Where To Strike The Ball In The Sand

Brad Ott: Hi.

This is Brad Ott director of instruction here at TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas.

Today we're going to talk about is one of the most basic concepts in the bunker.

That's where you're going to be hitting the sand.

The spot that you're looking for, we're going to have you targeting, is around two inches behind the golf ball.

For the better players it's closer to one inch.

For the weekend golfers anywhere between two and three inches.

What I'm going to have you do, is I'm going to have a little exercise.

This is going to allow some of you weekend golfers who struggle getting the ball out of the bunker, a little more success getting the ball out of the bunker.

Now this is a drill.

It's not what I want you doing when you're playing because what I'm about to introduce is a drill that is actually a penalty when you play.

You're going to set the club two inches behind the golf ball and you're going to take your stance.

Again if this were a tour we all know this should be a penalty, but we're just using this as an exercise.

What this does is this establishes a point where you're going to focus.

Too many people that I work with, my amateur golfers that I work with, they're really focused on the golf ball.

When it comes to a bunker shot, you don't want to focus on the golf ball, but you want to focus on the spot you're going to be hitting.

By setting your club on the ground, it allows you to establish a focal point which is going to be two inches behind the golf ball.

This spot needs to be in the middle of your body.

The spot you that you need is going to be in the middle of the body.

At this point in time, what you'll do is you'll pick the club up in the air and now you'll actually hit it like a bunker shot.

But first you establish that spot.

If you're going to a target, you can aim at your target.

At this point in time you'll pick the club up, nice relaxing swing.

You'll just try and enter that spot.

What this will do, this will allow you to have a focus on something other than the golf ball, which is a point of entry.

That's the point you want to be focusing on in bunker shots.

By doing this drill it should allow you to get a little bit more successful entry points.

You should have a lot more consistency getting the ball out of the bunker.