George
Coetzee
South Africa
SAND SAVES
When my bunker play is bad
my hands get in front of the
ball at impact. A good bunker
player’s hands are always
behind the ball at impact with
the shaft leaning back.
This is because hand
position relative to the clubface
dictates which part of the sand
wedge’s sole makes contact
with the sand. When your
hands are ahead it presents the
sharp leading edge of the club
into the sand, causing a digging,
heavy contact; when your hands
are correctly behind, it presents
the curved trailing edge of the sole,
or the bounce, to the sand, whichgives a more skimming and more
controllable contact.
It sounds a bit technical but if your
hands are behind the ball, the club
bounces underneath the sand
and the ball pops up.How you can improve from
sand: Firstly, you’ve got to
interpret your lie. Taking
your stance is key:
when you see guys
waggling their feet in
the bunker, it’s notfor gripping, but for feeling how much
sand you’ve got to play with.
The old interpretation of bunker play
would be to aim 45° left (right-handers)
with the clubface 45° open. But the
new way is to aim square to the target
because it’s easier to get your hands
behind the ball. Play the ball forward
in your stance and keep your weight
on the lead foot throughout the swing.
Keep the clubface open because once
you set your hands behind the ball at
address, it actually points the clubface
at the target.
Bunker play is an art form, but you’ve
got to spend time working on it. As a
kid I spent a lot of time messing around
in the sand, working out what the sand
and the ball does and how to play
shots better from all kinds of lies. So
take a bucket of balls, get in a bunker
and work things out for yourself for
a couple of hours – two hours once
a week will drastically change your
bunker game... I guarantee it.When my bunker play is bad
my hands get in front of the
ball at impact. A good bunker
player’s hands are always
behind the ball at impact with
the shaft leaning back.
This is because hand
position relative to the clubface
dictates which part of the sand
wedge’s sole makes contact
with the sand. When your
hands are ahead it presents the
sharp leading edge of the club
into the sand, causing a digging,
heavy contact; when your hands
are correctly behind, it presents
the curved trailing edge of the sole,
or the bounce, to the sand, whichgives a more skimming and more
controllable contact.
It sounds a bit technical but if your
hands are behind the ball, the club
bounces underneath the sand
and the ball pops up.How you can improve from
sand:sand: Firstly, you’ve got to
interpret your lie. Taking interpret your lie. Taking
your stance is key:
when you see guys 2nd
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