How are you supposed to correctly hit a bunker shot to the green with a 56* sand wedge?

Question

How are you supposed to correctly hit a bunker shot to the green with a 56* sand wedge?

Answer 1

Greenside bunker?  Do not make contact with the ball.  The club is to slide underneath the ball through the sand.  You will hear a "THUMP" when you do it correctly.  You will hear a "CLICK" when you don't.

Answer 2

My suggestion would be to go to golfdigest.com

There they have a lot of simple lessons, not only for bunker shots, but for many shots you may find yourself faced with around the golf course.

EDIT:

http://www.golfdigestchallenge.com//regi...

If you go to that link, you can register for the golf digest challenge. Not only will that keep record of your scores and give you a short game and long game handicap, but it will help to identify the weak parts of your game and give you tips accordingly (including several on bunker shots).

While you do have to register, it is Golf Digest Magazine's site which is highly trustworthy and will not send you loads of spam.

Answer 3

I presume you're talking about a greenside bunker.

A 56° SW is perfect for greenside bunkers.  That's why it's the standard loft for a SW.

A 56° SW is not intended to hit 75 yds, like from a fairway bunker, although, if you can pick the ball cleanly, it's very possible.

Most SWs have a "bounce" or a "flange" on the bottom of the club.  The larger the "bounce" the more the club will "bounce" up and lift your ball; but you MUST open the clubface to be able to take advantage of the "bounce".

In most bunkers, you DO NOT want the leading edge of your club to cut into the sand.  You DO NOT want to "scoop" the ball out of the bunker.  You DO want the club to "bounce" UNDER the ball causing the ball "splash" out of the bunker.

So, you MUST follow through with your swing!

Anyway, that's how it's supposed to work.  After practicing a few times, it's not really THAT difficult to execute.

I forgot to mention, your swing s/b a descending blow about 2-3 inches behing the ball.  Your swing s/b more "V" shaped rather than "U" shaped.  As your club hits the sand, it will "bounce" up under the ball, thus, never actually touching the ball.  Ball should come out with little, if no spin.

Answer 4

Open the club face wide open . Most importantly keep your forearms and elbows  together. I discovered this on my own one day while trying to figure out how to be a good bunker player. I never hit a bunker shot without thinking of this latter thought. I  have the reputation of being one of the best bunker players at my club. Of course I practice it alot because it's fun when you do it right  time after time, even holing a few out  from time to time.

Answer 5

There are a few factors that go into how far the ball will travel in a greeside bunker

1) Length of swing

2) Angle of attack

3) Clubface position (open / square)

4) Length of follow through

5) Where you impact the sand

I would like to see more players (as well as many top professionals) use a more square clubface when hitting greenside bunker shots using a shorter swing. Make sure to accelerate through the ball, and make sure to hit behind the ball (hit the sand) and never actually hit the ball. The sand will project the ball out of the bunker.

I have a couple videos on my webpage about greenside bunkers you should check out for reference.

Answer 6

Very Very carefully.  You take the 56 out of your hand and switch to a 60* wedge.  Open your stance, open your club face, aim 2inches behind the ball, swing down, outside in path, accelerate, keep your head still, and there it is.  If you really HAVE to use a 56* wedges, follow the same steps, just make sure to hit more sand, and plan for more roll.