By Seán Hawker
The first thing you are going to want to do is open the club face to about the 2 o’clock position (see picture).
The purpose of this is to allow the base of the clubhead to skim the surface of the sand rather than dig in too far, unlike if you had a square club face at impact.
Since you are opening the club face, it is very important that you now aim your body to the left of your target as your ball will fly to the right.
The next very important move is to bury your feet into the sand a couple of inches.
Not only will this give you a more solid stance to hit from but it also lowers your feet to a level below your ball, and this will give you a much more natural way of hitting behind the ball without having to think about it.
Ball position will be slightly forward of centre in your stance.
The next important part of hitting from the bunker is to abbreviate the backswing. You want to get the feeling that you are hinging the club and pointing the butt end (grip end) of the club at the sand. There is no need to take a full backswing.
From this point, you turn your hips through the shot as you swing down at the ball, finishing with a full follow through and your belt buckle facing your target line.
Give this a try next time you are at the practice range. A small amount of time working on this technique could turn a nightmare scenario into a more pleasant one.
Seán Hawker is a bilingual PGA professional available all across the Algarve. He is available for golf tuition for players of all levels, from complete beginners to tour winners.
969 188 981 | [email protected]
