Some of you may have been lucky enough to see this shot played by a pro during a Tour event. I was lucky enough to find this demo by Canadian pro Shawn Clement. This video is nice because it also shows a regular greenside bunker shot and compares the differences between the two:
To summarize:
- Use your 60-degree wedge.
- Toe it in -- that is, turn the wedge in your hands so the toe of the club hits the sand first. You want the club to dig in.
- Hit close behind the ball, but make sure there's some sand between the clubface and the ball. You want to hit the sand first, not the ball.
- Don't swing as hard as a regular sand shot.
- Land the shot closer to the sand trap than the hole. This is the opposite of a regular sand shot because the ball comes out low and will roll a lot more.
- And make sure you realize that the ball will come out like a pulled shot -- to the left for a righthander, to the right for a lefthander. While Shawn didn't mention it, you can see it in the video. You may want to allow a little for this when you aim.
Learn this shot and your golf buddies will think you're channeling Phil Mickelson... or at least that little gopher from Caddyshack. ;-)
Playing a course tomorrow that is littered with bunkers which actually has soft sand in which I might encounter this problem. I hope I don't have to execute this shot, but if I do, I have a better idea of what to do. Of course now that I'm talking about it, I will definitely encounter it. I'll let you know how it goes
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
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