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It really is worthy of note to watch professional golfers play shots from the sand. Provided they have a reasonably decent lie, their consistency as well as precision is remarkable. When a professional golfer is not on the golf green it seems like the place he'd preferably be is in any bunker. Contrast that with amateur golfers who would rather be just about anywhere on the golf course but a sand trap. That should let us know that all these shots shouldn't be as hard as high handicap players cause them to become. I've always thought that the real key to hitting effective sand shots is self-confidence. Because hitting shots from greenside sand traps requires you don't actually hit the ball but the sand, the doubt or not enough pace through the shot will probably result in your golf ball will stay in that same bunker. However to reach that place where you assertively come through the golf ball, there are three areas that will have to be dealt with, and they will be as shown below: 1. Setting up on the ball. It is essential the golf ball is positioned off of the front left foot. In swinging the club the right way this ought to be the base of your golf swing. Positioning it way back within the stance will cause the blade of the sand wedge to go in the sand first. Too far frontward and the blade for the sand wedge will be on the upswing, creating a sculled shot. Setup needs to be open plus the weight needs to be evenly distributed on each foot. 2. Golf swing sequence for the shot. You don't wish for an inside-out swing action for this golf shot. Bring the club straight back or slightly outside the swing path, and you need to have a rapid wrist break which should cause a steeper swing plane. When making contact with the sand think of cupping your left wrist, which means the back of your left hand moves towards the left forearm. This keeps the face of the club from closing. 3. Finding the point of entrance. This can sometimes be a rather difficult concept, as we've actually been so programmed to create solid ball contact for every one of our varying shots. For this one though, we are not hitting the ball, we are striking the sand about two inches behind the ball. Hitting the sand behind your golf ball implies that the golf club in effect is not taking the ball out of the sand, the sand is. Consequently, should you not strike your shot boldly and attempt to launch it out with enough force to take sand plus golf ball to the golf green, you'll typically fail. If the shot is hit with sufficient force and confidence and you employ a good follow through, your ball should come out every time. If you are into golf like we are, we invite you to check out our website http://golfshortgames.com, as well as an article on tips on drawing a ball with your driver. Jim O'Connell is an avid golfer and writer living in Chicago.
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