Break 80: Keep balanced for better bunker shots
When faced with a 40-yard bunker shot leave the more lofted wedges back in the bag and get the pitching wedge out.
We want to get the ball moving forwards rather than upwards. The key is still to move some sand but by getting more force from the clubface.
Your lob wedge is designed to move the sand upwards into the ball which creates the height but we want forward momentum for this shot.
We don’t need to attack the sand so hard. The big thing about this shot is balance.
Too many people take loft and try to explode it out. What we want is to create a good rhythm.
A three-quarter swing is the minimum, ideally with a full turn, but, again, this is all about rhythm and balance.
When practising look at how much actual sand is moved out of the bunker, if you take too much, the sand won’t get out of the bunker.
Practise seeing the sand leave the bunker. For a 40-yard shot you want to take about an inch behind the ball and be sure not to be too steep, this is more of a shallow swing.
Finally, people talk about bounce on lofted wedges. Well, there IS bounce on a pitching wedge. In fact, every iron has bounce if you lean the shaft the correct way.
Try to feel that the base of the club hitting the sand rather than the leading edge.
Set up with the face slightly open to encourage the back of the club to get there first and to get the most out of the bounce.
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