The long bunker shot is said to be one of the hardest shots in golf. You probably won’t encounter too many long bunker shots, but when you do if you don’t know how to tackle them they can cause you many lost shots. So please practice them and enjoy the great experience of being among the very few golfers who play them well.
Now let’s say you are faced with a 50 yard bunker shot. What do you do? First of all you should stand less open (than you would for a normal bunker shot), and your clubface should only be slightly open. Your weight should be on your left side (about 60%) and your hands slightly ahead of the ball. You should position the ball in the center of your stance and aim to enter the sand under an inch from the ball, but experiment with this.
This setup will cause you to have a flatter swing arc, which will produce a swing that will drive the ball forward to the target. You should still swing the same as normal for the long bunker shot, but you should experiment with different clubs for the longer shots. For example, try your wedge and 9-iron.
So when you practice these shots remember to:
1. Stand less open and have the clubface almost square.
2. Weight on your left side & hands slightly ahead of the ball.
3. Have your ball positioned in the center of the stance.
4. Enter the sand 1 inch or less behind the ball.
5. Use a wedge or 9-iron for longer shots.
If you follow these suggestions and practice long bunker shots then when you’re faced with one on the golf course you’ll know what to do. Long bunker shots don’t need to be feared!
Tags: Golf, long bunker shot, tips
Leave a Reply