. Then keep most of your weight on your frontal feet. It helps you avoid making a shallow angle while swinging for the shot that can ruin the entire shot.
Position The Ball
Stand by keeping the ball inside of your front-foot heel’s alignment. This should keep the ball more forwarded than placing for a regular stance. Make sure that the golf ball is positioning evenly against your front inner-heel. It is really important to effortlessly swing to the underneath of the ball and perform a bunker shot.
Grip The Club Properly
For any type of golf shots. Gripping is very crucial. Because the only contact point through which you shift your energy for the shot is the grip. Without proper gripping, it is impossible to have a perfect shot.
To perform a bunker shot, place your hand on the club-grip at around 1.5 to 2 inches below the top-end. Place your frontal or leading hand first. Then place the thumb 90° with the club shaft and wrap the other finger around the club. Now place your other hand just below the first one and place it in the same way. Afterward, interlock the leading hand’s index finger with the pinkie of your other hand and create an interlocking grip. It will provide you good control over the swing and you can provide the maximum energy to the clubhead.
Backswing
For a good backswing, keep the clubhead about two or three inches behind the ball. The clubface should be facing straight-up. Opening up the clubface will let you add extra loft to the shot and get your golf ball out of the sand trap. Now backswing the club having this posture and standing the right stance. On the backswing, your arms should not cross your eye alignment. Keep your front-arm locked straight and bend your rear arm as your need. Remember, you have to go for the sand one or two inches behind the ball and not have to direct-hit on it.
Swing
After accelerating the clubhead with a proper backswing, focus on the ball and start swinging. Swing the club with a good starting speed and increase that speed with expected acceleration to achieve the best result. Swing the clubhead downwards initially and then proceed towards the golf ball. The swing-path should be in a way that the clubhead dives inside the sand just about an inch before the ball. Keep in mind that you have to hit the sand itself, not the ball. So, let the wedge get underneath the ball to create a good loft and get the ball out from the bunker.
Follow Through
After creating a good and powerful contact with the sand and the ball, you must continue your swinging for an appropriate and smooth finishing. It is very important to follow through after every shot with any type of club. This gives you an accurate shot and sometimes saves you from getting muscle injuries.
Tips
- Never slow down while swinging forward for the shot.
- Practicing golf bunker shots made easy to master the shot and increase self-confidence.
- It is very important to stand properly on the sand. You will lose your balance and destroy your shot otherwise.
- Never stand keeping the ball lined up in the center of your stance. It will surely ruin your bunker shot.
Final Words
If you think about what could be the worst situation that can happen with you while golfing. Certainly, send the ball in a bunker scenario that will come to your mind at first. Stuck a golf ball in the sand trap can ruin any ‘perfect match’. So. It is quite a mandatory thing to properly know how to hit a bunker shot. Because you will never know when your golf ball will get trapped in the sand. Remember, bunker shot technique is not that much hard if you learn it properly.
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- How to Learn to Play Golf
References
Https://blog.nextgengolf.org/golf-help/how-to-hit-any-bunker-shot
Https://www.wikihow.com/hit-a-bunker-shot-in-golf
Https://www.americangolf.com/blog/golf-tips/3-awesome-tips-to-hit-a-sand-bunker-shot-successfully/
Https://swingtrainer.com/blogs/instruction/bunker-sand-shots
Https://practical-golf.com/bunker-shots/
Https://golf.com/travel/5-different-bunkers-how-to-conquer/
Https://www.golfdistillery.com/shot-tips/bunker-shots/how-to-hit-a-bunker-shot/
Https://youtu.be/xkg7cc5h6cc
Https://youtu.be/3xqjdiyfxqw
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