How To Become An Expert At Bunker Shots
How To Become An Expert In The Bunker (1)
When playing the ball from the bunker you have two basic approaches to take to best handle the sand: a) The splash shot or, b) The explosion shot.
You may or may not have heard of the terminology here but it is important to become familiar with each shot if you are to improve your score. All golf players who have ever had the joy of starting as a newbie, then breaking 100, then down to the 90's, and even lower – all have had to specifically improve various parts of the short game, especially when hitting from the sand.
Both types of sand shots can be tweaked to various degrees in order to get the desired length and height on the ball that you want. Splash shots can also have the spin you may need on the ball. But forget about spinning the ball on an explosion shot that has it resting in a buried lie.
How To Know Whether To Splash The Ball Or Take The Explosion Shot
When your ball has decided to take a trip into the sand and you must choose what type of shot to take, the first rule is simple: Always take the splash shot if at all possible.
This is one of the most common mistakes golfers make who cannot seem to lower their overall score - once the ball hits the sand they treat every one of these shots as an explosion.
You are probably one of these players. For some reason, it got into your head that at anytime the ball hits the bunker the only way to knock it out is to explode it. It's a common issue, and one that I personally experienced some years back.
I suspect that your reason is the same - which is that you just have not taken the time to practice the proper technique that a splash shot requires, not to mention the patience needed to make it work when you want to.
Explosion Shots May Be Easier To Play, But Not Always The Best One To Take
There is no denying that trying to explode the ball out of the sand is a much easier route to take, but is it always the best?
Not at all - because by relying entirely on the explosion shot all you have on your side in getting the ball as close to the hole as possible is luck. Luck is for beginners, not those of you trying to improve your strategy and break new scores.
So what makes the splash shot so special? Why take the time to learn it and acquire the patience to become good at it?
The reason is simple: This shot enables you to limit how much sand gets in the way of the ball and your clubface. In turn, you have the ability to control the shot better and induce the spin you need. The more sand that is dug up (as with the explosion shot), the more limited your control over the shot is.
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Filed under: Golf Tips
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