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Professional Golfer’s Advice on How to Perform Bunker Shots

The best way to deal with a bunker shot is to not have to hit one in the first place. Of course, that isn’t always going to be possible. From time to time, you are going to find your way into a bunker or two around the golf course, and you need to be prepared with a plan for how to get out in one shot. There is good news, however – bunker shots can actually become rather easy once you get comfortable with the proper technique.

Keeping it simple when you get in a bunker is the best idea to make sure you get out and back onto the grass in one shot. Following are three tips to help you achieve this goal –

  • Use your most lofted wedge. For the majority of bunker shots around the green, you are going to want to use your most lofted wedge to hit the shot. The reason for this is simple – you want to get maximum elevation on the shot so you can get over the lip of the bunker and up onto the green. Unless you face an extremely long greenside bunker shot, use your most lofted wedge to get out of the bunker.
  • Miss the ball. That’s right – the goal on a greenside bunker shot is actually to miss the ball with your swing. What you want to do is slide the club through the sand under the ball so that the sand pushes the ball up into the air and onto the green. Because you are using the sand to move the ball, you are going to need to swing much harder than you would normally for a shot of the same distance. Make an aggressive swing to cut through the sand and watch the ball float up gently onto the green.
  • Flex your knees at address. Since you are trying to swing under the ball when playing a greenside bunker shot, it is helpful to add a little extra flex in your knees to get down a little closer to the ball. This way, you won’t have to reach down to get under the ball because your knee flex will have caused your whole swing to be lower. Maintain the flex in your knees throughout the swing and you should find it easy to cut under the ball. After just a couple short practice sessions, you may find that you are quite comfortable dealing with the bunker shot.
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