Written by Lee Scarbrow on Monday 18 May 2009
Sometimes when you arrive at the bunker you’re not greeted with the ball sat on a beautiful fluffy lie, but instead it’s resting on a hard base of compact sand. It’s easy to thin the ball over the green from this tricky lie, but with a couple of small adjustments to your set-up and technique it can be overcome. TG Top 12...
Written by Adrian Fryer on Thursday 14 May 2009
Few club golfers use the two features that are built into your sand wedge to help you effectively. That’s the bounce on the wedge and the built-in loft on the club. A simple way to ensure that both are put to full effect is to strengthen your grip a touch so that your left hand is stronger. TG Top 12 Teacher Adrian...
Written by Lee Scarbrow on Friday 8 May 2009
The 30-yard bunker shot is one of the toughest shots in golf. It’s mid-way between a fairway bunker and greenside bunker shot. That makes it tough to practice. To counter this place an upside down umbrella into the ground 30 yards away from your practice bunker. TG Top 12 Teacher Lee Scarbrow demonstrates the simple keys you need to follow to make...
Written by Adrian Fryer on Tuesday 14 April 2009
When you’re in a fairway bunker it is imperative that you use a club with plenty of loft to get the ball up and over the lip. The other keys to fairway bunker play are to build a set-up and use a swing that will ensure you catch the ball cleanly before clipping the sand.
Written by Dan Frost on Wednesday 18 March 2009
The most common fault we see in bunkers is golfers standing too tall at address. The first thing you need to change to improve your bunker play is to widen your stance and flex the knees. This gives you a chance to hit the sand first and not the ball. The second thing you to try is to draw a circle around the ball into a...
Written by Alexander Noren on Thursday 12 March 2009
Amateurs typically have trouble controlling distance from sand. In my view, this is often because they overcomplicate the issue by bringing in too many variables. In pro-ams I will watch them opening or closing their stance and clubface, or trying to take more or less sand. It’s not a recipe for consistency. My approach is minimise the differences between a long...
Written by Tiger Woods on Monday 19 January 2009
I’m always amazed at the confusion over the lower body’s role in greenside bunker play. Here’s a rule of thumb: quiet lower body on the backswing, active lower body on the throughswing. A lot of amateurs fail to consistently execute greenside bunker shots because they lock the lower body in place and get handsy or armsy with the swing. As...
Written by Dan Frost on Monday 10 November 2008
Do you struggle to control the distance that your bunker shots travel? This simple drill will help you. TG Top 12 Teaching Professional Dan Frost shows you how to control the height of your bunker shots and therefore the distance the ball travels by altering the height of the sand leaving the bunker. Scroll down now to watch this video tip…...
Written by Dan Frost on Tuesday 14 October 2008
Every now and then a new technique springs up in golf that totally transforms the game. The current craze on Tour is the butterfly grip for use in bunkers. This new style of grip is great when you need to play a high-flying, soft-landing bunker shot as it creates clubhead speed and adds loft to the club. TG Top 12 Teacher Dan...
Written by Scott Cranfield on Monday 22 September 2008
A good bunker player doesn’t even need to watch their shot to know whether it has gone close to the pin. They can tell just from the connection made with the sand. The amount of sand you take, the depth of the sand and the connection with the sand will ultimately determine how far the ball travels. A great drill to improve...
Written by Scott Cranfield on Thursday 4 September 2008
Matchplay is one of those occasions which can force you into a situation on the golf course. If your opponent has hit the green already and you have found a fairway bunker then you simply have to go for it, even it that means using a fairway wood to get there. A couple of simple tips will see you right. Follow...
Written by Scott Cranfield on Tuesday 2 September 2008
Some of the games in Ryder Cup history have produced amazing bunker shots at crucial stages, literally changing the whole balance of the match. If you can learn to be a good bunker player it can be a lethal weapon in your armoury – and it all comes down to controlling the depth of sand you take. TG Top 12 Teaching Professional...
Written by Dan Frost on Wednesday 20 August 2008
Hitting the ball into a pot bunker is common on links courses and it can be difficult to hit a good bunker shot out. The key to hitting a good bunker shot is down to the type of club used, stance and shot angle. Keeping the body low is essential to force the golf ball out of the bunker. PGA Pro Dan Frost explains all in this ‘How...
Written by Scott Cranfield on Wednesday 30 July 2008
Leaving the ball in a bunker is costly. Especially if you don’t get out second time either. Most golfers fail to splash out of sand first time because they aren’t using their sand wedge correctly. Instead of opening up the face they leave it square. That causes the leading edge of the wedge to dig into the sand, hitting too heavy...
Written by Dan Frost on Monday 14 July 2008
Hitting the ball into a pot bunker is common on links courses and it can be difficult to strike it out. The key to getting the ball out of a pot bunker is down to the type of club used, stance and shot angle. Keeping the body low is essential to force the ball out of the bunker. PGA Pro Dan Frost explains all in this...
Written by Mark Moore on Friday 23 May 2008
You are fairly confident you can get the ball out of the bunker, now’s the time to take your sand skills one step further and learn how to vary the distance your shots travel to play to different position pins. Rudding Park golf course professional Mark Moore has a simple drill you can use to improve your bunker distance control. Watch this...
Written by Mark Moore on Thursday 22 May 2008
Everyone knows that you should open the clubface of your sand wedge to play a greenside bunker shot, but few people get it right. Rudding Park golf course professional Mark Moore has a simple drill you can use to get your bunker alignment right. Watch this Bunker Alignment Golf Video lesson and sand play will be simple, for certain!...
Written by Mark Moore on Thursday 22 May 2008
The 50 yard sand shot is one of the hardest shots in golf. Rudding Park golf club professional Mark Moore has a simple drill to make this tough shot easier. All you need to do is draw a line in the sand one inch behind the ball and practise striking this line. Watch this Golf video lesson on the 50 yard sand...
Written by Nick Clemens on Wednesday 21 May 2008
Do you struggle to play your greenside bunker shots correctly? There is a very simple method you can use that will make this shot seem easy. TG professional Nick Clemens shows you his three ball drill that will put the consistency back into your bunker play. Watch this golf video tip to improve your sand play…...
Written by Nick Bradley on Tuesday 4 March 2008
Greenside bunker golf shots can cause anguish for many golfers. But Nick Bradley has developed this simple golf lesson to demonstrate how the golf club needs to bounce through the sand. All you need to do is picture a splash shot from water. There are two types of splash shot – one where the golf club ploughs in deep creating a wave;...