subject: How To Get Out of a Bunker...Every Time [print this page] Afraid of landing in a bunker? You know, those big gaping sand dunes that you need a camel to get into. Well hold your fear.
Here's a golfing tip online from Mark Holland, Australian tour coach, to help you banish that thought once and for all.
He says that bunker play can and should, given a fair lie, be as easy as splashing sand onto the green. Even if you have landed in what looks like the Saharan desert. And he tells you just how to do that:
His tip: just make sure you have enough swing and force to do so.
For all golf players, learning any new skill is about first developing a concept. And then taking that concept and adding the what, how and why of you go about the skill.
Then you need to add the visualization of that skill being executed. See this post about visualization.
Next you to feel the movement. We all interpret our surroundings via our senses. The sames goes for golf because we use our senses to help create a feel. Which, in turn, gives us the ball flight, distance, direction, roll and ultimately the scores we desire.
Now it's practice, practice, practice. You can't avoid it if you are to become proficient at any skill, even for the most gifted. Practice will reinforce and cement the skill to a more automated stage.
Finally, as with any golfing tip online, you need to test and re-test. Be objective about your skills. Record your sand saves % in your practice sessions and play. Most European Tour pros average just over 50% sand saves, while the very best achieve a 75% success rate.
Hollands says that ss an amateur you should be aiming for 33% and striving for 50%. This process is very important as it is necessary to refine your learning as you develop as a player.
