Tee to Green Golf Tips

There’s an old saying in golf: “The best way to deal with sand traps is to never go in them.”
The dreaded sand traps are put on golf courses to penalize a crooked or errant shot, and even the best players occasionally end up in them.
But it doesn’t have to be as big a deal as you may have experienced.
A few adjustments in your setup will help you get your ball out of the beach and onto the green in fewer strokes, and then you’ll be on your way to the next tee.
Here is what has worked for me and many of my students over the years:

--Take a wide stance and settle your feet into the sand, as shown in the top photo. You’ll want a firm base to stand on, because you don’t want your feet to continue sinking into the sand while you’re mid-swing.
-- Lean in the direction you want the ball to go. Put 70 percent of your body weight on your lead foot and 30 percent on your trailing foot, as demonstrated in the middle photo.
-- Open your clubface slightly, make a shoulder-to-shoulder
swing and thump the sand about 2 inches behind the ball.
This is an “explosion” or “splash” shot. Your goal is to use the sand to help your ball fly to the putting surface, demonstrated in the photo below.
The reason we lean in is to create a steeper swing into the sand, which allows your sand wedge to bounce through it and lift your ball out.
Sand traps or bunker play are shots that most golfers never practice. But don’t wait until the pressure is on.
Practice this shot and you will be able to trust your technique when trapped in the sand.
Photos of Pete Wyndorf by
Linda Trischitta,The Miami Laker