"How to Get out of a Bunker with a Buried Lie"

This week's lesson is entitled, "How to Get out of a Bunker with a Buried Lie", and this lesson could really help you out in a situation where a buried lie could potentially add a few unneeded strokes to your round.

This is one of the most feared shots in all of golf by the amateur. Why? Because it looks so intimidating when you can barely see you ball, but it doesn't need to be that way. You will be hitting great shots and impressing your friends when you follow these steps!

Let's say that you just don't have a "fried egg" (where 50% of the ball is buried) but only the very top of the ball is visible. What do you do? Follow these steps and you'll be able to hit any lie that you have in a bunker.

Here's what you do:

1. Choke down on the golf club, about in the same position as a normal bunker shot (1-2 inches from the bottom of the grip).

2. Take your normal stance, however open it up a little bit.

3. The majority of your weight should be on your front foot 

4. Close your clubface and press your hands forward just a little (this will ensure you to drive the ball out of the sand).

5. Keep your lower body still! This is so important, especially in this shot!

6. Just like a normal bunker shot take a steep backswing so that the butt of the club is pointed at the ball. *Remember that your left arm is going to lead this shot and will be completely parallel with the ground. Your right elbow is in the locked position.

7. When you start your downswing do not shift your weight - keep the majority of your weight on your front foot.

8. So once you've started your steep downswing hit about 2 inches behind the ball. This is very important because if you try and hit the ball first you'll just drive it back into the sand. By hitting 2 inches behind the sand will actually lift the ball out your clubface really doesn't even touch the golf ball. *Remember it's very important to keep your clubface closed so that is can drive the ball out!

9. Remember to swing through the sand and not stop once you've hit the sand.

10. Keep your angle steep throughout the shot.

Drill:
At the practice bunker stomp a few balls almost completely submerged (make sure you can only see a little of the ball. This will give you so much confidence because this only happens in a small percentage of sand play. Focus on keeping your club face closed throughout your swing....I can't stress this enough! 

Putting it all together in the bunker:

Normal bunker shot: square to slightly open clubface, evenly balanced weight or weight on back foot, steep/vertical backswing (lead with your left arm and keep your right elbow "locked" to its side), keep your entire lower body still - no weight shifting until you hit the sand.

Buried lie in bunker: slightly closed clubface, forward press your hand a little, majority of your weight on your front foot, steep/vertical backswing (lead with your left arm and keep your right elbow "locked" to its side), keep your entire lower body still.

Next week, we'll discuss buried lies, and then it's on to chipping and putting. Good golfing, until then. If you would like to order "The Simple Golf Swing"click on the BANNER above.

 

This week's lesson is entitled, "How to Get out of Bunkers", and everyone knows how frustrating they can be if you don't know the proper mechanics to get out of them. But the bottom line is, for the pros, bunker shots are some of the easiest shots on the course. These steps will ensure that you have the right mechanics for getting out of bunkers. Once you've read these steps, practice them and get used to hitting out of bunkers, and they will become just as natural as a regular short game shot. These steps will give you the solid foundation that you need for bunker success. 

Here are the steps: (note: These steps apply to a normal sand bunker. Not wet or hard sand)

1. Choke down on the golf club (Have your right index finger about an inch from the bottom of the grip). Choking down gives you control of the club and allows you to "feel" the shot rather than hitting it. 

2. Narrow your stance a little and play the ball a few inches forward in your stance. This will also aid in controlling the shot, and it will contribute to higher ball flight.

3. Dig into the sand with your feet a little and get comfortable.

4. Keep your body completely still throughout (no twisting hips).

5. Start your swing with your arms and keep your swing vertical. The end of the grip butt should be pointed at the ball at the top of your backswing. (Don't bring the club straight back, remember steep is better here!)

6. Your left arm should be parallel to the ground and fully extended at the top of your swing.

7. Then start your downswing at the sand focusing to hit 1 inch behind the ball. Don't focus on hitting the ball, hit the sand an inch behind and the ball will get out every time!

8. Your arms and body follow the ball as it leaves the sand.

9. Remember - a steep angle into the sand is key here. You don't have to swing too hard; we are not blasting the ball out, we are advancing it.

Drill:
Go into a bunker and take 3 clubs your pitching wedge, sand wedge, and a lob wedge(if you have one). Remember that you can get creative with shots; just because it's a sand wedge doesn't mean that you'll "feel" the most comfortable or get the best results. But I want you to notice the difference in design and performance. 

Hit a few shots with each club and really notice the difference in how the ball comes out of the sand. Then choose the club that bests suits you. But remember, with all these clubs swing steep and hit 1 inch behind the ball. You can even draw a line behind the ball and aim for that line.

At home, office, or at the course take practice swings and focus on bringing the club up at a steep angle. Watch as your grip end points to the ground. And stop there - this is the position that you want to be in. A great way to see if the grip is pointed over the ball is sticking a tee in the grip handle. Do that a few times to ensure that you know where to stop the golf club and start your steep downswing. Then the downswing is easy! Just hit an inch behind the ball. Practice this for a few days then go have fun in a bunker! 

Next week, we'll discuss buried lies, and then it's on to chipping and putting. Good golfing, until then.

This week's lesson is entitled, "How to Cure a Golf Hook", and if you've been battling a hook for a while you understand how frustrating they can be. Everyone else is, more than likely, slicing the ball, and you are playing from the opposite side of the fairway. 

But... the hook really is pretty easy to cure. Try this sequence of corrections, and most likely the hook will be fixed in no time. Your goal in correcting a hook is to swing from outside to in.

Weaken your Grip - You could be playing with a grip that is too strong. Simply rotate both hands around the grip and towards the target. This will make it much harder for the clubface to close through the impact zone. Don't over do it, and like everything else, testing is crucial. Make sure to test this, before moving on, unless you are positive that you already play with a weak grip. 

Move the ball forward in your stance - It is common of players who slice the ball to play the ball forward in their stance. So copy them. If you hook, the result should be a relatively straight ball. (Side Note: Whether you hook or slice, your first goal should be to learn to do the opposite.) Moving the ball forward in your stance should get some things back on track. 

Aim to the left (to the right if left handed) of the target - Start out with an open stance to the target. This will put that clockwise rotation on the ball that you are looking for. Just open your stance a little bit, and swing along the line of your shoulders. Make sure that you are finishing with your weight on your forward foot - This is the single best solution for the hook. If you hook the ball, chances are that you finish with some of your weight still on your back foot. This causes you to come around the ball with a closed clubface. This is the number one cause of the deadly snap-hook. Finish with all of your weight forward, and you'll never experience it. 

Next week, we'll discuss golf schools, and then it's on to the short game. Good golfing, until then. "The Simple Golf Swing" will fix all of these problems and much more. If you are need help with your swing, you'll be amazed at how fast it will work.

This week's lesson is entitled, "Approach Shots: What it takes to master them". 

Basically, your approach shot is your shot onto the green. One of the things I like to say is this, "You know your game is improving when you start fixing more ball marks on the green" - most likely meaning that you hit it on your approach, which is your objective.

Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind, and then we'll get to the heart of this article.

Aim for the middle of the green, not the flag. Pin placements and greens are getting tougher to stick all the time. Don't be a sucker and go for a pin that you'll most likely miss, which will leave you in a bunker or some other position which will add strokes to your round. 

Focus on alignment, not distance. 

As you know, it's not an easy task to master the approach shot, but there are some ways in which you can drastically improve the accuracy of the shot. Alignment is the key to improving your approach shots. Most golfers don't practice their alignment too much on the practice range, but they should. 

Think about this for a minute. Generally, when you miss the green it is due to alignment, not distance. Chances are, you have your 160 yard club, 150, 140, 130, etc...

And if you hit a less than perfect shot, the ball may go a little further or a little shorter. But even if that happens, most greens are deep enough that you should be on the putting surface if you have selected the club that would leave you in the center of the green. 

But...alignment is another story. If you pull the ball, more times than most you really pull the ball, correct? 

When your alignment is off, it's usually off by much more than 5-10 yards!

And if you push the ball, you generally are pushing it for much of the round, correct? Bunkers, water, and uneven lies are the obstacles you face. 

How are you supposed to compete? The answer is simple. Practice your alignment. 

Take your home course for example. I would be willing to bet there's somewhere in the ball park of a 160-yard par 3 on the course. Now picture that hole. What happens if you're 5-10 yards deep or shallow? You're probably still okay, right?

But what happens if you go right or left? That shot, more than likely, has trouble written all over it. 

Summary: 

Go to the range, and practice your alignment. Always hit to a target. The Simple Golf Swing makes staying down the middle easy, and in a few weeks, I'll be releasing a new tool that will make it much easier on you to work on your alignment. It's a pretty simple device really, but the package is really geared towards improving the alignment for every type of shot. Putting, approach shots, and drives.

 

How to Maximize your Distance by Hitting Triples instead of Home Runs"

This week's lesson is entitled, "How to Maximize your Distance by Hitting Triples instead of Home Runs" and it's a great overall theory to build your entire swing around. Keep this in the back of your head at all times while you are on the course, and remind yourself of it before every shot. The result will be increased distance and straighter shots because you'll be releasing your hands through the ball better. 

Background Info:

Many recreational golfers struggle with slices, blocks, and inconsistency because they don't know how to release their hands through the ball correctly. By "releasing your hands through the ball", I am describing the act of maximizing your club head speed at the moment of impact, and eliminating the "outside-in" movement that creates a slice.

How You Will Benefit:

You'll learn an easy way of "getting your hands through the ball" You'll be increasing the speed of the club head through the impact zone 

You will ensure that the club head is square at impact (which will reduce any slice that you have)

What To Do:

Step 1: Create the "X"

This means that on the follow through, you need to focus on making your forearms cross. This will ensure that your hands have released through the ball correctly. Here's an illustration of what I am talking about. 

Notice the "X" that is created after impact and where the shaft of the club is pointed. Practice getting in this position. Practice creating that "X" after impact. 

It will be easy to understand the alternative by paying attention to where the club is pointed, which I will explain in the next step.

Step 2: Finish at Third Base

Focus on pointing the club down the third base line on your follow through. In relation to where my feet are pointed in the picture  the club is pointed down the third base line. This is what we want.

Many golfers finish their swing with the club straight up in the air, or even pointed down the first base line in relation to their feet. Try that once, and you will feel the extreme "outside-in" movement that produces a slice. This is nothing more than a habit that can be easily broken. The Simple Golf Swing goes over this step in much more detail. 

Summary:

So when you are on the tee next time, focus on just 2 things. Make the "X" and "finish at third". That's it. Swinging easy should already be grooved into your swing from the last tip I sent. Focus on these 2 tips, and you should be on your way to consistently staying out of trouble with your driver, which is the first step to scoring better.

 

10 Golf Tips

Tip #1 - Staying out of Trouble with your Driver

So what is it that's really causing problems with your driver? Is it a slice, a hook, or just flat-out inconsistency? Well the good news is that, regardless of what problem you are fighting, there are a few things to incorporate into your game that are sure to help you. If you're the golfer that's saying right now, "I've battled a slice for 25 years", then this is not going to be the undisputed end of your problem. But you CAN reduce the slice or hook, which will help you score better. So here is the first tip.

Swing Easy. Nothing can be better for your game than learning how to swing the club easier and make your swing more fluid. If you go to the range and concentrate ONLY on swinging easy, it will revolutionize your ability to position yourself for a good approach shot when you get onto the course. You will make more consistent impact with the ball, and it will reduce the amount of side-spin you naturally place on the ball because the club head won't be traveling as fast or with as much force. Again, I know you've heard it before, but I ask you to concentrate on this for 1 week. And if you can't physically practice it, visualize it at the office (visualization works great). 

Switch to a low spin ball. Lower spin off of the tee means that the ball is going to fly straighter regardless of how whether your ball moves right or left. I recommend the Titleist DT SoLo, the Precept Laddie, or the Maxfli Noodle. You can find these balls priced anywhere from $13 to $20 per dozen, and they will play a large role in reducing the side spin that you place on the ball. I realize that this all sounds over-simplified, but it's not. If you are having problems controlling your driver, switch to a low-spin ball, and start swinging easy. When you are on the range, ALL you should be thinking about is swinging the club easy. Incorporate this into your game this week, then next week we'll discuss how to get some more distance with your driver.