Some Drills to Help Your Bunker Play

by Bill Maitland

It is essential that you do not sway to the left (right handers) when you hit a bunker shot. Pretend you are in a tube and that the only possible movement of your body is a swivel or turn. So when you make your shot, you turn your body.

To check this, stand with your back to the sun so that your shadow is cast in front of you. Place a piece of cord on the ground in the long axis of your shadow.

Place your head shadow over the cord so that the cord bisects it. (equal amount of shadow on each side of the cord). Now swing as though in a bunker and watch the shadow. You will be able to detect any movement to the left. Concentrate on rotating your body with no sideways movement to the left.

Try to hit the sand one inch behind your ball. Place a soft marker here and look at it. Forget about the ball. Taking a slow deliberate back swing hit the marker behind the ball taking a good divot which also includes the ball. This is the trick in bunker play. Concentrate on taking the sand. Forget the ball – it will go with the sand. Make sure you have a good follow through or you will quit as soon as you have hit the ball. The ball will fly out of the bunker and stop quickly as you will have applied some spin to the ball by hitting the sand so close behind it. Use your soft marker to give you a target to aim at until you feel confident to do without it.

Copyright Jennifer Stewart 2006