Birdies & bogeys: the explosion shot

By Chipper Cecil

Get out of sand like John Daly.

Bunker shots can not be wished out, or punched out, or guided out. You’ve got to acquire the proper techniques. Even pros spend hours practicing a variety of shot situations. Here are some tips I have used in coaching John Daly. Hopefully, they will help you save strokes.

First, set up with the ball off your left heel. For any bunker shot, it is important to stay behind the ball in order to make it rise quickly. Address the ball with the clubface slightly open and your shoulders pointing well to the left of the intended line of flight.

On the backswing, practice cocking your wrists early and straight away. It’s a feeling of being outside and swinging back. Swing in the direction in which your shoulders are pointing. (You’re actually swinging across the line of flight because you’re aiming left.) Remember, the clubface never turns over — it starts open and the trick is to finish with it open.

One of the biggest errors many amateur golfers make in bunker play is failing to find that early play in the wrists during the backswing. This is a must to avoid tension as is an early downward release on the follow-through. Other points of reference: Your right elbow folds fast as your wrists reach waist-high level and your left elbow folds fast on the follow-through side.

Finally, don’t judge distance by the amount of sand you pick up. Regulate distance by adjusting swing speed and the amount of swing. The texture of the sand influences the swing speed. If the sand is soft and loose (the toughest shot), you’ve got to come out swinging with more speed. If you have a hard, wet lie, cut down on your backswing because the ball will come out faster.

Chipper Cecil is head golf professional at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, and coach for PGA Tour pro John Daly.