How To Become An Expert In The Bunker (3)

To become a better bunker player, and not just your everyday golfer that explodes the ball up and out of the sand, you need to focus on the skill of properly executing the splash shot.

This is the type of shot that separates the good players from those that obviously do not put forth the effort into improving their short game, thus showing no improvement in their score.

Those players that treat every sand shot like an explosion can be seen every day on golf courses around the world. These are the players who, every time their ball lands in the bunker, choose to explode the ball out of the sand without even a thought to the most effective (yet harder to master) splash shot.

Setting Up & Swinging For A Successful Splash Shot

One of the primary mistakes golfers make when gearing up for a shot is using the feet as a reference point. On just about every shot in golf this is the wrong thing to do, and this rule is no different when setting up for the splash. This is because the width of your stance varies according to the type of shot you play, so you should continue to use your body as the main reference point, not the feet.

In the case of today's lesson in executing the splash shot, you will want to specifically use your chest as the main reference point in addition to playing the ball forward in your stance. A great starting point would be somewhere about equal to the left armpit. Adjustments can be made as you go along.

Once you have this position set, open up your body to the target line while maintaining the clubface aimed directly at your target.

Now it's time to make your swing. Once you move your club, swing it right along the straight lines of your body instead of the target line. This vital technique will create the effect of the club cutting across the golf ball.

Important: On the backswing, be sure to focus on keeping your lower body as still and quiet as possible. One way to do this that helps many golfers is to keep the majority of your weight on the left leg and keep it there all through the entire swing. Even when your shoulders start to turn away from the golf ball on the backswing you still must maintain as much weight on that left leg as possible.

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Filed under: Golf Swing

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