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Tips For Sand Trap Play

By Lee MacRae

Sand and bunker shots are some of the most intimidating and yet most rewarding shots in golf. Here are some quick tips to help improve your own shots from the sand.

One of the most awkward bunker shots calls for you to stand outside the bunker when your ball is inside it. This usually results in unpleasant bending and a loss of balance. The key here is not to bend the back and stretch out to the ball. Concentrat instead on bending the knees as much as possible. Think of weightlifters. You never see them bending over to pick up their weights. They bend their knees, grab the weights, then simply stand up. Their legs are doing the lifting. Your legs, too, should do the bending on these tough bunker shots.

Here's another piece of visual imagery to help you cut your ball out of sand: imagine that a thick piece of cord is dangling vertically, just behind your ball.Nnow, open your stance to help you swing from the outside in, then use the leading edge of your club to slice the cord were it touches the sand. Soon you'll find yourself opening the blade properly, cutting through the ball the way the pros do.

Visual imagery is commom in bunker play. Some instructors tell students to imagine that the face of the club is the palm of their hands, which they "slap" under the ball in the hitting zone. We prefer to think of money. A dollar bill is slightly more than six inches long. That means that if the bill is laid under a golf ball, about two inches of the ball would protrude back from the bill. As the ideal "explosion shot" demands that you hit into the sand roughly two inches behind the ball, you should pretend that you're hitting the dollar ball out of the bunker. This is an especially useful image because in order to hit the ball right out of the bunker, you'll need to complete your follow-through, and that's another important element of just about every sand shot.

Knowing the basic techniques of bunker sand play and understanding the subtleties of the various problems you can encounter will actually lead you to even enjoy the play from a sand bunker. I'm sure these tips will help you to enjoy your next round of golf.

About the author

Lee MacRae runs several online stores where you can find a great golf swing aid or a great clone golf club today!

Let's Talk About Golf

Add More Wedges
It's easier to fill distance gaps with new wedges than with tons of practice.
...Golf Tips magazine

Don't grip the club too tightly. A tight grip inhibits a smooth swing and follow-though. Also, keep the grips on your clubs in good condition. Worn grips force you to hold the club too tightly. Replace the grips on your clubs as they get worn and smooth. When first learning the grip, keep a club around the house and practice gripping and regripping the club a few minutes each day. Remember to keep fingers secure and arms relaxed.
...PGA of America

Keeping the left wrist in this flat position will allow the correct movement of the wrists at the top of the backswing, and the starting of the downswing, which is an up and down motion, keeping the clubface maintained in the proper position throughout the swing.
...PGA

Short practice sessions regularly are better than one long period. Practice, and good repetition, will teach your muscles to learn to feel - creating your own internal dialog from within that you, and only you, can describe to yourself.
...Golf Instruction Guide

Many swing faults occur from an improper setup. This can cause unnecessary adjustments during the swing. Taking care to position the ball, feet, hips and shoulders properly ensures building a good swing foundation. Testing has shown golfers with open stances show no more tendency to slice than golfers with closed stances. The open stance may give the golfers a little more opportunity to slice, because it allows a little more freedom in the downswing and follow-though. The square stance is used by most successful golfers. Beginners should start with a square stance. As you advance, you can experiment with the advantages of other stances. Avoid extreme stances. Experiment to find the stance that works best for you. Take care to set up consistently on all normal shots.
...PGA of America

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