How to Play Greenside Bunkers
Oh no, your about to hit it over the green or worse yet, get another chance to get out of the bunker. But that doesn't need to be the case. With a little bit of planning and practice you can do this.Do you know what the most common mistake in attempting this shot? It is that most golfers move their lower bodies too much. If there is body shifting or turning then the shape of your swing at impact is going to be inconsistent. You might leave the ball in the bunker one time and then mishit the ball over the green the next shot.
To hit a good greenside bunker shot your weight must be forward through the entire swing. To understand the feeling of a forward weighted swing, practice (in the range bunker) swinging with the heel of your trailing foot in the air. Have your toes dug in, but just so you don't fall over.
Next big problem is that you will need to complete your swing. Imagine the ball is resting on a small plate. You want to hit the back of this plate as your club is going under it, do not stop your swing on contact, and follow through to get the ball up and out of the sand.
For a successful greenside bunker shot we don't want to hit the ball we want to let the sand power the ball out so it will land softly on green.
In time you will be keeping your lower body from shifting or turning and you see the ball flying out of the bunker the same distance and with the same trajectory time and again. Once this is happening practice different swing lengths to work on disctance changes.
After some practice you will be getting the ball out of the bunker consistently and you will be aiming for a target on the green instead of just aiming for the green.
That's all there is for a greenside bunker shot.
- Open stance, dig in
- Play the ball forward in your stance
- Choke down on the club
- Swing
- Don't look up yet.
- Check the results of a successful shot!
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