Greenside Bunkers

The most common mistake weekend players make in greenside bunker is allowing their lower bodies to get too active. If you shift your weight or make a turn with your lower body, your swing’s shape and impact position will never be same from one swing to next—you’ll never know whether you’ll leave ball in bunker or skull one 35 yards across green.

Proper bunker technique requires that you place your weight forward—and leave it there throughout swing. Here’s a great drill to engrain this feeling. Go to a practice bunker and hit 25 bunker shots with your right (for right-handed golfers) heel in air—only your right toes should be dug into sand for balance. This will position majority of your weight forward to begin your swing. If you try to shift your weight back to your right side as you play shot, you’ll feel pressure in your right toes and you’ll have to fight to keep your right heel from lowering into sand. It might feel as though you’re actually shifting your weight forward in a reverse pivot, but you’re not—you’re just not used to feel of proper bunker technique.

As you learn to keep your weight forward and quiet your lower body on these greenside bunker shots, you’ll begin to notice ball flying same distance and on same trajectory again and again. Once this happens, you’ll start to develop some touch and begin to think about not only getting ball out, but also about getting it close.

Poor bunker players have a far-too-active lower body. If you make a turn or weight shift, your swing's shape and club's impact position will change from swing-with inconsistent results.

To quiet your lower body bring consistency to your greenside bunker game, practice hitting sand shots with your right heel raised. Your swing's shape and club's impact position will be same-shot after shot.

Michael Hamilton is an accomplished golfer, and editor of Golf Tips Weekly Newsletter. His most recent book can be found at: http://www.free-golf-tip.com/golfebook.htm

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