Golf Tips To Get Out of a Sand Trap

A good bunker shot will splash the sand just under the ball and send ball and sand onto the green.

Luckily for you the sand wedge, invented by the great Gene Sarazen, is the perfect club to do just that

The bottom of the sand wedge is what is called the bounce. The more bounce your sand wedge has the easier it is for you to splash the sand and knock the ball out of the bunker.

If needs be you can add 'artificial' bounce by opening the edge of the sand wedge.

What Kind of Sand Wedge Should You Use?

It is sometimes confusing what kind of sand wedge you should use, especially nowadays with so many choices available.

The majority of golfers carry a 60 degree wedge and this is a good choice. It helps to maximize your bounce and makes playing the sand shot a lot easier.

On fairways bunkers however a 56 degree sand wedge can help to maximize distance.

Using The Sand Wedge

A bunker shot is very similar to a pitching shot in many ways. The biggest difference is that you are aiming to hit the sand about one inch behind the ball.

As you club enters the sand don't stop it dead. If you hit the sand and stop the ball will not leave the bunker.

The easiest way to imagine this is to picture a box around the ball roughly the size of a one dollar bill. Your goal is to hit the imaginary box.

Fat Shots and Skull Shots

A skull shot or a fat shot is the most common mistake in a sand trap. The easiest way to cure this problem is to draw a line in the bunker and practice hitting that line until you can make the line disappear.

Leaving the ball in the Bunker

If you decelerate as your club enters the sand the ball will most likely stay in the bunker.