Golf — Bunker Shots, Not Tequila Shots

The way some duffers approach bunker shots, you might think they'd been drinking before the game rather than after. So here's some sober advice about how to tackle those tough traps.

A "bunker" is a prepared area of ground, often a small valley, in which turf and earth has been removed and replaced with sand, water, or taller grass. (Also known as a 'trap') A 'cross bunker' is one in which crosses the line of play, requiring the player to shoot over the bunker.

STANCE

Establish a firm footing that will support your swing without slipping. Form a solid base. Be careful not to dig your feet too far down, though — that will make your legs rigid, encouraging too strong a shot. The lower body should stay quiet; i.e. very little motion in the legs.

Start with your weight favoring your left side. (For right-handers. For lefties, reverse directions.) Stance should be open and a little wider, to restrict your backswing and steepen the swing. Let the knees pinch in slightly, putting more weight on the inside of the feet.

GRIP

Light, but firm. Holding the grip too hard will make your wrists rigid, making it harder to slide the club under the ball into the sand.

Choke down on the grip a bit, half an inch will do, allowing you to more easily hit under the ball. (That also helps to discourage burying your feet too far down in the sand.)

Hinge the wrists earlier than you would for a normal shot. That encourages a steeper angle of attack for the downswing. Of course, you're using a wedge for this.

SWING

With a large-soled sand wedge, shorten your backswing to about three-quarters normal. Mirror the distance on follow through. Remember that, counter-intuitively, you're not going to hit the ball with the club at all. Instead, you're aiming about two to four inches behind the ball, scooping sand that makes contact with the ball and forces it up and out of the trap.

On an uphill slope, keep the shoulders level — not tilted with the slope. On a downhill shot, open the stance and make a steep backswing and an aggressive downswing. Don't close the face and accelerate through the ball.

DRILLS

To get comfortable with the bunker shot, try some of these.

Stick a tee in the sand so that only the top is visible. Put a ball on the tee, then try hitting the tee half way down its length. That helps focus on getting under the ball, about an inch.

If you're digging too deep, open the clubface of your wedge, then grip. That helps shallow out those divots.

Draw a line in the sand about eight feet long with the rake handle. Straddle that line so that it's slightly left of center. Practice making swings that splash sand forward, making the entry point of your club on the line.

Walk down the line and try again. After some practice you should be able to consistently hit that line. Then put down a ball a couple of inches to the left of the line and repeat.

Now you can go have a few shots of tequila.