Bunker Shots: Top Five Tips for Mastering the Long Explosion Shot for Duffers
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by: whudler
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Word Count: 500
What is the hardest of all the trouble shots? I am thinking that a lot of you are saying the long bunker shot. I would agree with the flop shot from bare ground coming in a close second. However it happens we all on occasion wind up in a greenside side bunker 20 or more yards from the flag stick. Now you are faced with the most challenging shot a duffer can face, the long explosion shot. This one has a high degree of difficulty even for the pros. The seventh hole on our home course has a pair of back to back bunkers blocking the left side of the green where the fairway would be otherwise. The second shot is usually a long approach anyway but a tee ball that misses the fairway on either side will definitely bring them into play. When that happens the guys in my foursome rarely make the green adding at least one if not more shots to the hole. Double D can usually handle that shot better than any of us. He has a few tips that have helped me and might help you that I have listed below. 1. Use a closed stance instead of the usual open stance 2. Feet should be just outside shoulder width 3. Dig your feet an inch or two into the sand 4. Play the ball in the middle of your stance 5. Rotate the clubface from open to closed The secret to this shot is the change to your normal bunker shot stance. Instead of setting up open you should close your stance, widen your feet and dig down into the sand for stability. From that stance you want you make a long swing and accelerate through the ball. Using your sand wedge aim to just skim the sand, your divot should be about the size of a dollar bill. Allow the right hand to rotate over the left in your follow through as you would on a fairway iron shot. This is contrary to what you would normally do for an explosion shot where you would hold the clubface open throughout the follow through. Using that technique for this long bunker shot spells trouble as you will most likely come up short or blade the ball over the green. The goal here is not just to make the green but to finish within 20 feet of the flag. These tips will help you to do just that. Sooner or later you will find yourself with a long explosion shot opportunity. It is inevitable. The mission here is to limit the damage to just that one stroke. That way you will avoid an ugly blow up hole. Bogey is acceptable in this situation. Double is not. Learn the long explosion shot to get out in one, keep a good round going and lower your handicap. Then you can move on to the second most difficult shot in golf, the flop shot from a bare lie.
About the Author
Find help for your golf swing here: Golf Swing Instruction
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Wayne Hudler is an avid golfer of over 30 years and golf writer.
He partners with Dooley Duffer over at Dooley Duffer Golf where they are devoted to helping ordinary golfers (duffers) improve their games.
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