Bunker Play
The ball comes out on a cushion of sand
To do this effectively we use the bounce of the club. The bounce stops the club digging too deep into the sand. If you are someone who takes deep troughs of sand and finds the ball barely moving then you have almost certainly, in some way, reduced the effective bounce angle of the club.
(Click these links to read Bunker Play PART ONE and Bunker Play PART TWO)
The yellow drawings on the four images here show how the bounce angle changes depending on what state the club is in as it strikes the sand.
Returning the hands to a central position at impact will ensure that the correct loft and bounce of the club is applied.
As you can see if the clubface is closed or the shaft is leaning towards the target then the bounce angle is reduced.
The Plugged Ball aka The Fried Egg
There is one exception to my lessons on bunker play and that is when the ball is plugged.
In this case we need to reduce the bounce angle and get the club to travel deep into the sand.
The slightly closed clubface and steep angle of attack is encouraged by keeping your weight on the left side and the hands ahead of the ball. This will negate the bounce angle so the club drives down to get underneath the ball.
The amount of bounce that is on a club to begin with varies. A low bounce club has 4-5° right up to a high bounce angle being 16-18°. For FREE expert help come and talk me at Dunes Golf Centre but for now here is a general guide for choosing the correct bounce:
More Bounce
The fluffier the sand, the deeper the sand, the lighter the sand, the longer the grass in the rough, and the steeper the golfer swings the wedge down into the ball, the more bounce on the sole is required to be consistent in shot making.
Less Bounce
Conversely, the more coarse the sand, the more shallow the sand, the heavier and wetter the sand, the shorter the grass in the rough, and the more level the golfer swings the wedge down into the ball, the less bounce on the sole is required to be consistent in shot making.
Let me show you how to get out the bunker first time, every time!
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