Golf Tip
Golf Tip: Tips to Improve Your Bunker Shots
Learning how to properly improve your bunker game is one of the most important ways to get yourself out of trouble and save your score. There are a lot of different areas where you can find yourself in a bad position in the game of golf. Hitting into the bunker is one of the most common places on the course where you can easily find yourself in trouble which can have a large effect on your score. Being able to effectively get yourself out of the bunker on your first attempt will help prevent those higher scores on your scorecard. Use these tips below if you want to create the foundation for a better bunker shot. If you enjoy reading tips like these, check out our Nike Junior Golf Camps!
Tip #1 – Don’t Hit the Ball:
“Don’t hit the ball” may sound very strange, especially in the game of golf. However, when you are in a greenside bunker you will want to avoid hitting the ball. The most effective way to get out of the bunker is to hit the soft sand about one to two inches behind the ball and let the loft of your club and the sand do the work for you. Hitting one to two inches behind the ball will allow for the club to get under the ball and lift the ball over the ledge of the bunker and land softly on the green.
Tip #2 – Focus on the Escape:
As you set yourself up to hit your bunker shot, you do not want to focus on hitting the perfect shot, the shot that will leave you a couple feet from the hole. Those kinds of thoughts can get you carried away from getting out of the bunker, they can lead to hitting only the ball and having a lot more room for error. The main goal that you should focus on when you are in the bunker is how to get out of the bunker. You want to keep it simple and focus on the way to escape the bunker and then that will set you up for a better shot to save your score.
Tip #3 – Pay Attention to Sand Conditions:
When you are in the sand, you will want to observe the type of sand that you are in. This will tell you the best way to approach your escape out of the bunker. When the sand is soft, typically in the summer, the ball will come out softer and not as much spin. On the other hand, when the sand is firm and wet, the ball will come out much quicker with a lot more spin which can allow you to bring the ball back with backspin. When you are in the bunker make sure you look at the sand conditions so you know what the best way to escape the bunker will be.
Tip #4 - Practice:
The last tip and the most important one, which may seem a little obvious, is to practice your bunker shots. Being in the bunker is one of the most common spots to be in that can add numbers to your score card. Practicing your bunker shots is one of the least favorite aspects of golf to practice because of how frustrating it may be, but in order to limit those big numbers on your scorecard practicing these shots can be the most vital part of your game.
About Nike Junior Golf Camps
Nike Junior Golf Camps is a division of US Sports Camps, Inc (USSC). Headquartered in San Rafael, California, USSC is America’s largest sports camp network and the licensed operator of Nike Sports Camps. The company has offered summer camps in the U.S. since 1975 with the same mission that defines it today: to shape a lifelong enjoyment of athletics through high-quality sports education and skill enhancement. Nike Junior Golf Camps offers junior overnight and day camps, as well as advanced player camps at over 130 locations nationwide. Since 1994, more than 200,000 junior golfers have participated in the camps.