There’s probably no tougher shot in golf than having a downslope lie in a greenside bunker. Most weekend golfers dread this shot. What makes it so hard is that it encourages the feeling of having to help the ball up. This feeling encourages weekend golfers to uncock their wrists during the swing to provide power and lift. Uncocking your wrists leads to you to either catching the ball cleanly, sending it over the green, or hitting too far behind the ball, leaving it in the bunker.
Below are five keys to this shot:
- Set up in an open stance
- Shift your weight slightly forward
- Play the ball back a little
- Hinge your wrists early
- Slide the club head downhill
Keep two words in mind when hitting this shot: low and left. The key to pulling this shot off is finishing your swing with the clubhead low and to the left, if you’re right-handed.
Start by setting up with an open stance, just as you would normally do to hit a greenside bunker shot. Your feet and body should be aimed left of the target. Play the ball a little further back than normal in your stance. Shift your weight slightly forward.
Hinge your wrists early as you execute your backswing. Focus on swinging the club down the contour of the slope, so that it finishes low and left. Keeping this thought in mind helps you slide the clubface under the ball and pops it out of the bunker.
Our keys will help you beat this difficult shot. They will also stop you from catching the ball cleanly, driving it over the green or hitting too far behind the ball, and leaving it in the bunker. Your goal here, as with all greenside bunkers, is to get out in one.