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Jim Suttie: Mastering the long shot from the bunker
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NAPLES — Probably one of hardest shots that any amateur will hit is the long bunker shot.
By long, I mean 30 to 40 yards. Distance control is probably the hardest thing to consider here. Most amateurs will hit the ball first and send it flying over the green.
Here are some tips that will help you in this situation:
• The first thing to consider is the texture of the sand and the lie of the ball. Let’s assume you have a good lie and the sand is normal and not too hard and not too fluffy.
• Take a 9-iron instead of a sand wedge. Take a wider than normal stance, and dig your feet into the sand for added stability.
It is very important to keep your head and lower body very still when you are in the sand. Most amateurs move around too much.
• Open up the clubface ever so slightly and then open up your stance and shoulders also very slightly. Place your ball two inches forward of the center of your stance to allow you to hit two inches behind the ball.
• Your weight should be evenly distributed for this type of shot and not on your left side, as would be the case for a normal bunker shot.
This weight distribution will allow you to make more of a U-shaped swing instead of a V-shaped swing.
• Make a little fuller backswing to get the required distance and hit the sand two inches behind the ball.
Let the sand bring the ball out of the bunker, but please don’t hit the ball first. Make sure you accelerate the club and follow through. You will find that most amateurs will stop their swing right after they hit and try to steer the ball out of this situation with their arms and hands.
• Go ahead and turn your body at the target and hold your finish for two seconds.
• A good drill for you when you are practicing is to draw a line in the sand behind the ball. Just try to hit the line before the ball. The ball will come out a little left to right, but you will find that you will get the ball to the pin and will never skull it over the green.
Try these tips and you will become a better long bunker player.
Dr. Jim Suttie, the 2000 PGA Teacher of the Year, is director of instruction at The Club at TwinEagles in North Naples and at Cog Hill Golf Club in Lemont, Ill. He also is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher and rated No. 15 by Golf Digest. Suttie coaches the FGCU men’s golf team. E-mail him at jmsuttie@aol.com. Call 1-800-765-3838 for lesson information.
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