Lob And Stop From Sand With Rory McIlroy

Want to play fearless golf? Try perfecting this to impress your friends. With a tight pin and little green to work with, the high explosive bunker shot that stops within a foot of landing is just the job.

I’ll be honest with you, this is not for the faint-hearted! A normal bunker shot and you’re looking to take the sand a couple of inches behind the ball, but here, I like to get as close to the ball as possible. It’s not an easy shot to execute but with practice it can be a very useful – and exciting – one.

This is a very handsy shot with loads of clubhead speed. Look how the wrists work through to the finish.

I try and strengthen my left hand grip and weaken my right hand a little bit which helps to keep the club open through impact.

The wedge I use helps for this shot because it’s got 60º of loft with 4º of bounce. Also the sole plate has a nice curved camber on it which helps it to cut smoothly through the sand. A lot of wedges have quite flat sole plates which I don’t think work as well.

Your weight needs to be at least 60 per cent on the left side and I’m not sure that you can swing too hard at this one.This is a very handsy shot with loads of clubhead speed. Look how the wrists work through to the finish.

Look how you fan the blade wide open even compared to a normal bunker shot position. It’s almost as if a marble would roll backwards, away from the ball, if placed on the clubface.