Gyles Robin, Director of Golf at The Club at Gateway
If you end up in a greenside bunker here is a foolproof way to get you out! A method called Thumbs Up and Splash. Two key fundamentals to this technique are ball position and length of swing. Although this may seem obvious, use your sand wedge or lob wedge to get out of the greenside bunker.
1. Vertical Swing Plane (Thumbs Up) is the first important part of this method. Point your thumbs up to the sky on the backswing. You will create more of an up and down swing that utilizes the bounce of the wedge. The blade of the club will go through the sand and scoop the sand out of the bunker allowing the ball to float out on a pillow of sand.
2. Speed (Splash) when trying to move the sand around the ball out of the bunker you will need to swing the club with speed in order to “splash” the sand.
Like all short game shots, your ball position in your stance will determine the height of the shots and length of your swing will determine the distance of your shots.
You will notice I didn’t mention anything about opening your stance and adding loft to the club. In doing this you are changing the lie angle and therefore the bounce of the club causing other difficulties.
After practicing this and can successfully get out of any bunker in one swing, come and see me for a 30-minute lesson on how to get the ball closer to the hole.
