Golf Digest Videos
Bunker Play
Shots & Strokes

LPGA Pro Natalie Gulbis Offers Her Best Bunker Shot Tips

Bunker shots are challenging, but there are many tricks to make them look easy. LPGA pro Natalie Gulbis shares her best tips for great sand technique.

Released on 5/3/2016

Transcript

00:00
(bright ukulele music)
00:04
I mean that's why the buoys
00:06
are there, for target practice.
00:07
The bunker shot is the only shot in golf
00:09
where you're swinging smooth and you're
00:10
letting the sand take the ball out.
00:12
So I'm gonna show you how to hit it in four steps.
00:15
(bright upbeat music)
00:17
One of the great things about practicing in the sand
00:19
is you can draw lines in it so you can help with your setup,
00:22
you can help with how far you're striking it,
00:24
and then you get a lot of good feedback.
00:25
(golf club thunking)
00:26
Step number two is to open your blade
00:30
and to set it a couple of inches behind.
00:32
Step three is to work on your ball position,
00:34
make sure that your weight is forward, your ball
00:36
positioned towards the center middle of your stance.
00:38
And step four just keep your speed up
00:41
and watch the sand take the ball right out of the bunker.
00:44
The most common mistake I see with amateurs
00:45
is that they decelerate going through.
00:47
because they're taking such a big swing
00:49
and the ball's not going very far.
00:51
But because you're taking all that sand
00:52
it's really important to make sure you keep your speed up.
00:55
I work on my sand game all the time
00:56
but what's important is you use the lines
00:58
when you're practicing to make sure
00:59
you have good fundamentals, and that can help
01:01
to give you confidence so when you're in the bunkers
01:03
not only are you gonna be able to get the ball
01:05
out of the bunker easier but you're gonna
01:06
be able to hit good shots and get a lot more swings
More from golfdigest.com
Equipment The Complete Hot List
Equipment The Complete Hot List
Golf Culture Most Annoying Golfers
Golf Culture Most Annoying Golfers
Instruction How To Do Everything
Instruction How To Do Everything
News & Tours Blog: Stay In The Loop
News & Tours Blog: Stay In The Loop
Ranking 100 Greatest Courses
Ranking 100 Greatest Courses
Cover Story Paulina Gretzky
Cover Story Paulina Gretzky