Situational Shots

The ball is just outside the bunker.

Make a slow swing to catch a good contact.

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The ball is not in the bunker, but almost in the bunker.

Adjust your setup to get comfortable in the situation.

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The shot lie is in the lip of the bunker.

The ball is in an uphill.

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You should be able to see two knuckles of your left hand.

With this grip what you are trying to do is to hit a straight shot.

• » Explanation and types of grips

Ideally, you want the clubface to rotate with your left arm.

Your shot will have a tendency to draw because the ball is above your feet.

• » Position of the club face during the swing

Pick a small target in the ground and trust it .

The ball should come out towards that target and gently draw towards the middle.

• » Correct alignment explanation

Place the ball forward in your stance. Open your left toe slightly to add more balance in a downhill lie.

Your outcome should be a high shot.

• » Explanation of the set up

• » Hip tilt/Back straight

Because the right foot will be lower, you will have more weight on it.

It is very important to keep your balance at all times in this shot.

• » Explanation of the set up

Your shoulders, arms, hands, and wrists taking the club away from the body working rhythmically together. You should feel your arms fully extended down the swing plane to begin your takeaway.

An in-plane takeaway will result in your body being square with the club at all times.

• » Correct swing plane explanation

Your backswing will not have much of a lower body turn, it will be mostly your arms moving the club, so make sure you do not hook the shot.

This top position will help you get the ball out high, drawing, and hopefully with some spin on it.

• » Swing syncronization explanation

Do your best effort to shift the weight towards your left foot, even though the lie will not allow you to.

All the previous factors should lead to a slightly drawing shot.

• » Lower body stability drill

Your whole body should come to the original position, with a straight back, and the weight slightly on your right leg.

This position is the result of your setup. Your shot should start its flight right off your target and gradually draw in.

The slope will not allow you to shift the weight.

At the finish position, your whole body should be facing your target.

Swinging too hard.

May cause you to hit the lip of the bunker instead of the ball.

Poor shot.

Weak grip.

Open clubface in backswing.

High and sliced shots.

• » Effects of a close club face on the swing plane

You must swing harder to hit the ball further

The main determinant of long shots is how solid you impact the ball. If you do not hit the ball solid, you will never hit it far. Create swing speed and focus on hitting the ball in the center of the clubface.

Hitting the shot to the left.

Not aiming right.

Aim right to make up for the slope's effect on the ball flight.

• » Hip tilt/Back straight

Hitting the shot to the right.

Open clubface in the backswing.

Check that you see two knuckles of your left hand and let the clubface rotate square with your left arm. Also, remember to aim left to make up for the slope difference.

• » Position of the club face during the swing

When the ball is above your feet, aim right of your target.

Swing easy for two reasons: you have plenty of club and for distance control purposes.

In this shot, you must stand taller to hit the ball solid.

This will help you get through the ball instead of getting stuck in the grass.

This will give you stability in your swing.