| One of the toughest golf shots for most | | | | blasting the ball out with a sand wedge. No, |
| golfers is from the green side sand trap | | | | you still can't ground your club so I would |
| mainly for two reasons; 1) a golfer rarely | | | | suggest trying this a few times at the |
| practices their bunker shots, 2) they don't | | | | practice sand trap the next time you're at |
| know the correct technique to hit from the | | | | the range. |
| sand trap. | | | | |
| | | | As a general rule I like to play golf with an |
| Here's a really simple golf tip to hit a sand | | | | open and creative mind. You don't have to |
| trap shot when the bunker is firm with a | | | | always play golf within a box of set rules |
| medium to small lip and you have some green | | | | and guidelines. Any golf club in your bag |
| to work with. | | | | can be used at anytime for any shot other |
| | | | than what it's designed for. Play the shot |
| What I like to do in these cases is use a 7 | | | | with the club you're most confident with. |
| or 8-iron to chip the golf ball out of the | | | | Use the club that will get you down the |
| bunker. Noticed how I said chip the ball | | | | fairway, on the green, or in the hole. |
| instead of blast the ball. This is important | | | | |
| because you want to hit the golf ball first | | | | Like anything practice is critical for having |
| as you would with a chip shot. The idea is to | | | | confidence to pull this golf shot off, but it |
| get the ball rolling on the green as soon as | | | | will only take a little practice to make a |
| possible so it can run out to the hole. On | | | | big difference. Fifteen minutes of practice |
| occasion I've even used a 5 or 6-iron to chip | | | | in the practice sand could save you a couple |
| the ball out of the green side bunker when | | | | strokes in your next round of golf. Remember |
| I've had a lot of green to deal with. | | | | to keep an open and creative mind while you |
| | | | play your next round of golf because you may |
| When you're able to get the golf ball on the | | | | find a club in your bag that can be used for |
| green sooner and run it out its easier to | | | | a shot other than what it's designed for. By |
| judge the distance. Also, chipping the ball | | | | doing this you're virtually carrying more |
| is a lot easier for most golfers than | | | | than 14 clubs in your golf bag. |