Escaping the sand trap is a challenge no matter what your golf handicap. Ideally, you want to escape in one shot. But if you’re like some weekend golfers, it often takes two or three shots to get out.
Or, if you get out in one, you’re not always on the green. Other times, you skull the ball over the green and into the rough. Mistakes like these can cost you par and pad your scores, making it hard to break 80—not to mention what they can do to your golf handicap.
Below are seven keys to escaping the sand trap:
- Take a slightly open stance
- Dig your feet in for stability
- Open the clubface about 20 degrees
- Play the ball off your left instep
- Hit two inches behind the ball
- Make a steeper swing (if the ball is buried)
- Use an extra long swing
Take a slightly open stance, dig your feet in to boost stability, and open the clubface about 20-30 degrees. Play the ball off your front instep and try to hit the sand about two inches behind the ball.
Also, swing hard enough to hit it twice as you normally would. In other words, use a 20-yard swing for a 10-yard bunker shot. Try to splash the ball out of the sand trap.
If the ball is buried, make a slightly steeper swing. Keep your weight on your front foot, hinge your wrists quickly, and hit the sand about an inch behind the ball. With a buried lie, you don’t need to take as big a swing as you do when the ball sits up.
Bunker Drill:
One way to master this shot is to practice hitting bunker shots from a buried lie.
Drop a ball in the sand. Tap it down so it’s about half way below the surface. Then address the ball—keeping the seven keys above in mind—and blast it out. You’ll have to beat down on the sand to get the clubface under the ball.
This drill teaches you to swing more aggressively down into the sand—something many weekend golfers don’t do. Practice the drill and you’ll learn to escape the sand trap in one.
