Touble with greenside bunkers

Hey guys,

As of late I have had a ton of trouble with greenside bunkers. Does anyone have any good tips I can take to the practice range with me? Distance control seems to be the biggest problem that I have been having.

Thanks,

RM

One thing to check is that the club is entering the sand where you want it to...also remember the lower you drop your hands, the higher loft you create along with more bounce. A good drill is to feel as though you are swinging the club around your waist after impact...it creates a better motion

Try it...can't hurt!

Before I start I'm no expert.

Mark a point in the sand just above where you want the club to enter the sand this allows you to check your hitting the sand at the correct spot all the time just as canadianpro said. What also worked for me was bending my knees a little more so I was a lower to the ball. Setup open and be commited to the shot making sure you accelerate through it. Works for me.

Also make sure the bounce on your sand wedge is correct - pro shop mistakenly sold me a 56* with 4* bounce when I asked for 10*. My home course has fluffy sand (sandbelt Melbourne). Played a round with it and wondered why I was struggling to get out of the bunkers. Why I was getting into them is another story.

Gary Player talked about lighting a matchstick, were you can't light it if you don't accelerate the clubhead.

Really distance control comes from feel and practice. How the club reacts with the sande, how far back to play the ball, how far the ball will release, which club you use. Its alot that goes into to hitting the precise distance you want out of the sand. It takes practice.

Mikes got a great video in this thread...

http://thesandtrap.com/t/54554/sand-play-technique

Forgot to add that I vary how much I open the clubface to control my distance. Other than that my set up is the same

Low hands ala CanadianPro, quick wrist set, draw the line 2 inches behind the ball.