ok, i played a 9 hole round yesterday and got into the green side sand traps 3 holes in a row. on one, i got out good because the ball was on a pretty good uphill lie but i skulled the other 2. one flew way past the green scaring one of my playing partners while the other hit the lip and fell back into the sand trap. i'm not looking to get up and down from the sand. i just want to get the ball out and onto the green so i can two putt. does anyone have any sand tips for me? thanks!
when you play a sand shot, you're supposed to hit under the ball and rely on the bounce of the club to get it out. you're not trying to hit the ball itself. pick a spot in the sand behind the ball, open the club face, keep your stance open and swing across your body keeping the face open. with some practice and confidence, you'll realize that there really isn't much to the sand shot.
the main thing my pro tells me to do is follow through as much as you can because if you dont then you are not lifting the ball and therefore either fluffing it or thinning it.
Yes, when you hit a sand shot, it's important to hit and follow through because you're not trying to hit the ball. You're trying to hit under the ball, use the bounce of the club to lift the sand under the ball and get the ball out.
I Tried this for practice and it really works.
Get a two by four about 12 inches long and work it into the sand, then place a little sand on the board and take a swing and knock it off as though there was a ball on the sand, do this 15 time then place a the sand and add a ball then knock the sand out again for 15 times, then drop a ball in the sand and imagine a board under the sand. Hope this works for you.
remember to keep your weight on the forward foot and swing smoothly accelerating through the sand.
Stance open, solid footing, weight more on left foot but not too much, clubface slightly open. Take the club away much steeper than normal, this is not a sweep shot. With a steep angle of descent and acceleration, hit the sand behind the ball and follow down and through...can't emphasize enough - steep takeaway and descent with acceleration...much more vertical than normal. Oh yeah, almost forgot, practice builds confidence.
I think one of the most important parts of hitting a sand shot is to follow through. I don't really know what this does but it seems to help out. Before, I used to strike down on the ball but stuck my club in the sand. Once I started to focus on following through, my sand game improved greatly.
Just about everyone has said it, and that is "Follow Through." For my money, follow through is the most important part of a bunker shot. It is hard to do sometimes, because you feel like you will hit the ball too far. Most people start out good but just before impact with the sand, slow the shot down. When this happens you are doomed. It doesn't require exessive follow through, but you should follow through with the shot just like any other iron shot. Practice the follow through and I know you will see a huge improvement in your sand shots.
Today I was in the greenside Bunker and I did what I normally do but I am hitting it to fat so the ball just goes out of the bunker. There is no practice bunker at my course and I am not in there very often.
Lots of good tips here. Also, here's something that helps me: I imagine that the ball is sitting on the middle of a dollar bill. I don't try to hit the ball; I try to throw the dollar bill onto the green.
Besides learning some basic technique (for me: open stance, clubface laid open and facing the target, swing across the body, follow through), what really helped was when I found a course with a practice bunker. I went in there for about 20 minutes and started to get the hang of it.
Another thing that I do: I don't automatically hit SW. If it's a longer shot (and the lip is not in play), I'll hit PW or 9I.
"Sand shot" is the answer to a trick question: What's the only shot in golf where the club doesn't hit the ball?
"Sand shot" is the answer to a trick question: What's the only shot in golf where the club doesn't hit the ball?
Well, it is a trick question because there's more than one...shallow water is another and with deep-rough flyer lies often grass gets between the clubface and the ball so technically.......
May 21st, 2004, 06:37 PM
sand shots...
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