Bobby Eldridge Golf

When you are finished with this lesson you will be able to driver right over to your golf course, drop some balls in a green side bunker and hit bunker shots like never before.  The first few might be scary but once you implement the four swing thoughts I am going to give you, you will be off to the races.

Let’s start from the beginning.  Most bunkers have some give to them.  In other words they are softer than the fairway.  When the club head swings down into the sand it will dig into the ground.  FALSE…Not every time.  In the fairway the golf ball sits UP most of the time allowing for the club head to slide UNDER the golf ball.  In the bunker the golf ball sits LEVEL to the ground.  There is no room for the club head to slide under the golf ball.  Furthermore the sand wedge was designed with a flange on the bottom of the club.  The flange acts like a rudder on a boat, it will glide through the sand when it is used correctly.  If not it will BOUNCE off of the sand and you will scull the ball over the green every time. 

That leaves us with one option; we have to design a certain swing that will encourage the club head to slide under the golf ball.  I have that swing for you.  I am going to break it down into four parts so you can learn the chain reaction of the shot.

1.     The only way for you  to consistently hit your green side bunker shots out in one shot is to make sure you swing the golf club UP and DOWN and not DOWN and UP.  The very second the golf club swings away from the golf ball in the backswing it has to swing UP.  In order to do this you do not have to turn your body as much as you would in a full swing from outside the bunker.  However YOU MUST MAKE A FULL ARM SWING EVERY TIME YOU ARE IN THE BUNKER.  You can no longer use a soft, chip swing to get out.  I know it is a scary thought to think you have to make a full arm swing.  There is NO wiggle room here.  This is a must.

2.     The one way to assure yourself of this vertical backswing is to address the golf ball with your weight on your left side.  You usually address the golf ball with your weight equally balanced on both feet.  When you are in the bunker you have to address the golf ball with 75% of your weight on your left foot.  I mean you really have to get over there and YOU MUST STAY THERE FOR THE ENTIRE SWING.  You cannot slide back towards your right side when the golf club swings away from the golf ball.  The single biggest mistake in the bunker swing. 

3.     You have arrived at the top and are ready to head home. This is where you have to keep in mind the sand wedge has a flange on the bottom of it and you have to make it dig into the sand so it can glide through it.  If you don’t break through the first three inches of sand the flange is going to create a bounce affect and the leading edge will make contact with the middle of the golf ball instead of the bottom of it. You MUST swing the sand wedge DOWN into the sand first (causing a layer of sand between the clubface and the golf ball).  If you can swing the club down into the sand you will see a world of difference in your bunker shots.  There is one more step.

4.     After the sand wedge enters the sand the natural reaction is to continue swinging the club all the way to the finish.  This is where your great bunker shot dreams end.  No, I don’t want you to stop the club head, however I want you to follow through LOWWWWWWW…….Here lies (no pun intended) the number one bunker shot secret.  YOU MUST FOLLOW THROUGH LOW.  The reason is simple.  You have to keep the leading edge moving through the sand, you don’t want the leading edge of the sand wedge to get near the golf ball. 

So there you have it.  All you need to know about getting out of the bunker safely.  Join me tomorrow for the continuation of backspin.

Golfingly yours,

Bobby