Photographs by J.D. Cuban june 2019 | golfdigest.com 19
Tee to Green by Butch Harmon Play Your Best“Let the clubhead pass your
hands through impact.”
The No-Room
Bunker Shot
Open the face
and slide it
under the ball
T
his is one of those shots where you
think to yourself, How am I gonna
get anywhere near the hole? First,
accept that it’s OK to hit the ball past the flag.
The worst thing you can do is get too cute and
have the same shot again. Second, realize that
with enough loft, you can swing with some
speed and still hit a short shot.
Before you even take your grip, turn the
clubface open 30 or 40 degrees. Then put
your top hand on with the thumb straight
down the handle, not turned away from the
target like a normal grip. Play the ball up in
your stance, in line with your front foot, and
lean the shaft away from the target. These
moves will add loft and help soften the shot.
The swing should be about halfway back
and through. As you start the swing, turn the
face more open by cupping your left wrist.
Feel the face rolling open so the toe points
behind you (above). Maintain this cupped
wrist position the rest of the way through.
On the downswing, imagine you’re throw-
ing the clubhead through the sand with your
right hand (left). Think of it as a skimming
action where you enter the sand a few inches
behind the ball and slide the face under it.
That motion of the clubhead passing your
hands will maximize loft at impact.
Last thing: Don’t decelerate. You’ve built
enough loft into the shot to give it a nice
swipe without fear. —with peter morricebutch harmon is based at Rio Secco
Golf Club in Henderson, Nev.the short way to lower scores
▶ I just added my fourth video series to
the Golf Digest Schools all-access library.
It’s about greenside play. The shots that
usually make or break your rounds come
within 50 yards of the green, and I cover
them all one by one in these lessons. Check
it out at golfdigest.c om/all ac cess.