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Sand Trap Tips
By Lee MacRae
Getting out of a bunker or sand trap in one shot can do wonders for your confidence and your golf game. Follow along as we lay out some tips, tricks and hints to help you with your sand play and watch the improvement in your next round of golf.
When sand is wet or really firm, your sand wedge, with it's wide flange may very easily bounce off the surface and blade the ball. In such circumstances, it's better to use a pitching wedge or, when the flag is a long way off and you want your ball to run more, then use a seven, eight, or nine iron. Play your ball back in an open stance [much as you would do when playing a chip from the fairway] and position your hands just ahead of the ball. Unlike most sand shots, this one requires that you concentrate on hitting the ball first and not the sand. Work out your "landing area" before hitting the shot, and try to hit that area. If you miss it, don't worry. With all sand shots, it's far more important to get out the sand and to leave your ball close to the hole.
The delicate explosion shot [where you see a puff of sand and the ball flies to the hole and stops on a dime] is tough to hit consistently. Most attempts see the ball rolling more than expected. So why not anticipate the roll and play for it? The idea is to take the spin out of the shot by hitting even farther behind the ball than usual [three or four inches is recommended] and compensating for the removal of power by making a full swing. Your ball will explode out of the sand but will roll a good three or four yards.
Keep in mind that the average sand wedge is designed to hit a ball 40 feet at most. If you have a sand shot that is farther than that, then you will be better off using a pitching wedge to get on the green. A pitching wedge is designed differently, it doesn't have the curve [the bounce] on the bottom of the head. This allows the ball to travel the 10 or 20 extra feet you need on the shot. Just remember to use the right tool for the particular job at hand.
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 training aids or a great
putter today!
Some Quick Golf InformationThe key to hitting the ball farther with the modern driver and golf ball (which spins much less off of a flat face than balls of the past) is high launch combined with a low spin rate. Our goal is to get enough spin to achieve lift, while minimizing (hopefully eliminating) drag.
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The Golf Channel
Hitting the ground before the ball, or "fat shots" is a very common problem that can lead to injury. This is caused by either coming into the ball too steeply, and/or decelerating the club head as you hit the ball. Proper weight shift is important and keeping your right shoulder back on the downswing (opposite for left handers) is crucial. There is a tendency to throw the right shoulder ahead as you come down creating an outside in steep club path. Focus on swinging more around your body to remedy this. A good drill is to strap your upper arms to your body and hit balls. This makes it impossible to throw the shoulder forward. Don't forget to accelerate through the ball. When you slow down at the bottom of your swing, you will hit it fat every time.
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PGA Tour
To develop the best possible grip for you. Every golfer swings and grips the club differently. Over 90 percent of golfers use the Vardon or overlapping grip. Players with smaller hands sometimes find the interlocking grip, with the little finger of the right hand interlocked with the index finger of the left hand, works best for them. Players with smaller should use a baseball type grip.
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PGA of America
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