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TIp of the Day 5/11
Updated: 5/12/2009 2:52:42 PM

Bunker Play

Many players know they need to swing pretty aggressively when trying to play from the bunker but are scared to take a big swing in fear of skulling the ball over the green. The most important things when hitting from a normal sand lie is to open your stance approximately 30 degrees and open your club face even moreso. The tip here is not in the set up, however. This tip is the Anti-Skull Grip.

Eliminate the error of skulling the ball by taking your normal left hand grip and, instead of putting your right hand below it, wrap it around your left hand. With this hand over hand grip you can't flip the club upwards. As long as you hit sand first (important) and accelerate (more important) through the ball you won't have to worry about skulling. After you do this for a while and it feels more comfortable you can go back to your normal grip, keeping your left arm in check as it was when you had the hand over hand grip.

Best,

Richter


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Comments (4)

pjcedog 5/11/2009 5:13:52 PM
Just focus on hitting the sand not the ball, let the sand carry the ball out. I hit sand shots with a sharp pickup of the club away from the ball and then hit behind the ball. Remember that the ball will travel the direction your swing path follows and NOT the direction you aim the face of the club. will travel the direction your swing path follows and NOT the direction you aim the face of the club.

Dandy 5/11/2009 4:27:26 PM
Picking out one part of that....the MOST common fault I see in the people I play with by far is not accelerating the club through the sand. Skulled or leaving it in the bunker - accelerating will cure 90% of the faults and leave you to focus on the 'feel' of distance control. 90% of the faults and leave you to focus on the 'feel' of distance control.

Overdrive 5/11/2009 2:14:11 PM
That is an interesting tip, I will have to try it out.

MikeConnolly 5/11/2009 1:01:15 PM
Runkel seriously you can't hit shit out of a bunker.. I dare you to try to 'pick it clean' more than 5 times out of 10 and I bet I win enough money for a free Friday night tab.. I told him to put a tip up on bunkers cause no one hits well out of them but Steve.. And seriously I've told the story about you with putters out of the bunker too many times to have you tell it to me again when I was there so just man up, grab your sand wedge, and play the shot from the sand like a real man, instead of the boyish man you seem to be..p up on bunkers cause no one hits well out of them but Steve.. And seriously I've told the story about you with putters out of the bunker too many times to have you tell it to me again when I was there so just man up, grab your sand wedge, and play the shot from the sand like a real man, instead of the boyish man you seem to be..