Bunker drills?

css

Ok I'm badly in need of practice with my bunker shots. Part of it is due to changing my sand wedge to a lob wedge, not a problem in itself, I just need to get used to the new club.

Anyhow I was wondering what drills people do to practice bunkershots?

Also what mentality do you have when taking a shot in the game itself? I'm usually thinking, 'keep swinging through it', but i'm curious what others get their head thinking!

imalegend

bunker drills...im not really one who practises these as i believe they are more about feel...people fear bunkers but i think the key is seeing what you want the ball to do before you hit the shot...i also think a lob wedge is a poor choice for a bunker shot as it limits your options..the splash and run shot is very very hard to play with so much loft on the face.so my advice is get a picture in your head of the shot you are about to hit and hit it.

WillyWonka

imalegend wrote:

bunker drills...im not really one who practises these as i believe they are more about feel...people fear bunkers but i think the key is seeing what you want the ball to do before you hit the shot...i also think a lob wedge is a poor choice for a bunker shot as it limits your options..the splash and run shot is very very hard to play with so much loft on the face.so my advice is get a picture in your head of the shot you are about to hit and hit it.

you obviously have bunker shots sorted imalegend.

I'm in need of advice too, the ones nearer the green are the main problem.

css

imalegend wrote:

bunker drills...im not really one who practises these as i believe they are more about feel...people fear bunkers but i think the key is seeing what you want the ball to do before you hit the shot...i also think a lob wedge is a poor choice for a bunker shot as it limits your options..the splash and run shot is very very hard to play with so much loft on the face.so my advice is get a picture in your head of the shot you are about to hit and hit it.

I'm not really one who practices either, hence my question...

As for my choice of club, well if i want less loft I can use my gap wedge. I don't have room in my bag for 4 wedges, so I need to practice with what I have.

DIEGO WORST

css wrote:

I'm not really one who practices either, hence my question...

As for my choice of club, well if i want less loft I can use my gap wedge. I don't have room in my bag for 4 wedges, so I need to practice with what I have.

I would consider the bounce of the wedge to be more important than the loft of the club. You can always open the clubface according to the amount of height you want to get on the shot.

I try to maximise the bounce of the club in bunkers with plenty of fine dry sand. Bounce is an enemy when the surface of the bunker is very firm, due to wet sand, or little sand in the bunker. Sand Wedges tend to have a lot of bounce, lob wedges tend to have little bounce as they are designed to hit from tight lies.

There are not many known drills for greenside bunker play. Its a matter of practice really. As a general rule, you must swing out to in with an open club face, catch the sand and not the ball. Try different shots when practising e.g. aim to hit 1 inch behind the ball, then try 2 inches, then try 3 inches. Also try opening the clubface varying degrees. Note the results.

css

Basically my lw is very similar in bounce to my old SW, it is just getting a lot more spin on the ball. It's no big deal, I just need to practice with it and get familiar with it. So again, back to drills.

I have things I do when i practice my irons, my putting, my driving, my chipping.. I just never really bothered much with bunkers! (in the last 10 years anyhow!)

Thanks diego, I guess I'll just try to hit a variety of shots and generally muck about and get a feel for the club in general, and it should get my confidence in it up for bunkershots! As for all other shots, i love it!

FlutterinBantam

Don't do bunkers meself....

But... one tip...ignore the ball .. concentrate on the spot you want to strike..yknow...2"..1" behind the ball...and complete the stroke..... most important ..complete the stroke positively....

madds

I would consider myself to be a reasonable bunker player, i.e. coupled with my putting I would expect to get up and down out of most greenside bunkers 5 out of 10 times.

1. Picture the shot - aim to land the ball in a particular spot on the green which will leave you with the easiest putt. Most of us would prefer a 15 foot putt straight uphill rather than a 5 foot putt left to right downhill.
2. Grip down on the club, i.e. place your hands towards the end of the grip.
3. These are hands and arms shots - try and limit your lower body movement during the shot. There will be movement, but just try and limit it.
4. Commit/complete the shot - do not quit on it.

Then it's just a case of practice!

Madds

swingking

take a ball and tee it up in the bunker (sounds mad, I know, but try it)

The idea is to hit the tee and not the ball. By doing this you are concentrating on the entry and exit spots and not the ball.

Think "chop the legs off the golf ball"

WillyWonka

Any one know of a somewhere in dublin with a practice bunker?

swingking

WillyWonka wrote:

Any one know of a somewhere in dublin with a practice bunker?

The only place I can think of is spawell driving range or Leopardstown golf centre.

TheDoc

im finding bunkers pretty tough these days on my course, but when i go to other courses im stitching them easy, mainly cause my bunkers are ****e.

A lob wedge gives you the advantage of extra loft, therefor opening the club face is not really neccesary and therefore causesless bladed and shanked bunker shots.

I always open my body to the target, ope nthe clubface ever so slightly and swing in nearly a diagnol arc going across my body.