I was playing The Lakes courses at De Vere Belton Woods again last week and after 'short-siding' myself on the 13th green, was faced with a tricky, downhill bunker shot with little room between me and the flagstick.
My first attempt left Mizuno MX-300 Irons in the front lip of the bunker but afterwards, one of my playing partners, 18-year-old scratch-handicapper Matt Haynes, one of Belton Woods greenkeepers currently making a name for himself on the local amateur circuit, showed me how the shot should be played.
He admitted it's one of the toughest shots in the game to get right and also demands a little luck to achieve the best results. Even then it's probably going to result in at least a bogey.
He suggested setting my stance so the weight favours the left side (for a right-hander) with shoulders as parallel as possible to the slope. Take my most lofted Mizuno MP53 Irons (60 degree wedge) and slide the club under the ball on a cushion of sand.
Because of the downhill slope and the angle of the swing the ball will come out low and running and probably leave at least a 20 foot putt. But the important thing, he says, is to get the ball out to at least leave yourself a putt or a chip.
From my point of view, I learned another valuable lesson: Pay attention when the flagstick is near a bunker and aim for the meaty side of the green in the first place and don't take a sucker pin on!
But although the Left Handed TaylorMade Burner SuperLaunch Ironsare engineered to appeal to a very wide range of player types, the fact remains that it isn't for everybody. There are golfers, mainly slower swingers and players who produce a naturally low ball flight, who can't launch the Burner high enough to enjoy the full benefits of the club.
