The best policy when playing golf is to stay out of trouble. But any golfer good or bad knows that is an impossibilty. There are too many demons lying in wait for an errant drive or iron shot.
Woods, roughs and gaping sand traps are waiting to gobble up the golf ball, send our golf handicap soaring and make our golf round a miserable experience. So how do we battle these Ogres of the fairway?
The one that scares golfers the most is the golf sand trap. The golfer looks out at the fairway and sees enough sand to cover a desert, or at least it seems that way. That is why they are called a hazard. Sand traps and other trouble spots are put on a golf course to work on your mind. Upon seeing all these trouble spots, the first thought is, how to avoid them.
This places them more into the mind and the hazard becomes a target, whether we realize it or not. By trying so hard to avoid trouble the golfer unknowingly uses them as a magnet. Why do you suppose it is so hard for some golfers to hit over water? If the water hazard was just grass, the golfer would think nothing of it. But because the fear of hitting your golf ball into the water arises, that is where you hit it. Into the water.
But right now we are concerned with getting out of a sand trap and golf sand shots that you can utilize to get out of them.
If the ball has just rolled down into the trap and is not buried, just square or slightly open the club face, take a normal stance with the weight just a little on the back foot. Use a steep, vertical backswing, keeping your lower body still. Don’t shift your weight until you hit the sand. Keep the head down and follow through in a normal way.
Now, if you have been unlucky enough to hit it into the trap on the fly and it settled into the sand to a point where only about half of the ball is visible, this will require a little different tactics:
Choke down on the sand wedge about 2 inches from the bottom of the grip.
Open your stance a little from normal.
This time put most of your weight on your front foot (you are going to have to dig that rascal out of there).
Close the club face and press your hands forward.
It is very important that you keep your lower body still.
Take a steep backswing and keep your left arm going to lead the shot.
As you start the downswing, keep the weight on the front foot (don’t shift your weight).
Hit about 2 inches behind the ball. By hitting 2 inches behind the ball you actually cause the sand to lift the ball and your wedge doesn’t even touch the ball. If you try to hit the ball first you will just drive it back into the sand.
Don’t stop once you hit the sand. You must follow through to the top of the swing.
A good way to practice this shot is to put a ball into the sand trap and step on it until you see only the top of the ball.
Using these tips can get you to playing better golf right now.
