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For all your fellow amateurs struggling to hit a holeshot, fear not, because there will come a day when you don’t have to worry when your ball lands in the sand.
Hopefully that day will be sooner rather than later.
To help you get to that point faster, the first step is to admit you have a problem—and address those issues head-on—because you’re not the only golfer doing things the wrong way.
That’s why we’ve highlighted the three most common problems players routinely make with their dungeon shots. Take a look at the problems below, then learn how to correct them to see better sand results.
You’re making the racquet face too square
Remember that you are not trying to hit the ball. You are trying to hit the sand first in order to get there under The ball – which will help to get good height and speed out of the dugout, allowing the shot to land softly on the green.
To do this, open the face of your putter, pointing the grooves of your club slightly to the right of the target line. This allows the club to slide under the sand instead of digging in (which can prevent follow through).
Aim to hit about an inch behind the ball, which will result in a nice soft high shot with some spin.
You are leaning in a downward trend
In an effort to try and get the ball under the ball, many amateurs find themselves leaning back, thinking that the added angle will cause the club to get the ball in for a hard out. It’s something I do routinely — and so am I slowly I started to get out.
Instead of leaning back, be sure to keep your weight forward.
The general rule is to put about 60-65 percent of your weight on the front foot, then make sure your feet are about shoulder width apart; Giving you a solid base. As you swing down, keep all of your weight on your front foot.
This will help prevent your shot from hitting a thin bunker, causing it to fly off the green—and leaving you with more hits to reach the mounting surface.
You reduce club speed
Similar to the above, most amateurs are afraid of hitting a bunker thin shot and flying on the green. So what do they do instead? They reduce the speed of the swing as it comes through the impact.
Of course, when this happens, there is not enough club speed to get the ball out of the sand. Essentially this results in a bunt shot, leaving the player with another shot into the bunker after failing to get out.
Instead of decreasing your club speed, be sure to measure how far you need to get out of the sand, hit about an inch behind the ball, and take a normal swing. Not only do you need the speed of the bat to generate the height needed to get out of the bunker, it is also the key component to producing the spin of the ball.