Gary Player, a legendary golfer, shared his bunker tips in a series of tips in the April 1975 issue of GOLF Magazine. These tips are still relevant today and can help recreational golfers escape bunkers more effectively. Bunker shots are often challenging for golfers, with many struggling to get the ball out of the sand trap. Even professional golfers struggle with bunker shots, as the average up-and-down percentage on the PGA Tour is only 53 percent. To complicate matters, there are various lies in bunkers that make it even harder to escape, such as fried-egg lies or sloped lies.
Gary Player emphasizes the importance of keeping the bunker swing as close to a normal swing as possible. He highlights the need for fundamental changes in the address position, rather than drastic changes in the swing plane. Understanding factors like follow-through length for short and long shots is crucial in bunker play. Player also emphasizes the importance of practicing to gain a better understanding of different situations in bunkers, such as how the ball reacts to an open, square, or closed clubface.
Player shares his own experience in a difficult lie situation in a bunker, where he had to rely on both luck and experience to make a successful shot. He stresses the importance of experience in bunker play and the need to develop an understanding of different situations and compensations to make. Player outlines the basic fundamentals that must be ingrained before improving bunker play, such as digging feet into the sand for a secure base and maintaining a slightly open stance with the ball positioned inside the left heel.
Fundamentals in bunker play include gripping down on the club for more control and weight distribution favoring the left side. Player also emphasizes the importance of a long, slow backswing in bunker play, similar to legendary trap players like Sam Snead and Julius Boros. Understanding different lies in bunkers, such as uphill lies, short-sided lies, or ball-under-lip lies, is essential for successful bunker play. Each lie requires different adjustments, such as using more force in the follow-through for uphill lies or turning the clubface wide open for shots under the lip of the bunker.
In difficult situations like uphill lies, Player advises using more force in the follow-through and aiming for a spot behind the ball. Keeping the ball past the hole is crucial in preventing shots from coming up short. For shots under the lip of the bunker, turning the clubface wide open is necessary to get over the lip. Understanding the intricacies of each lie, such as ball above or below the feet, is crucial in successfully navigating bunker shots. Player’s tips provide practical advice for recreational golfers looking to improve their bunker play and escape bunkers more effectively.
