Struggling with bunker shots to tight flags? In this edition of Tom's Tips, I’ll show you how to confidently play a bunker shot to a tucked pin. The main focus will be on ball position, club selection, releasing the club, and accelerating through impact. This is a must-read if you want to turn a tough up-and-down into a scoring opportunity.
Whether you’re a beginner or low handicapper, mastering these fundamentals will transform your bunker game.
Tip 1: Club Selection
For me, I like to play a high, lofty club such as a 58 or 60 degree. In order to be able to get the ball popping up high and then sitting down nice and softly.
Tip 2: Ball Position
I like to try and get my ball towards that left heel. Push it right the way forward in order to try and get that ball popping up that little bit higher and then sitting down softer.
Tip 3: Shuffle Your Feet
The trick is to shuffle your feet into the sand, that's going to really encourage you to get that little bit lower in the ground. You're going to hit the sand before the golf ball and it's really going to help with that strike.
Tip 4: Release the Club
You should try and release the golf club, and what I mean by that is we want to try and make sure that the club head is overtaking the grip through impact. That's going to generate a small loss to the clubs can be pointed higher towards the sky. The ball is going to come out higher, land that little bit softer and you're going to generate more speed.
Tip 5: Accelerate
Do not slow down. You should aim to really accelerate through the shot. Otherwise, if you don't, you're probably going to leave the ball in the bunker as you haven't really got much room to work with. If you want the ball to come out a little bit shorter distance, shorten your back swing up a little bit, never shorten the follow through.
It's as simple as that. You can watch the Full Video Tutorial here.
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