Pot bunkers can damage a spherical. However the following tips will assist salvage some strokes across the greens.
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Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a GOLF.com collection during which we’re sharing enhancements, learnings and takeaways from newbie golfers similar to you — together with a few of the pace bumps and challenges they confronted alongside the best way.
Like demise and taxes, there are some things that we are able to count on to see at each Open Championship — wild pot bunkers and unpredictable climate. And after practically two rounds from this yr’s main tourney at Royal Troon, these two issues have proven to be fairly the problem for gamers.
Simply how tough are the bunkers at this yr’s Open Championship? Tiger Woods appeared to sum them up completely, saying the next previous to teeing it up at this yr’s occasion.
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“These pots [bunkers] are not like any bunkers we see at residence,” Woods stated Tuesday. ”These are very — they’re penalty areas. You go in them, you’re most likely going sideways or backwards or someplace not very far. So it’s crucial to remain out of them.”
Whereas pot bunkers and different deep traps are robust to navigate, they don’t should be. Positive, generally you could go backwards with a purpose to transfer ahead, however so long as you get out on the primary try, that’s a victory.
So what changes do you have to make when caught in a pot bunker and sweating the upcoming shot? Golf teacher Invoice Schmedes supplies the solutions under.
Do that to overcome pot bunkers like ones on the Open Championship
“As we’ve witnessed at this yr’s Open Championship, gamers can have a complete spherical go south as a result of tough pot bunkers,” Schmedes tells me. “Those at Royal Troon are a few of the most tough on the planet, and so they’re proving to point out their tooth this yr.”
Given their problem, Schmedes says it’s no surprise why gamers are pressured to get inventive with a purpose to attempt to escape these particular sorts of sand traps.
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“Followers watching on TV will see gamers hitting backwards away from the opening, gamers standing exterior of the bunker whereas attempting to hit their ball within the bunker, one foot within the bunker, one-handed photographs, and photographs the place the clubface is flipped in the other way,” he explains. “These are probably the most difficult conditions they’ll face all yr!”
However to keep away from a serious blow up when in a pot bunker, listed here are three issues to do to make one of the best of the state of affairs — which each newbie ought to observe with a purpose to get out in a single try.
Assess the state of affairs
Earlier than doing anything whenever you land in a pot bunker, you could keep in mind this: Decrease the injury.
Whether or not you’re in a crater-sized lure at your house course or watching a participant hit from one at Royal Troon, a golfer should assess the lie of the ball, decide what stance to make use of, determine if the backswing, downswing or by way of swing will likely be impacted by the lip, what one of the best exit plan is, which membership to make use of, and decide what the top aim is.
Simply getting the ball again in play with one shot is a victory from a few of these sorts of bunkers.
Concentrate on method
For gamers to have success from a deep bunker on the Open Championship, all of it comes all the way down to how they place themselves at handle — so take word, newbie golfers.
Issues to note: Each decrease and higher our bodies will likely be angled in direction of the goal at handle, the middle of gravity will likely be decrease to the bottom at handle (it ought to look squatty), and there will likely be some foot flare. Based mostly on that sort of setup, a participant is probably going utilizing extra of the arms, arms, and higher physique, relative to their decrease physique.
The exit
If a participant needs the ball to launch greater with extra spin as a result of pin location, you’ll see an exit that has a a lot greater end with extra pace — which occurs as a result of an open clubface at handle.
But when a participant must launch the ball decrease and with much less spin to roll it upon touchdown on the inexperienced, the exit will likely be a lot decrease with much less pace — utilizing a clubface at handle that’s much less open.
Whereas pot bunkers may be intimidating for all ranges of gamers, particularly these competing at this yr’s Open Championship, interested by these three ideas can pay big dividends to assist decrease scores.
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