Golfers need to be proficient at two types of bunker or sand shots: from fairway bunkers and from greenside bunkers. Here’s a simple plan for each.
The Fairway Bunker Shot
The main priority here is to make solid contact between the clubface and the ball. This can be accomplished by using a setup and swing similar to what you do when your ball is on grass.
Setup For Fairway Bunker Shots
Position the ball an inch or so back in your stance.
The clubface should be square to the intended target line.
Your weight should be evenly distributed on both feet.
Note: Playing the ball an inch or so back in your stance ensures that you will contact the ball first. Just be sure to plan for a lower trajectory.
The Greenside Bunker Shot
The main priority here is for the clubhead to contact the sand instead of the ball. When done correctly, sand builds up on the clubface and pushes the ball out of the bunker. The clubface never comes into direct contact with the ball. It can be accomplished by using a similar setup and swing as you do when your ball is on grass.
Setup For Greenside Bunker Shots
The club should be in the center of your stance.
The clubface can be played square or open and may vary based on the firmness of the sand. I prefer to play most of my greenside bunker shots with an open clubface.
You should widen your stance, work your feet into the sand, or a combination of both. This will lower the center of your swing, allowing for the clubhead to contact the sand instead of the ball.
Your weight should be evenly distributed on both feet.
Note: The sole (bounce) of the golf club is responsible for keeping the club from digging into the sand. When the club is placed in the middle of your stance with shaft perpendicular to the target line, the sole of the club is exposed to keep the club from digging. Setting the club this way gives you the best chance to utilize an important design benefit (bounce) of the golf club.
Bunker Shot Swing Thought
Once set up, the key is to remain balanced while swinging the golf club in the direction of the target. An effective way to swing with enough speed is to visualize the ball rolling up to the hole. Hold that image during the swing, and you’ll have great distance control.
By Henry Stetina, PGA | Photos by Kyla Carlson
Henry Stetina is responsible for player development and golf instruction for the NMSU PGA Golf Management Program and is the director of instruction at Red Hawk Golf Club in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Henry’s approach to golf instruction is to focus on the intended use of the golf club as opposed to the intended movements of the body. Contact Henry at www.henrystetinagolf.com.
No time to practice? No clubs allowed in your office? A lot of items on the “honey do” list? No worries! You can play better, or should I say “smarter golf,” with the skills you currently possess, and lower your scores.
Most golfers put very little “thought” into their games, for good reason. You do not want golf to be like work! I get it. But if you make simple decisions, almost automatic decisions each day with what amounts to mundane tasks, why not apply the same methodology to your golf game?
This will take some effort at first, but once ingrained, you’ll see more consistency in your game. And you’ll also realize when you are making that “stupid” mistake before attempting a stroke.
Think of your ultimate target as the bullseye of a dart board, instead of the entire board. Be as specific as possible — a certain leaf on a tree, for instance.
Be More Precise with Your Targeting
All great players use intermediate targets or aiming points such as a divot a foot or two in front of the ball — something that is in your immediate peripheral vision at address.
Tour pros are often quoted as aiming to very precise, smaller targets. The adage of “aim small, miss small,” is a fantastic way of thinking of this concept, and applies to every shot.
Don’t just aim at a tree, aim at a specific part of the tree. If you’re going to aim to a bunker, what part of the bunker? Homing in on a small part of a larger objective stirs the chemicals in your brain and heightens your awareness of not only your target, but the situation you’re in.
As you make smaller targets a part of your pre-shot routine, be sure to incorporate a smaller target that lies within your peripheral vision as you address the ball. Most golfers know to aim to a smaller target in front of your ball that lies on your target line. But of-ten I see golfers aiming to smaller targets five or more feet away from your golf ball. This almost forces you to look up, a lot, and possibly maneuver your body to a position that is not in line with your target. Find a divot, discolored grass, broken tee, anything, that is two or three feet in front of your ball, and you’ll find it easier to keep yourself in line with the smaller target you picked.
Photo 1: Playing “pin high” might not put you exactly even with the pin, but you’ll end up within easy two-putt distance in most cases, either just short or just long of the hole. Photo 2: Choose the club that will allow you two swing comfortably and within yourself, which usually means taking one extra stick. Avoid going for the “career” shot.
Play Pin High Approach Shots
There is a direct correlation between you hitting an approach shot that reaches the flag or past, versus ending up short, and your score. For the average golfer, if you end up short of the flag by more than 20 feet, your chances of making par or better drop to only five percent.
Whether you’re short, long, left or right of the green, hitting an approach shot that covers the total distance you need to carry the shot is essential to your success. The one common mistake most golfers make is trying to hit the “career” shot when it comes to yardage. This is the distance you hit perhaps once ever with any given club, versus the “average” length yardage you tend to hit a club. It’s amusing to witness on the course and very easy to correct, once you understand Career Shots only happen once.
Hitting “pin high” approach shots is easy to accomplish. Choose the right club, the club that hits an average carry distance. Don’t max out any club in your bag. Instead of making an overly aggressive swing with any club, opt for one more club and make a normal swing. You’ll probably find yourself pin high or just past the hole more often.
Play to the Middle of the Green
Most holes are designed with trouble to either side or in front of the green. When pins are tucked close to those obstacles and you “accidently” miss a shot in that obstacle, that is a stupid mistake that is easily correctable.
I had a young competitive Junior Golfer a few years back that always, no matter what the shot, would play to the pin. This left him short-sided for most of his misses off the green, with almost impossible short game shots to salvage par. I placed a soda can in the exact middle of nine greens one day and walked him around the edges of each green, asking him to pace off the distance from a potential place where a hole could be cut, to the soda can. Because most greens average about 33-37 paces from any end to the opposite end, he never had more than a 30-foot putt. This convinced him to always target the center of the green. The next tournament he played, he used that strategy to shoot three sub-par rounds in awful conditions and won the tournament by eight shots.
Avoid going for the “sucker” pin and simply play for the middle of the green, which, again, will leave you in two-putt range and keep you out of the trouble lurking right or left.
Moral to the story: If you want to shave some strokes off your game immediately, without any practice, change your strategy as you determine where to hit your approach shots. When in doubt, always aim for the middle of a green. The worst position this can create for you, with your ball lying on the green, is a lot better than the worst position you can be in if your ball is not on the green.
Take a look at hazards in the distance and figure out what is reachable. Here the right-side fairway bunker probably isn’t in play, but the others are. Aim accordingly. Another great aiming idea is to choose a target that’s well out of range, like the base of the tree circled here. Always figure distant slopes into your reckoning of where a ball with land, and how it will carom off those slopes.
Know the Course
Ever been tempted to hit a drive and cut a corner, only to find your ball in a hazard you could not see around the corner?
Or have you estimated yardage to a flag, only to realize you under or over-estimated, placing your shot in a condition you did not know about?
Understanding the course you’re playing as well as what is in play from certain angles your game may place you in, can create easier strategic decisions and in turn, lower scores. It’s your responsibility as a golfer to understand the course you’re playing and know what obstacles are in play versus what obstacles are designed into the course to use as targets. It’s also your responsibility to avoid being tempted into making shots you can’t execute (more about that later). Here are three simple items of thought you can use as you under-stand the course better and make better pre-shot decisions:
Understand what is in play versus what is not in play – Know your yardages to certain landmarks as well as understand that what you can’t see from the shot you’re attempting to execute may be in play
Aim for landmarks that you can’t reach – If a tree, bunker, or other landmark is in direct line with your intended target line, but is not reachable, you have a green light to take dead aim at that landmark
Understand slopes and use them to your advantage – Ever tried to have a shot hit a slope and carom back to your target? Of have you purposely aimed wider of your intended target to marginalize the slope your ball is on? Being able to creatively use slopes, and or avoiding slopes altogether, can shave a couple stokes off your game.
Often you have the option of hitting one of two clubs or more, expecially on par 5s. Go with the one you can rely on for accuracy and control. Aim to take into account your usuall ballflight — fade or draw, and set up to give your ball the widest possible margin of error. Here I’m definitely playing to a fade. Have creeping doubts that you can hit the ball far enough with one club? Then go with a shorter one and keep it in the short grass to avoid extra strokes.
Play to Your Strengths
One of the most common flaws all golfers make is attempting a shot that you are not capable of pulling off. Professionals included, this most often hap-pens when trying to rescue your round from a difficult position. Attempting the super hero shot from extremely difficult positions can quickly create a double-digit score for one hole of your round, making the rest of your round worthless.
Playing to your strengths can sometimes be humbling, in good ways. You’ll recognize what skills you need to practice. Or you’ll realize that practicing trouble shots a couple times before going out to play may pay dividends later. Most importantly, it’s humbling to play sideways versus forward. Doing that more often than not will definitely have you buy into these three suggestions to play to your strengths:
Choose clubs you know are accurate executing — be willing to give up a couple yards of distance to keep your shot in play
Shape your shot to the design of the hole vs. attempting to hit a shot you can’t — If you hit a fade, align yourself to an intended target line that allows that shot to happen, even if the hole is designed to favor a draw. Doing so may place you a few yards behind where you’d ideally like to be, but most times than not will keep your ball in play from a safe position
Play to yardages you are comfortable with — If in doubt that you can hit a shot that requires a longer distance without placing your ball in a compromising position, opt to lay up, especially the second shot of a par 5, to a distance you know you can stick 90 percent of the time or better. Sacrificing a shot in the fairway may allow you to eliminate an extra short game stroke or putt.
Conclusion
Playing smarter is all about making great decisions. It’s easy to do and requires no more effort than making decisions that allow you to play your game without compromise.
I’ve always told my son there is a difference between dumb and stupid. Stupid knows better. All five suggestions above are now in your brain, and you should know better the next time you’re playing golf not to make a “stupid” mistake. Playing smart golf now can lead to immediately reduced scores, only if you stay true to yourself and committed to making smarter decisions.
John Hughes is a PGA Master Professional, 2023 Northern Florida PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year, founder of John Hughes Golf in Orlando, Florida. Reach him at www.johnhughesgolf.com
Hey, guys, it’s Aimee, your golf coach. Today, I’m going to share a tip that will change your driving forever.
Common Mistakes Off The Tee
Many amateur golfers make mistakes such as getting too quick, casting, early extending and using their arms instead of their body turn. These movements are interconnected, leading to shorter distances and slice or hook misses. Prioritizing your swing fixes is crucial. Imagine having a dozen things to work on; addressing the right one first can take care of many others.
What It Takes To Hit Great Drives
Great tempo: If your swing is rushed or inconsistent, you’ll start compensating with your arms, losing power and control. A smooth tempo helps you maintain control over the clubface at impact, enhancing both distance and accuracy.
Tempo
Creating a whip: The whip in your swing generates clubhead speed, resulting in longer drives. This comes from proper hinging, lag and release.
Whip
Maximizing power: Properly using your body means coiling and uncoiling effectively, utilizing a good weight shift.
Maximizing Power
The Key To Great Driving: Setting The Club
Short and slice misses often stem from setting the club incorrectly, leading to a lofty backswing and improper coil. This disrupts the desired whip and causes compensations like casting. Casting reduces whip and control over the clubface, resulting in distance loss and accuracy issues. It also causes you to hit behind the ball, leading to early extension and misuse of your body, draining power from your swing.
Today’s Goal: Mastering Three Essentials
Great tempo
Creating a whip
Maximizing power
To simplify these, let me “Aimeefy” it for you, making golf simple, fun and effective. Focus on one thing: setting the club at the top of your backswing.
How To Set The Club
Setting the club means finishing your wrist hinge in the backswing, like supporting a big serving tray. Many amateurs struggle with this. Properly setting the club enables you to create lag in the downswing. Once you experience the correct setting and lag, you’ll realize how much more efficient your swing can be.
Set Club
Using Training Aids
I recommend using training aids to help you feel the correct movements. These aids provide immediate feedback, ensuring quality practice and preventing the reinforcement of bad habits.
One such aid makes a click sound if you hinge correctly. Common faults include rotating the wrists too early in the takeaway, which disrupts proper body turn and sets the clubhead under the plane. Our goal is to take the club back on a straighter path without excessive wrist rotation at the beginning. You should hear the clicks between the halfway point and the top of the backswing. This indicates a proper hinge and body turn.
ClicksZero Clicks
Practicing With The Training Aid
Put the training aid on and listen for the clicks. Aim to hear the last clicks toward the end of your backswing. Start hitting balls at 50% speed, focusing on hearing the clicks and feeling the lag. As you get comfortable, gradually increase your speed to 100%. Initially, don’t worry about how you hit your shots; focus on hearing the clicks and feeling the lag. A long pause at the top of your backswing is a good sign.
With practice, you’ll set the club, create lag and compress the ball effectively. This will help you develop an amazing tempo, create a powerful whip and maximize your power, leading to longer and straighter drives.
You hit a pretty good drive, but as you step off the yardage to the green, you discover that you’re 5 yards farther than you comfortably hit your 8-iron and 5 yards shorter than you would hit your 7-iron. So what do you do?
Here’s The Solution
Learning to take yards on or off the distance you hit each club is an important skill. If you don’t have it, then the only time you will get close is when you are at exact distances from the pin with each of your clubs.
The odds of that happening are not very likely, so you need to be able to make adjustments in order to give yourself options. Below are clues to help you decide between hitting a hard shot with a shorter iron or a soft shot with a longer one.
Hit The Longer Club If…
The hole plays uphill.
The wind is in your face.
There’s trouble short.
Plus, make sure the distance you’re sitting at is to the pin, not the center of the green. If you only know the distance to the center, play the longer club if the pin is in the middle or back of the green.
Hit The Shorter Club If…
The hole plays downhill.
The wind is at your back.
There’s trouble long.
If you only know the distance to the center, play the shorter club if the pin is in the front of the green.
To add or subtract 5 yards off that club, you need to incorporate the following techniques.
How To Add 5 Yards To An Iron
Step 1–Play the ball just back of center and lean the shaft forward. This will de-loft the clubface, turning your 7-iron into a 6½-iron.
Step 2–Make a full backswing. From the top, feel like you’re about to pinch the ball between the clubface and the grass, as opposed to picking it off the turf.
Step 3–Be sure to accelerate to a full finish.
How To Subtract 5 Yards From An Iron
Step 1–Play the ball forward, more toward your left heel, and set your hands directly above the ball.
Step 2–Make a ¾ backswing, so your hands reach about shoulder height.
Step 3–Swing to a ¾ finish on the follow-through but make sure to turn fully toward the target. Because you are not making a full turn, be sure to keep an even tempo in your swing. It’s easy to rush in the backswing or downswing on less-than-full shots. So think “smooth” when you execute the ¾ shot.
Another “key point” to remember: When hitting your longer club, choke down an inch or two on the handle when taking your grip. It shortens the club, making it easier to control. If you keep this in mind next time you’re faced with shots in between your normal distances, you will find that you will be able to handle the situation better. This is a great tip to practice next time you visit the practice range. Having the skill to execute these shots will give you a world of confidence on the course.
We hear all the time that we need to turn our body to increase club head speed. While I won’t disagree with this however, all too often a primary ingredient to speed gets lost in this discussion. It is important to remember what is attached to the club. OUR HANDS and ARMS.
The body’s primary function in the golf swing is not speed; it is synchronization of the golf swing. What does this mean? It means the body rotates to provide the room for the arms to do their function of swinging the club up and down and releasing the clubhead through the back of the ball. The club needs to swing in a circle that goes to the inside in the backswing and up to the top of the backswing. (Photo 1).
Photo 1
This creates a necessity for the trail side of the body to begin a rotation with the lower body and the upper torso. This will bring the club to the inside in the arc and allow the arms to do their job of moving the club up and over the shoulders. Once the club is up in the correct location in the backswing the club now has sufficient room to begin its descent in the downswing. However if the arms and club simply start down without the lower body rotating they would run out of room quickly. Thus as the arms begin to drop the lower part of the body will need to begin to unwind towards the target making room for the club to return to the ball. The upper torso lags this action leaving sufficient room for the club to start down from the inside. (Photo 2).
Photo 2
As the club arrives at the strike of the ball there is a need for the hips to have already begun to make room for the club to move back to the inside on the through swing. (Photo 3).
Photo 3
After the strike the club must have room to begin its movement to the inside on the through swing so the hips are required to continue to rotate making room for the handle of the club to begin to move back to the inside through impact and follow through. (Photo 4).
Photo 4
While the hips are working their way back to the inside the torso follows this action. As the club begins its movement back to the inside there is now a requirement for the club to begin moving up to the finish. This requires the upper torso and shoulders to rotate to a complete finish providing the room for the club to reach its finish up and over the shoulders. (Photo 5).
Photo 5
The speed of the swing comes from the arms swinging in a manner that they use the room provided by the body rotation in the right sequence of events. When the room is used efficiently the synchronization of the body and the arms will maximize the club head speed generated.
Tip provided by Jim Endicott, PGA Specialized in Teaching and Coaching Professional
There’s nothing worse than standing up on the tee setting up for your “normal” shot shape, then hitting the deadly double-cross! So now you are left picking up the pieces of a shot that went left to left or right to right…not fun!
Here at Punta Mita we have a hole where this can happen quite often: No. 18 at Pacifico. The hole design bends gently left to right with out of bounds left and the ocean to the right. There’s plenty of room to move the ball left to right or right to left, depending on your “normal” shot pattern, but if you double-cross it, you’re back on the tee hitting three, or dropping the ball out of the hazard and hitting three as well. Neither situation is a great option.
Now that we understand what a double-cross is (playing for a fade and hooking it or playing for a draw and slicing it), it’s now time to figure out how and why it happens!
So, let’s set up for each shot shape.
In Photo 1 I am set up for a left to right shot where I am on the right side of the tee box and aiming down the left side of the fairway.
For the right to left shot pattern I am setting up on the left side of the tee box and aiming down the right side of the fairway (Photo 2).
These two alignments will give us the best opportunity to use the entire width of the fairway so we can hit it in the short grass. Now let’s investigate what each shot shape player tends to do when they hit a double-cross.
FOR THE LEFT TO RIGHT PLAYER
The main reason you will double-cross your fade is when you fail to get off of your back foot on the way down. When you hang back as shown in (Photo 3), the body stops and the arms and hands fling by closing the clubface through impact (Photo 4). As we all know, when the face angle is left of the path, the ball will start left and hook with a centered hit.
To make sure you do not allow this to happen again, you must make sure you move through the ball, allowing your weight to move into your forward foot earlier. For this I have a simple drill.
Place another tee (the same height) about three to four inches in front of your current golf ball on the same target line (Photo 5). Your goal is to hit the ball and the top of the second tee with the clubhead on the way through. This will help you to move the weight into your lead foot earlier, thus keeping the face right of the path, and you will see the ball move left to right.
FOR THE RIGHT TO LEFT PLAYER
The main reason why you will double-cross your draw is when you lose your posture through impact, standing the club shaft upwards and opening the face. When you stand up as shown in Photo 6, the hands also raise; when this occurs the face of the club will stay right of the path (Photo 7). As we all know, when the face angle is right of the path, the ball will start right and then move further right with a centered hit.
Now that we understand what is happening, how do we make sure it won’t happen again? Find an alignment stick and place it in the ground as shown in (Photo 8) (which is just a touch in front of the ball.) If you stand up and raise your hands, you will be the first to know! By keeping the club shaft closer to its address angle you will find that the club has an easier time closing, which will help the face to be slightly left of the path during impact, causing the ball to gently move right to left.
Understanding the double cross is the first key to stopping it for good. The second step is to use the appropriate drill to stop you from either hanging back or standing up. Alleviating these issues will go a long way to helping you have more confidence that the ball will indeed move in the direction you want — and stop you from hitting the ball left to left or right to right, causing you headaches.
Tip provided by Tom Stickney II, PGA & Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor.
After hitting your tee shot on a short par-3, you discover that your ball has not only landed in the greenside bunker, but is well below your feet. There’s no mistaking it; this is a difficult shot even for the pros.
With these four adjustments to your setup even a high handicapper can execute this shot with ease.
Lower your center of gravity to help reach down to the ball.
Open clubface slightly unlike for a normal bunker shot. This will help to dig down to help get the ball out.
Play the ball just forward of center. Too far forward, and you will likely blade the shot.
Pick the club up quickly in the backswing, and abbreviate the follow-through to maintain balance.
Incorporate these into your bunker play next practice session, and you will hit this shot with confidence.
Lower center of gravity in order to execute this shot correctly.
Open the blade slightly in order to dig down in the sand.
Avoid standing up quickly in the follow-through. Otherwise, you’ll blade the shot
Why can’t I take my range game to the golf course?
This is one of the many challenges faced by all levels of golfers who continue to be frustrated by this transition. The answer to this question involves several possible mistakes golfers often make. With a little tweaking you can make a successful transition from the range to the course!
One reason for poor transition from the range to the game is purpose. While on the range, before a round, you are usually trying to get comfortable with your swing. You are trying to see how it feels that particular day, searching for some swing key, etc. However, when you get to the tee during a game it’s all about performing: hitting a good golf shot, avoiding trouble and trying to make as few strokes as possible. With such different purposes, it’s no wonder you make an entirely different swing on the first tee than on the range.
Another reason for poor tee performance is fear. If you hit a poor shot on the range there is no penalty; however, on the course it matters greatly as there are consequences. Fear, now enters the picture, which introduces tension. With tension in the mix, your tempo becomes affected, which ultimately hampers the freedom with which we swing. A common mistake many golfers make on the range is hitting the same club over and over again until you get it right. You just set up and hit ball after ball, over and over again with no specific target in mind. Once you get to the first tee, however, it is completely different. Now you have to aim at a target and focus on where you want to send the ball, your alignment suddenly becomes important. Your rhythms are different from the range to first tee, and you need to make that transition in order to be successful. One way to correct this problem is to imagine playing a few holes while at the range. For example, pick a target on the range and visualize hitting there with your driver, imagine the shape of the fairway, and hit the shot required, fade or draw etc. Then look for a flag that mimics your approach to the green, and play that shot. Do this for a par-5, par-4 and even a par-3. This will give you more real life course conditions, and better prepare you for your upcoming round.
In conclusion, changing the way you practice your pre-round warm-up by visualizing the course and shape of the fairway and practicing with a target will help you make a successful move from range to first tee. You come away with a sense of already playing a few holes when you get to the first tee. This will give you the confidence needed to have a more enjoyable round and a better overall experience.
