Golf Swing Lessons, Tips & Instruction - Golf Bunker Sand Shots

[tomdottom10]

Great tip!

[borielucas06]

just shot a 74 at my local course, used some of these tips too. Nice advice

[jcking33]

hilarious!

[mattkeaton12]

Wow thank you that was really helpful

[bigboycat1]

GREAT VIDEO JACCOB BUT I HAD A LESSON WITH DAN SHAUGER AND HIT GOLF BALL STRAIGHT DOWN LINE NOW AND HE HELP WITH MY PUTTING TO DAN GREAT TEACHES IN GOLF TODAY THANK AGAIN DAN

[Hellrider666]

@bigboycat1 are you retarded?

[TomokoMurakami]

Great instruction. Thank you.

[vxXSNiiP3RXxv]

It's not flat bunkers I struggle with, at my course we have incredibly deep bunkers. So you have to get a lot of height to get out of the bunker and when you don't and your still in that bunker having played one more shot. So do you have any tips on getting height out of bunkers??

[jaacobbowden]

@vxXSNiiP3RXxv - Try going with a higher lofted wedge, opening up the face, or swinging a little bit more vertically up and down.

[vxXSNiiP3RXxv]

@jaacobbowden Thanx, I appreciate the help :)

[Troutalicious]

Thanks. I play to a 6.8 index, but have zero sand game and will go crazy if I hear one more time how the sand shot is the easiest shot in the game!! Something is just not clicking.

[jaacobbowden]

@Troutalicious - Have you been fit for the bounce/loft/etc on your wedges? Different courses have different types of sand. Even a good bunker player can perform poorly in a bunker where the wedges don't fit the type of bunker being played.

[Troutalicious]

Jaacob, in the video when you actually hit demonstration shots toward the end you look like you get a little "hingy" with your wrists on the takeaway. Is this intentional? ...or are my eyes playing tricks on me and you are just taking your normal swing. Thanks

[jaacobbowden]

@Troutalicious - I see what you mean about it looking a little "hingy". It wasn't intentional...just making a relatively normal smooth and tension free bunker swing. :-p

[18imnot]

probably the best bunker tip video on the net, defs on youtube. great vid mate

[gadheyram]

Hey Jaacob,

Great tips mate ! I get out of bunkers every time and I get "wows" for my bunker play. The tips about reduciing tension generally and judging putting/chipping distances are really great ones. Finally, i have found some instructions which make a lot of sense and is easy to apply and less technical jargon. Have reduced my score by 6-8 shots after applying your tips in 4 weeks times. Thanks mate!

Cheers from Germany !

[midasman714]

very good tips. i needed to watch this desperately. should improve my bunker play this weekend!

[bryanspell]

Better sharpen up my visualization skills!

[bryanspell]

One of the guys that I played golf with today said that he thought that, maybe, intentionally making a light indentation in the sand behind your ball might be considered "improving your lie," which is a no-no.

[jaacobbowden]

Just checked...USGA Rule 13-4: Ball in Hazard (Bunker) - Prohibited Actions - The player must not test the condition of the hazard, touch the ground in the hazard with his club or hand, or touch/move a loose impediment in the hazard. Penalty for breach of rule is 2 strokes.

[qadsia666]

Are you guys serious? off course its a 2 stroke penalty he meant when your practicing visualize where you have to hit the ball LOL

[bryanspell]

Drawing a line with your golf club would be illegal, but how about making a light indentation in the sand, say, 4 or 5 inches behind the ball with your foot? Gives you something to aim at. Right?

[jaacobbowden]

Hmmm, good question...to be honest, I don't know if that would be legal or not. To error on the side of being safe and legal, I just try and imagine where the lines would be and then sometimes I'll pick out a grain of sand that I want to hit that would be somewhere between the imaginary lines.  That seems to work okay for me.

[qadsia666]

ass long as the people playing with you dont see you...

[bryanspell]

Very useful tips on getting out of the bunker, especially the one about drawing the lines behind the ball. Thanks!

[jaacobbowden]

Sure thing. Of course the lines would be illegal to do during the round...but I like it for practicing. ;-)

[benson5313]

at last good advise from someone who can actually play golf

[samuelwtaylor]

Out of intreest, do you hold any golf qualifications? You seem to miss out a lot of important info!!!

[jaacobbowden]

Sure, I've got quite a bit of experience. I started the PGA PGM Program, but I don't have any interest in finishing it because it focuses more on running golf shops than teaching/playing. I've turned in scores in multi-day pro tournaments in the 60s, posted a grid-record 421-yard drive in a sanctioned long drive event, won the Pinnacle Distance Challenge with a televised 381-yard drive, taught hundreds of personals/group lessons, written numerous articles for golf magazines...

[jaacobbowden]

..., have an upcoming interview on ESPN Golf Talk Radio, etc.

The Swing Man Golf YouTube videos that we've posted aren't meant to be all-inclusive video lessons- rather just some basic tips to give people quick solutions & suggestions to help address some common problems. ;-)

[EmPeanut]

I like your voice and the way you talk...

it's really nice to listen to.

what part of the usa are you from? Maryland?

[jaacobbowden]

Hehe, thanks. :-p I'm originally from Barnhart, MO (25 miles south of St. Louis). After college, I moved to Kansas City...and have since lived in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Pebble Beach, and Zurich, Switzerland.

[qbb01]

he holed it at 2:51!

[jaacobbowden]

Haha, good eye. We filmed me hitting two balls that direction. I actually almost made the first one too. You can see the first ball just to the left of the hole.  :-p

[qbb01]

yeah pretty cool man thanks for the tips

[redzer109]

great video...

im off 7 and im 16.... and this was the worst part of my game !! great tips

thank you :D

just one more thing.... say i was in a bunker that was about 150 yeards away from the green and i decided to use an 8 iron to get out of it and try reach the green !! do i use the exact tips u just gave are do i have to do something different ! be great if you could reply !! thanks again

[jaacobbowden]

Glad to help. :-)

From fairway bunkers, I would say to 1st make sure you have a high enough loft club to get out of the bunker. Beyond that, if you have a clear & safe shot to the green & aren't going to lay up, it's really just a matter of making the same swing you would make from the fairway...but w/ one extra club. You might also want to aim for the middle of the green too, rather than going for the flag.

I'm sure there's other ways to do it, but that's what I do & it works well for me.

[redzer109]

Again .... thanks a million :D keep dem goin