This topic contains 9 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by 
Lee 6 years, 6 months ago.
- Two problems with bunker&flop shot
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Greetings all,
I have trained the shot for two days now and keep having two problems:
1) Many balls drift off to the right, even though I get (deep) down with the club
2) I cannot seem to play high bunker shots using the Tathata swing, they all, even when just having a 30% hit, get quit far out from the bunker. Any advice here?
Thanks for help,
AndyI have been using the bunker method with good success. To me the keys are first I hit behind the ball at least 1 inch to ensure I grab the sand and not the ball. Sometimes it is difficult if there is very hard sand or only a thin layer of sand. Then I am more apt to have the club bounce up and hit the ball directly. Second key is I get enough speed of the club. This will affect my ball height as well as how far the ball goes. Long bunker shots are harder because with the wide open face the ball just won’t go that far forward unless I get more of the ball than the sand. Third key is having the face open enough – at least 45* open. This helps get the ball up in the air rather than too far into the green. This also gets a good amount of spin on the ball that they stop pretty quickly with good control.
I am more reluctant right now to try the flop shot. I have had mixed results where I have skulled those before. Also, if the grass is really fluffy the club sometimes passes underneath the ball barely moving it. I do practice the flop shot a few times a month during my warmups.
If the ball is going right (for a RH player) then the hands may be too high. Lowering the hands should cause the ball to move left.
Well, I can lower them no more, actually. And If I would, the leading edge of the club would be up from the ground resulting in hitting the ball with the edge and not at all in wiping the ground. Basically, that is one of the main problems currently: With a very open blade I have to get down deep, which itself result in a lifted leading edge…
P.S.: I would really appreciate a bunker demonstration video applying this technique, not just the exercise without a ball 🙂
Hi Andreas,
Thank you for your questions! As you setup in the bunker there’s a sense of being down and strong in the legs. There is a slight “pre-surf” of the feet shins and knees at setup. It sounds like you have a clear understanding of how raising or lowering the hands can vary the face angle at setup.
There is one important factor that allows greats like Seve Ballesteros or Tiger Woods to hit incredible bunker shots. Notice the wedge “grind” of Tiger Woods when you click on the link below:
Notice how the heel and toe of the wedge are ground down. Also notice how the backside of the wedge is slightly ground down. The wedge being ground in this way allows for a multitude of shots to become available for these players. This also makes life much simpler in a bunker when we open the face and lower the hands. Because the heel and backside are ground in this way, when the hands are low and face is open there will be minimal “leading edge” above the ground. This allows the wedge to move smoothly through the sand which creates a scenario where it is much simpler to hit shots off of tight lies or play from firm sand. It sounds like your setup is sound so one of the next places to look would be the grind of the wedge.
Greetings and thanks for the reply,
however, it is very abstract. I am sorry to admit this, but I had a glance at “Scratchgolfacademy”, which has a lot in common with things taught here (pressure, athletic character, you name). However, the teacher there ALWAYS demonstrates the techniques with a ball and in addition to the “concepts” gives hints that allow for addressing concrete problems: For instance becoming “safe” by first training to hit the sand.
What I really am longing for here at Tathata are sections where things really are applied, where you get into the real situation. Honestly, once you are in the bunker Tathata leaves you there with quite a lot of doubt and stopping time. And this transfers and carries on to most of the program.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the concepts, but the 60 day program imho lacks the parts that enables you applying things on the course, be it bunker, complicated lies (downhill, weird slopes), pressure vs. tension (when to let the wrist joint go? What does pressure NOT mean?). It think most people here get the concepts, which are often repeated in answers given to questions, but what we are missing are the lectures and videos that talk about how to apply things on the course, as mentioned above, and I direly hope they will be addressed in additional videos sometime later.
All the best,
AndyHi Andy!
Thank you for your incredible feedback, we absolutely hear you. There is more coming from Tathata Golf in the very near future addressing in absolute detail your thoughts and hopes! The 60-Day Program is the flagship “go to market” product and we are diligently looking for more ways to help our customers continue to have incredible experiences on the golf course.
For the time being if you are in need of more personalized feedback and help, many of our students have tremendous success through our additional live training located on the website. We offer online lessons, live lessons, golf schools, and also swing, short game, and putting video submission feedback.
We are in the process of unveiling new additional content from Tathata Golf and we are forever greatfull to all of our students for helping us grow together!
Fortunately I’ve always been pretty good at getting out of bunkers well. The money (note) under the ball concept taught me well when I was a kid. Plus he other things mentioned above. The one thing I would add is grip pressure (I used to say focus on the hands through the ball) with a high finish, or … good commitment. since working through the program here I know remind myself about increasing grip pressure to give me that commitment to complete a good solid swing through the shot with more speed than you think you need.
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