Square up and get off the beach

Photos by Jim Vaiknoras

Sun ‘N’ Air instructor Tom Gillis says the biggest mistake most amateurs make in a bunker is to open up both their stance and their club face too dramatically.

When hitting out of a greenside bunker the biggest tendency I see with most mid to high-handicappers is that they have both their bodies and their club faces too open. It’s almost a universal approach, but one that really does not make a lot of sense and one that can lead to a lot of frustration.

First of all, by overly opening your stance a golfer will be aiming too far left, which makes them cut across the ball too much. Secondly, with the club face opened up excessively, golfers simply do not have enough power to get the ball out.

What I have found out through experience and countless lessons is that a player, no matter his or her skill level, has a better chance of getting out of the bunker with much more consistency if they keep the club square at address. Squaring the club will help them hit the sand with the leading edge of the club, enabling the face to dig through the sand easier. The sand wedge is designed for this very purpose, but it can not accomplish this when it’s opened excessively and the leading edge is lost.

Golfers should also try to keep their body more “square” to the target. By doing this they will also generate more power to get the ball out of the trap. Power is crucial in a successful sand shot because when you are hitting the bunker shot you are hitting the sand a few inches behind the ball and it’s the displaced sand, not the club, which ultimately carries the ball out. If you do not strike the sand with enough force, the ball will simply stay in the sand.

Here’s a drill you can try to help you hit more successful sand shots:

The Line Drill: Simply line up a few balls in the bunker and draw a line a few inches behind the ball. Line up ready to hit the first ball. Square the clubface and slightly (remember, only slightly) open your body. Now, take a swing at the ball trying to hit the sand where you drew the line. This is a great way to help you not only hit behind the ball more consistently, but also to tell you if you are hitting too far behind the ball.

Remember to keep your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and the ball position in the middle. Your weight should be on your left side (for righties) and always accelerate into the ball.

This is a simple way to get out of a greenside sand bunker. There are other ways of creating different shots out of the sand that depend on a golfer’s skill level and how much they practice. Master these teaching points and you, too, can spend less time on the beach this summer.

Tom Gillis, a Class A PGA teaching pro, is in his first year as an instructor at both Sun ‘N’ Air Driving Range and at the Beverly Golf & Tennis Club. He also plans to open a new indoor training facility in Salem this month which will be open throughout the winter. A former standout for Beverly High (’83), Gillis is the new golf coach at BHS. Gillis still resides in Beverly with his wife Alicia and their three children: Tommy, 6, Emily, 3, and J.T., 1.