As you may already know, the chip shot and the pitch shot are two completely different things. To put it in simple terms, chips shots are a regular part of your short game (like putting) and pitch shots tend to “set up” your short game.

Pitch shots are usually knocked around with your pitching wedge (or a sand wedge) from anywhere from 35 yards away to almost 100 yards away. They are very close to a standard iron shot.

Chip shots, on the other hand, are routinely made closer to the green within 25 to 30 yards and come in various forms. For example, you can game a chip shot with any club you like, from a low-number iron all the way to your sand wedge (depending on the conditions of your shot).

All varieties of the chip shot can be narrowed to two basic groups: The “bump and run” and the “flop shot”.

1. The bump and run: The bump and run describes a chip shot that is made when you have flat, open grass in between your set up and the green. This is one of those golfing terms that literally means what it says: A shot that is bumped low and rolls the majority of it's way towards its destination.

2. The flop shot: The second category of chips shots is known as the flop shot. Some golfers also refer to is as a “lob shot”. This type of chip shot becomes necessary when facing obstacles like a water hole, sand; anything that gets in the way of being able to roll the ball toward its destination. Flop shots reach skyward quickly then drop straight down to the ground. There should only be a slight roll, if any at all.

The easiest chip shot from these two choices is always going to be the bump and run, for obvious reasons. It's must easier to swing into play because the stroke is very similar to a putt, which means less chance of making a mistake.

Flop shots, on the other hand, are a tougher cookie to crumble because it is easier to mess up the shot. You could easily hit a fat shot or top the ball because you must open up the clubface and hit with a slice from underneath the ball. You can always tell the inexperienced golfer on the course because these chip shots never usually end well. But with enough practice they turn into successful swings that will impress your playing partners.

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Pitch Shot Or Chip Shot

How To Become An Expert In The Bunker (4)

If you are having trouble hitting your ball out of the bunker with the right direction and control needed, I would be willing to bet that you use the explosion shot just about every time.

Most golfers do, because the other alternative is the splash shot which takes quite a bit of skill and patience to successfully make it work. But the end result of the splash is always a benefit to lowering your score.

Why Are Most Golfers Scared Of The Splash Shot?

So what is it about the splash shot that new and intermediate players are scared of? Why do so many golfers consider every ball that lands in the sand one that needs to have a sloppy explosion shot to get it out of the bunker?

The are basically two reasons why the splash seems more difficult to golfers not currently utilizing it:

1) The first reason is due to the path of the swing.

2) The second is due to the length needed for the follow through.

The swing path issue is not all that different than that used for pitch shots. You just swing your club along the lines of where your body is aiming. In just about every situation where the splash is played, that will be a point to the left of the target.

The second problem with the splash shot, as mentioned above, is dealing with the length of the follow through. This is probably the biggest issue all golfers deal with before becoming a great sand hitter – they are scared to continue with the full speed of the club when hitting through the sand.

This fear is, to some notion, logical. Your instincts are telling you that if you make the swing with too much speed then the ball may move too far. But that will not happen.

Another reason why golfers have trouble with the length of the follow through is because the very nature of the splash is that it is a gentle shot, one where the distance is actually controlled largely by the length of your backswing.

Step Away From The Driving Range

There is only one way to overcome these fears and use the right shot in the game when needed to strategically get your ball out of the sand – Practice!

Take time away from the driving range and practice these splash shots until you are comfortable with the unbalanced swing length and the closeness of the clubhead to the ball during impact.

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How To Become An Expert At Bunker Shots Part 4

How To Become An Expert In The Bunker (2)

If you are the type of golfer who has not broken the 100 score and have yet to put forth the necessary practice into your short game to do so, specifically your sand shots, then it's time to make a decision.

Either you become a more strategic player or you stay at the same skill level while the more serious players of your group progress.

You can improve your golf game by 50% and lower your score in the shortest time possible by practicing one of the most important shots that most average golfers fail on – hitting from the sand.

Stop Exploding & Start Splashing

Your choices here are limited to only two types of shots – the splash or the explosion - but surprisingly most of you are probably taking the wrong swing. You should, at all times possible, be utilizing the splash shot, but most golfers choose the latter, thinking that every sand set up was meant to be an explosion shot.

The truth is that the splash is the very type of shot that your sand wedge was built for. It just takes practice in order to use it successfully. Any club can be used to knock an explosion shot, which may get the ball out of the bunker, but how far it gets towards the hole is just a matter of luck, not skill.

The splash shot requires the club to lightly deflect off of the sand immediately after moving through the surface. The basic idea when coming up behind and under the ball is to skim through the least amount of sand possible. To the player that is not skilled enough to work with the splash, exploding the ball is the safest route. But in your case, however, you have made the decision to step up your game and break new boundaries.

Learning To Trust Your Sand Wedge

The first rule in becoming a better splash shot golfer is to learn how to trust the sand wedge. The design of this particular club was made for a reason. At first, if you are not used to playing this shot, you may want to use a sand wedge that carries more bounce than most. As you become better you can move onto one that has less bounce.

The reason why you will want a club with less bounce as your skill level progresses is because, as you get better, you will want the club to start hitting the sand closer and closer to the golf ball. In any case, when learning how to trust your sand wedge, you will have to depend on the club to deflect up on its own when it hits the sand.

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How To Become An Expert At Bunker Shots Part 2

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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How To Become An Expert At Bunker Shots