GOLF
maybe even on the edge of the green – there’s a pretty good chance the ball did the same. So, here’s the explanation. And there are really two parts to making this simple philosophy work. First, you need to be able to strike the sand – that is, make first contact or enter the sand with the club – at or very near a specific point that you determine. And second, make a ‘big’ enough swing to actually make the sand you hit land outside the bunker. Now, here’s a guide for how to practice. Start by drawing a straight line in the sand with you club, say five of six feet long. I recommend you start in a fairly level part of the bunker to get started. You can move to explore more compli- cated lies as you improve. With sand wedge in hand, straddle the line and set up with your club hovered just above the line. Your job now is to make a swing and have the club strike directly on the line. Not behind it or past it – directly on the line. Instant feedback! How did it go? So, move up six inches and do it again. OK, move forward an- other six inches and do it again. Repeat. Repeat again. Keep repeating till you run out of line. With a five-foot line
you ought to get at least 10 attempts before you stop, rake up your damage. Now do it again. Once you can first strike the sand in the spot you choose, you’re well on your way. But that’s only half the battle. Once you find yourself hitting your spot (the line), begin to notice where the sand you’ve just hit lands. My bet is its just moving a few inches or a few feet – but likely its not landing outside the bun- ker. So you’ve got to swing ‘bigger’. In this context, ‘bigger’ might be referring to the size or your swing. Or it might speak more to the effort you put into the motion. Or maybe it’s a bit of both. I find that most folks who struggle to get out of the sand tend to make little bitty ‘scared’ swings. That won’t work at all here. Give yourself plenty of motion. Let you weight shift and accelerate like you’re hitting a full shot. Try to end up in a full swing finish position. And hold the pose till the sand – and the ball – land outside the bunker. Now think of the earlier illustration. Where the sand goes, so goes the ball. But wait. We haven’t introduced the ball yet! Let’s do that now.
Since you’ve practiced enough times to strike the sand in the right spot and are making a ‘big’ enough swing to move the sand you hit well outside the bunker, it’s time for the ball. Set up the line drill again. But this time add a ball approximately 2”-3” beyond the line. This should be pretty much directly un- der the center of the sand you’ve been knocking out of the bunker during your practice swings. Now, remember the tip and forget about the ball. Do the drill like the ball isn’t even there. Strike the line (direct- ly behind the ball, please) with a big enough swing to make the sand fly out of the bunker. If you manage to do that – forget about the ball and move the sand out of the bunker – I’ll bet the ball gets out of the bunker too. And it won’t be some half-bladed, over-the- green sort of thing. It will be a relatively soft-landing affair that you can be proud of and say, “I meant to do that!” Now, if you can remember what Gary Player said about practice! See you around the course,
Greg Scott, PGA Director of Golf
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