Playing from the sand in greenside bunker situations should be an easy task but is made difficult by many who try to force the ball. The thing to remember is that the golfer is not trying to hit the ball. The intent is to throw the sand that is under the ball upon the green when the ball sits atop the sand or is slightly embedded. Here is how to do it. The motion required may be found in Parts 13 & 14.
(1) The golfer must bring a doable swing to the situation. Refer to Parts 1 through 15 if you need to make sure.
(2) The golfer must assess the type of sand that is in the bunker. The more the texture bends toward sugar, the stronger the turn must be. Though a Sand Wedge is usually the club of choice, a Pitching Wedge or 9-iron may be required for longer shots. Also, the Pitching Wedge may be the best club when playing from wet sand.
(3) Assess the lie & plan the shot in the mind.
(4) Open the stance. This is a slight turn of the body toward the green. The ball should be positioned with the lead heel as a reference point (ball in front of the lead cheek).
(5) Establish footing in the bunker by wiggling the feet into the sand. As the body lower, so does the arc of the clubhead. No attempt during the motion need be made to make the clubhead go lower.
(6) Make the motion.
Three Exercises to becoming a great bunker player:
(1) Trailing Arm Drill—Take a sand wedge in the trailing hand only and throw some sand (without a ball) upon the green after establishing footing. Make sure that leverage is present by a bending of the trailing elbow that sends the forearm vertically. Many who initially try this drill are unable to hit the sand at all. This means they need to review previous Golf Factoids regarding the motion for there is too much tension and effort, primarily from trying to move the hand un-athletically rather than allowing the forearm to Drop along its path. Once the ability to throw sand out of the bunker is achieved with regularity the goal is to throw sand out while maintaining a bent trailing wrist. The last step is to throw a patch of sand upon which a ball has been placed.
(2) Lead Arm Drill—Same basic perimeters as above except the golfer holds the club in that hand only. Place a headcover, towel, or the like in the armpit of the lead arm and practice throwing sand without dropping the insertion. The lead arm should be inactive, like dangling wet spaghetti (Part 25). It is carried by a turn of chest & shoulder rotation in both directions. The last step is to throw a patch of sand upon which a ball has been placed.
(3) Establish the same feels with both hands upon the club.
(4) Set achievable goals & practice to a target. Ultimately, Gary Player set a goal of making five greenside bunker shots during a practice session.
These exercises satisfied and practiced to habit develop a player unbeatable from greenside bunker sand.
