Life’s a Beach…Navigating out of the Bunker

Until you discover how to hit out of a sand trap effectively, golf can be a very frustrating game. Of course ideally you would not hit into the bunker in the beginning, but even the champions find their balls rolling into sand from time to time.

Even on a course that has only a few bunkers, many golfers find that their balls seem to be attracted to “the beach” as if they were magnetic, I like to call these people David Haselhoff. What is sometimes happening is that even if consciously we are thinking that we must avoid it, focusing our minds on the sand trap leads our body to direct the shot there. Therefore, when you are approaching a bunker, ignore it and keep your focus fixed on the flag.

If your ball does land in the sand in spite of your best efforts, here is how to get it out. Your stance is crucial. To avoid your feet sinking or slipping, work them into the sand a little to have a firm grounding. Keep the weight more toward the left leg if you are right handed, or the right leg if you are left handed.

If you have an open lie, take a sand wedge and keep its face square to the flag as you swing down on a steep angle.  Swing and follow-through are smooth and equal. Have the club enter the sand approx two inches ahead of the ball and exit an equal distance beyond the ball. The exit must be correct in order to send the ball flying straight up out of the bunker.

To practice this shot, start by marking two lines in the sand, approx 4 inches apart. Without using a ball, practice having your sand wedge enter the sand on the first line and exiting on the second. The depth should be just about  a half inch. When you are consistently taking out sand at the right depth and distance, place the ball and repeat the shot so that the ball is carries with ease out of the sand.

A buried lie in the bunker can be helped by closing the club face when entering the sand, still two inches ahead of the ball. Practice with a wedge and 9 iron as well as the sand wedge to find which works best for you in this situation. Keep in mind that once on the green, the ball will travel further because the sand has absorbed whatever backspin is on the ball.

Another shot that you can learn to handle with practice is a buried lie in the bank. Many beginning golfers instinctively try to scoop the ball out with an upward swing but that will create an ineffective, haphazard shot. Instead, send the sand wedge into the bank just under the ball, and the ball should soar up out of the golf bunker onto the green.