Simplify your sand shots
Make more sandies with this tour player’s favorite bunker drill
Steve Dykes
If you tend to hit your greenside bunker shots fat or skull them over the green, you’re not alone. LPGA player Su Oh, who’s in her sixth year on tour, says she sees many amateurs struggle to take the right amount of sand because their contact is inconsistent and they don’t know the correct entry point. Oh says every golfer can improve their contact and consistency by learning to use the bounce on their sand wedge.
Oh shared her favorite bunker drill that will help you utilize the bounce, create consistent contact and take the right amount of sand every time.
@golfdigestwoman Time for a bunker tune-up! LPGA Tour pro Su Oh shares a great bunker drill for amateurs 👌 #golf #golftiktok #golftips #golfbunker #lpgatour #ladieswhogolf #athlete ♬ FEEL THE GROOVE - Queens Road, Fabian Graetz
At first, you won't need a ball. Start by drawing a line in the sand with your club. This is going to give you a good visual for where your club should enter the sand. As you get into your stance, be sure the line you’ve drawn lines up with the midline of your stance.
“I practice hitting just in front of that line, not behind it, not way out in front of it,” Oh says.
Work your way down the line, learning the feeling of getting the club to enter the sand at the correct point. Once you’re consistently entering the sand just in front of the line, you’re ready to hit a bunker shot. Place your ball about a ball’s width in front of the line and again, have your club enter the sand just in front of the line. This is how you utilize the bounce to get the ball up and out of the bunker.
This drill is also a great way to reboot your touch in the bunker and is a great tool if you find yourself at a new course with sand that might be different than you’re used to. Try it out to create more feel and consistency from greenside bunkers.