Bunker play tips:

In order to get out of a bunker effectively there are just a few points that you have to understand. Today we are going to discuss distance control and accuracy. When professionals enter the bunker, they have a great feel for how to make this type of shot quite simple. Here is how you can as well.

First of all, the distance I want to hit a shot depends totally on how open my stance is in relation to the target and how far I open the clubface to the right of the target. If I want to hit a short shot that gets up in the air quickly and lands softly, I open my stance so it appears that I am aiming well left of the target, and I open my clubface so it appears that leading edge of the club is aiming well to the right of the target. The feel is to have your clubhead come back down into the ball on a path that is parallel to your stance line. In other words the swing path will be left of the target line. As the clubhead makes its way back to the ball it will automatically square its face allowing the ball to fly towards the hole. Make sure that you are entering the sand 1 to 2 inches behind the ball, in order to hit the shot appropriately.

See the pictures below. In the first picture, I am setting up to hit a short bunker shot that gets up in the air quickly and lands softly. My stance is wide open, and my clubface it aiming far to the right. The second picture demonstrates how I am going to hit a medium range bunker shot. In this picture, my stance is more square to the target but still lined up to the left. In addition, my clubface is still aimed right of the target, but not quite as far as for a really short shot. Finally, the 3rd shot demonstrates how to set up for a long shot. My clubface and my stance are aimed more square to the target. This enables the ball to travel a farther distance. Good luck and have fun when you enter the bunker!