Seri’s Blasphemous Bunker Tip

The common wisdom is that bunker shots are an explosion. You’re supposed to aim for the sand an inch or two behind the ball, swing hard, and blast the sand, and your ball, out of the bunker. The problem with that, for me anyway, is that any obstacle in front of my weak arms will slow down my swing speed considerably. I lack so much upper body strength that I might lose 10 yards for each grain of sand in the way of my ball.

I told Seri about this. She is even more petite than me, but she handles bunkers with ease. She said, "I'm going to tell you my secret." And then she advised me to think of bunker shots just like chip shots off a tight lie. Swing gently, and hit the ball first, not the sand. And follow through as you would with a chip shot. If you’re in a “fried egg” situation, where the ball is embedded, this is a bit more difficult, but you can still try and hit the ball first, but let the club head stop in the sand, as if you’re hitting out of thick rough.

Next time I found myself in a bunker, I tried it. Sure enough, it worked. But like anything, it takes practice. I still try and hit bunker shots the "normal" way when I can, but for those times when I have already taken two or three swings and can't get myself out of the sand the normal way, I relax and try Seri's method and it usually works. Nice to have a secret weapon when the going gets rough out there.