The sand trap is the nemesis of the golfer. Sand traps are also referred to as bunkers. There's more than one way to get out of the sand, and knowing a few different ways are important because no matter good you are, it's inevitable that you will find yourself stuck in the bunker. Often who wins or loses depends on the skill of the person working their way through the bunker. Here are five quick tips to turn you into an expert sand trap player.

Tip 1:

Hitting the correct impact point is absolutely essential whenever you're playing from the sand. An excellent way to approach this shot is to visualize your ball sitting on a tee. By focusing on hitting the tee you'll chip the ball out of the bunker and find yourself exactly where you need to be.

Tip 2:

Use cupping to lift the ball out of the bunker. What you want to accomplish is lifting as little sand as possible without contacting your ball. When you contact the sand you should cup your left wrist. "Cupping the wrist" is a phrase used to describe the supination of the left wrist (for a right-handed golfer) at the top of the backswing.

Tip 3:

Draw a line in the sand approximately three inches behind the ball. Hit that line when you take your swing. This will help you avoid a very common mistake; hitting the sand too far behind your ball.

Tip 4:

Compare the lay of the land to the lie of the ball to assess whether to use an explosive chip shot.

Sand trap shots can actually be quite easy. You don't always have to have an explosive swing when you're trying to escape the bunker. You can play your way out with a very natural stroke.

First, examine the lay of the land and the lie of the ball. When you find that the bank of the trap is low and you have some putting area between the trap and the hole you'll improve your control by hitting the ball with the club head directly. Allow for some roll.

Tip 5:

One of the keys to controlling the trap is to follow through whenever you swing. It's natural to stab at the ball. This will generally cause your club to stop abruptly. The wetter the sand the harder the stop. If you follow through you'll find that 9 times out of 10 you will exit the trap!

As with all techniques you will need to practice. Instead of avoiding the bunker, take time to place your ball in the bunker and practice these tips. Always keep in mind the etiquette of the course. Step aside and encourage other players to play through so you don't hold them up.

By: Joseph Pahl
Want to learn more about how to easily reduce your golf score by 7 strokes in just seven days? Go to http://www.7Days7Strokes.info to find out how.

A very frequently asked question indeed; how to play the sand shot or the bunker shot.

Before we get to the bunker play tips, I have to preface what you are about to read with but one word... practice. Once you get the basics (which are forthcoming) you've got to take the time to practice and gain confidence in the execution.

Believe me; getting your sand play up to a decent level is well worth the time spent on it. With a decent sand game, it is actually more advantageous to be in a bunker around many greens than it is to be buried in the rough just a few yards away! And you'll score better as a result.

For good bunker play you need to understand some basic techniques. Actually, before we discuss technique, you need to have a sand wedge in your bag... not a pitching wedge... I'll tell you why in a moment.

First all, with your set up you want to open you stance, hips, and shoulders to the left of the target (right handed golfers) and the ball positioned slightly forward in your stance. Establish solid footing by digging into the sand just a bit.

With your setup to the left of the target, you now want to open the clubface (rotate the sand wedge so the more of the clubface is exposed).

As far as the swing path goes, you want your swing path to follow the alignment of your body just like you other shots.

With a sand shot you want you club to enter the sand a couple of inches behind the ball. I like to have people imagine that just underneath the ball in the sand, the golf ball is sitting on a tee; and what you are trying to do is clip the tee out from under the ball without disturbing the ball itself.

Keep your wrists firm until well after impact. You don't want get 'flippy' with your hands when it comes to sand shots.

When you are first learning to play a bunker shot, strive to gain consistency with your entry point behind the ball and consistently extracting the ball onto a putt-able position on the green.

The next step for you will be to alter the distance of your bunker shot using your swing speed with you 'basic' bunker swing and shot. However, the first and primary goal is to gain a consistency with your swing tempo and your entry point. For the beginning sand player, gaining confidence in getting the ball consistently out of the bunker and putting is the first goal and the first building block. Just getting this first basic skill established fluently will save you strokes immediately. Don't worry so much about variations to your bunker play... these can come later... just get comfortable and confident with that fact that you'll be out and putting. Rome wasn't built in a day... or something like that.

I touched on this earlier and now I want to give you a bit more detail on your bunker equipment (sand wedge) and why you must have one.

First of all, believe it or not, the sand wedge is designed for sand play.

Bounce - the sand wedge has a rounded sole that actually sits lower in comparison to the blade of the club. This feature allows the club to glide through the sand rather than dig into it.

Loft - greater loft that the pitching wedge - 55-60 degrees as opposed to 48-52 degrees. This gets you ball up and over the lips of the bunkers more readily rather than trying to 'manufacture' a shot with your pitching wedge.

Toe to Heel Design - this what gives the sand wedge the oval appearance - but more than this - it is what keeps the sand wedge from digging in and allows you to 'splash' the ball out of the bunker.

Bottom line - if you're not using a sand wedge for your sand shots; you're making things much more difficult than they need be.

Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds relaxation over a shot. Particularly the sand shot. Tension and nervousness are shot killers. The basic sand shot is not at all a difficult shot to extract, it's just that those who fear them are those who don't take the time to practice them... think about it this way... it's the only shot where you are going to actually purposely miss the ball!

So get out there and find a place to practice and get better. Remember first things first... just work to gain consistency and you'll start improving your game.

By: Jeff O`Brien
Jeff O`Brien offers instruction and golf tips to get your game on track. Be sure to visit golf-ology.com for online golf lessons, golf gear, and other articles at http://www.golf-ology.com.

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You have hit into a bunker but it is not until you reach it that you find your ball has stopped right against the front face or wall. The ball has just run over the front edge of the bunker and has not moved forward at all.

At first glance there is no room for a back stroke, and you wonder how on earth you will get your ball back into play let alone onto the green. You could of course hit it side ways and get it back into play, so that is that question answered.

However it also is possible to get the ball onto the green and into the hole with two puts. If you manage this, your confidence will be enhanced and you will give yourself a psychological boost.

So what you do is this.

Set up in the normal way, aligning your body to the left of target if you can. If the stance possibilities do not allow this, just do the best you can. Just get the ball onto the green.

Also, have your weight on your front foot.

Dig your feet in a bit to get stability because you have to keep your head very, very still during this shot.

Choke down on the club, (or move your hands down the grip towards the metal part of the golf club).

Have the face of the club wide open so that you could balance a glass of water on it.

The ball will be somewhere off your right foot, (right handers), depending on how much room you have.

Now swing back to the outside and cock your wrists sharply. This takes the club up steeply.

Now hit down using your right hand strongly to hit the sand as near to the ball as possible.

This should send the ball onto the green.

You have to hit the ball hard

and it is so important, it is imperative, I can not stress this next bit strongly enough.

You have to keep your head very still. No sideways movement. Just drive with your right knee towards the flight of the ball, and remain in the tube you started in.

Move your head and you will duff the shot.

Bill Maitland is a thinking, inventive golf guru. He thought out and developed simple techniques and tips which enabled him to lower his handicap from 25 to 18, then from 18 to 15, and finally from 15 to 12. He is a passionate golfer, and delights in helping others with their game should they want his help.

By: Bill Maitland
To receive a valuable weekly golf tip go to his web site onlinegolfershandbook.com, and subscribe to his free Hole In One News Letter. You will be so glad that you did.

Author of On Line Golfers' Hand Book. An e-Book that takes you step by step to being the best golfer that you can possibly be. The basics in great detail.

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So you're approach shot to the green has landed in a bunker? This need not result and yet another bogey on your card. In fact, ask any professional golfer and they will tell you that it most cases they would prefer to be in the bunker than the greenside rough. Unless, of course that bunker is at the Road Hole at St. Andrews but there are always exceptions.

How, then can you ensure you get out of the bunker first time, every time and not only that but give yourself a good chance of achieving par? Assuming you have a decent lie there are some simple rules of bunker play which if you follow should ensure consistent and accurate results. I've listed the key points of successful bunker play below:

1. You must have a decent sand-wedge club. By this I mean the underside of the club, or flange, should be smooth and well-sloped to allow the club head to slide under the ball and lift it out nicely from the trap.

2. The first thing you should do is to open the club face a little and then take your grip. It is important to do this the right way around. If you grip the club as normal and then try to open the face it will feel a bit awkward and uncomfortable and will lead to less accurate results.

3. Now you take your stance and address the ball. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart and pointing slightly left of the target. Also you should try working your shoes into the sand to allow for better stability. Ball position is forward in the stance.

4. We now come to the swing. Take a full and confident backswing, along the line of the feet and then a full follow through. People often wonder how far behind the ball to hit the sand. Around 1 to 4 inches is fine but the important thing is to make a confident follow through rather than trying to stab the ball out.

So, keep in mind to open the face, place the ball forward and then make a full and confident swing along the line of the feet and getting down in 2 from the bunker should be within your reach.

By: Andrew McNaught
Andrew McNaught is a successful webmaster and keen golfer. His website Golf World Online helps golfers with bunker shots and all other aspects of the game.

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