While taking part in from a greenside bunker is hard, hitting a long bunker shot might be equally as difficult for a lot of newbie gamers.
Lots of issues typically undergo a participant’s thoughts standing in a fairway bunker. From figuring out which membership to use to worrying about how far they will fly it from the sand, these pictures may cause severe nervousness.
But Parker McLachlin, aka the Short Game Chef, is right here to calm your nerves, present some modernized instruction, and assist construct your confidence anytime that you’re compelled to hit a long bunker shot. Check out his recommendation beneath!
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TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 Tiger Woods Custom Wedge
$199.99
The 56° wedge is a twin sole with heavy heel aid, whereas the 60° has a particularly excessive bounce on the forefront with a shaved heel. This makes it doable to open the face for flop pictures, whereas nonetheless offering aid on the forefront for higher efficiency on tight lies.
A contemporary strategy for hitting a long bunker shot
It’s time to retrain your thoughts when it comes to taking part in long bunker pictures, with McLachlin saying the outdated mind-set is to “take the clubface and square it up to hit it further. But I’m going to debunk that myth.”
“The old way of playing a long bunker shot would be taking your highest-lofted wedge and square the face. Now, the problem with squaring the face is, the second that you move the face inward, the leading edge becomes engaged. The leading edge being engaged will lead to a lot of digging [in the sand]; we don’t want that.”
McLachlin goes on to describe what he sometimes sees when gamers have interaction the forefront with the sand.
“It comes out really low, they drag the handle quite a bit, and you can see how [the club] sticks into the turf. It stays in there for quite a long time, and you never get the height you’re looking for, and the ball usually doesn’t come out with a ton of spin.”
The picture beneath shows this outdated strategy.
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Rethinking how to hit a long bunker shot
This is the place McLachlin says gamers want to reimagine the long bunker shot — and it begins with utilizing a lower-lofted membership.
“We’re going to take a lower-lofted wedge and keep it open as we hit this long bunker shot,” he says. “I’m going to go down in loft to the 52-degree. As I’m going down to the 52, I’m nonetheless going to hold the face open. This goes to assist have interaction the bounce [of the club].
“This helps keep my release in the right manner, so I’m not going to be dragging the handle like I did with the square face.”
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By preserving the clubface open, McLachlin’s membership cuts by the sand significantly better, popping out excessive with a little little bit of spin. This is why he emphasizes utilizing the bounce of the membership on each long bunker shot.
“Engaging the bounce is always priority No. 1 coming out of the bunker; even if we’ve got to hit a 30-yard bunker shot,” he provides. “Go down in loft and still open the face.”
For extra ideas from the Short Game Chef, check out McLachlin’s website.
Divot Board
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This game-changing board reads your divots, offering real-time knowledge on ball flight and serving to you enhance your method. Experience the facility of instantaneous suggestions and elevate your game with this moveable and user-friendly machine.
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