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Bunker Practice: Time To Use A Bunker Board
By Foursome | July 23, 2008
Not all practice takes place on the driving range. Any time you’re at a facility that has a practice bunker, short-game area, or practice green, take advantage of the situation and try the following sand shot trick:
Hitting sand shots is dry and dirty work. Nobody wants to spend all afternoon in the bunker, right? But unless you want to keep shooting high scores and playing a miserable bunker game, you better get your priorities in gear. There is much to gain by mastering the bunker shot.
Also, another less obvious advantage to swinging a mean sand wedge is confidence. If you are confident about how you play your bunker shots then that confidence has a spill over effect to all of your shots made outside the bunker, like flop shots over bunkers and short shots out of high rough. Confidence breeds a successful golfer, which equals low scores and a lower handicap.Time For The Bunker Board Exercise
But instead of just dropping practice balls into a bunker and thrashing about, approach bunker practice with a plan. One way to teach yourself to handle bunker shots is to practice with a bunker board.
The goal of the bunker board exercise is to train yourself to hit through the sand positioned under the ball and splash it out at the right depth. The setup is simple:
1. Buy a wooden 2×4 board from the lumber store and take it to the course with you.
2. Place the board in a practice bunker along your target line and perpendicular to your feet.
3. Put two to three inches of sand on top of the board, and carefully leave the ends of the board uncovered so you don’t hit the end when you swing.
4. Put a golf ball on the middle of the board.
5. Set up for a bunker shot with your sand wedge and hit the ball from its position on the sand above the board, trying not to hit down on the board.
The Results
If you take more than two inches of sand on your bunker shots, you hit too many heavy, short shots. If you splash the club through the inch or two of sand you put on the board, you shouldn’t hit it. A proper shot may skin the board with the wedge, but that’s about it.
Topics: Sand Bunkers, Tips & Practice |