I’VE SEEN WEEKEND PLAYERS attempt bunker shots in all sorts of ways, most of them wrong. It’s a unique situation that calls for a unique setup—anything else almost assures disaster.
Try this instead. In a practice bun- ker, draw a line in the sand perpendic- ular to your target line (dotted, above). Set the ball on this line. Now draw two lines veering out from the first, creat- ing an arrow as shown above. Set your feet along these two lines—“flared,” so to speak. As you get into your address, hover the clubhead behind the ball with the shaft parallel to the dotted line.
That’s right—no need to lean the shaft back or toward the target or unduly open the face. As you start your swing, forget the ball. Your goal is to enter the bun- ker slightly behind the dotted line and hold the face open so you splash sand under the ball at the target. Simple? Yes. Effective? Just try it. You’ll be amazed.
Shawn Koch is director of instruction at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga.
Golf.com
