Use this bunker feel from the European Ryder Cup captain (who just happens to be one of the best sand players of all time).
Players who struggle in greenside bunkers typically make one of two mistakes:
- They chop down too steeply into the sand, and the digging action can’t generate enough power to get the ball out;
- they either miss it entirely or barely skim the sand, and the ball gets bladed way long or into the lip.
The key is to find the sweet spot between a swing that’s too steep or too shallow. If you need help in greenside sand, one of the all-time best bunker players, Englishman Luke Donald, has a key feel for you.
Donald, who led the PGA Tour in sand saves in three separate seasons, says you should practise hitting bunker shots by focusing on what your wrists are doing.
“Your wrists should feel like you’re moving the club through the sand like windshield wipers. Feel the hinge and unhinge of the wrists,” Donald says. “You want a short stroke with speed and have the feeling like you’re throwing the clubhead into the sand behind the ball. That will engage the bounce of the club, allowing it to glide through the sand.”
The clubhead should appear to pass your hands as it moves through the sand, with the face pointing back at you after impact.
Do that, and you might pick up a little sandy side action.
Photography by Warren Little/Getty images
