How to Stop Leaving Shots in the Sand

This story is for you if...

• You're not confident playing bunker shots • Your clubhead digs too deep into the sand • You leave bunker shots short — and still in the sand

Fault: You hit most of your bunker shots heavy and leave the ball in the sand.

Fix: The next time you're in a bunker, imagine you're standing in a pond of shallow water. Set up with your weight slightly forward, position the ball halfway between the center of your feet and your left instep, and lay the clubface open. Now, instead of thinking about burying your wedge into the sand and exploding the ball out, imagine you are smoothly skipping the sole of the wedge off the water.

Why it works: It gives you the proper feel of gliding your sand wedge under the ball — just like skipping a flat rock off water. This image will help you take a shallow, splashing divot that will carry your ball onto the green.