With the assistance of Jake Hutt, you may grow to be extra comfy hitting from greenside bunkers.
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Ed. observe: This article was printed in partnership with Cleveland/Srixon.
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Some bunker photographs are harder than the others.
Among the hardest: the short-sided selection, which might trigger all types of points for those who don’t have the proper strategy and gear.
During a current go to to Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. — a gorgeous par-3 course with Pacific Ocean views — I met up with golf teacher Jake Hutt, who didn’t simply give me a lesson greenside bunker photographs but additionally challenged me to a closest-to-the-pin contest.
Naturally, I panicked. In reality, I’m fairly certain a few profanities slipped out of my mouth when he picked the shot we’d be going head-to-head on. But it’s essential to work on all facets of your recreation, so I attempted to be a good sport.
First, Hutt handed me a new lob wedge: Cleveland’s CBX 4 ZipCore Wedge, which offers a little extra forgiveness in contrast to the RTX 6 Zipcore Wedge mannequin he was utilizing.
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In the video under, you may see the 2 of us duke it out from the sand — and be taught why utilizing a extra forgiving lob wedge, just like the CBX 4, is a good choice for greenside bunker photographs.
Do this to escape nasty greenside bunkers
When we have been settled in the bunker, Hutt busted some frequent myths about greenside-bunker play — to which many amateurs usually fall sufferer.
“One of the biggest misconceptions from the bunker is that the ball position gets way too far forward, and generally players get their hands further behind the ball and try to scoop the ball out of the bunker,” Hutt advised me. “In fact, we want that club bottoming out a little bit further behind the ball, and, if you get it right, you can actually add a little bit of spin.”
After figuring out some traps to keep away from, Hutt assessed the extent of problem of this greenside bunker shot.
“This is a tough shot,” he stated. “We’re short-sided, so I need to get the clubface open a little bit extra, and I need a longer swing for the reason that face is so open — making the ball pop up into the air.
“I almost want you to feel like you’re slapping the sand with the back part of the wedge here.”
Hutt took a follow swing to present me how it ought to look — emphasizing how he sprays the sand — then hit his shot.
“You can see my follow-through, I went all the way through. And then you just want to make a little thump there. The ball should come out relatively soft.”
After taking his shot and leaving it about 5 ft from the pin, Hutt had me set up to the ball, strolling me via the steps to stick the shot shut.
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I have a tendency to use a wider stance, squat down fairly a bit, decrease the butt of the membership to concerning the mid-thigh and hold my fingers again to guarantee I exploit the bounce.
But earlier than taking my shot, Hutt adjusted a few issues in my setup.
“I would get a little less wide, and give yourself a little bit of toe flare with some knee bend,” he stated. “Now open that face all the way.”
He grabbed the membership shaft to exaggerate how the swing ought to really feel, reminding me to launch the membership and “throw” the clubhead towards the sand to get that thump.
After taking my shot, I mis-hit it a tad, however thanks to the swing changes — and some forgiveness from the CBX 4 — the ball hit the entrance of the placing floor, used the slope and velocity of the inexperienced and rolled about 4 ft from the pin.
“We lightened your grip pressure a little bit, gripped further towards the butt of the club so you could feel the weight a little better, released it — which is how you’re going to square the face — and then when you hit the sand in the right place, the ball’s going to pop up and land nice and soft,” Hutt stated. “So that shot was awesome.”
Who am I to disagree?
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