Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
To ensure that golfers of all abilities are ready for the grand opening of the new Royal Golf Club in November, Chris is sharing his advice for the perfect tee off - make sure your first hit on Monty's fantastic new course is your proudest golfing memory! If you would like to practice Chris's tip as soon as possible, why not head down to the new public driving range at Bahrain Golf Club in Riffa? Alternatively, if you would like Chris to give you a one-on-one lesson, please contact him on 39797633 to make a reservation. He is available to conduct lessons at Bahrain Golf Club's driving range over the summer months until he is set up permanently at the Royal Golf Club's new academy in autumn.
Open Championship links courses are famous for many things, one in particular are the cavernous, riveted-faced bunkers that provide a huge test of skill by all who are unlucky enough to finish in one.
The new Colin Montgomerie-designed course at the Royal Golf Club will take on a much more 'links' type feel than the previous course, with rolling fairways, large sloping greens and the addition of more 'pot' bunkers.
Bunker shots are the bane of most golfers and visits to the sand are usually preceded by the head going down and an immediate feeling that bad things are now going to get worse!
The reality is that bunker shots are not that difficult, providing you have the correct set-up and technique. Far too many players try and dig the ball out, usually resulting in the next shot being played from the same bunker!
The following tip will help you improve your technique and escape from the sand first time.
Hit it high from the sand
Most bunker problems come long before the swing - if you don't have a good set-up, you'll be lucky to hit a decent shot.
For every sand shot, start with three basics:
Your clubface should be open (so the back of the club head is lying almost flat above the sand);
Your body position should be pointing open to the target (to the left for right handers) (see Photo1);
Your hands should be set lower than normal.
All of these factors contribute to adding loft to the club and getting the bounce on the back of the wedge to slide through the sand instead of digging into it.
From this set-up, feel that you swing on line with your body, aiming to strike the sand about two centimetres behind the ball (see Photo 2). You are aiming to take a long, shallow divot of sand from under the ball, not make a deep hole in the bunker!
Accelerating the club through the sand at this angle, whilst keeping the face open will allow the wide sole of the Sand Wedge to glide through under the ball and produce a high-flying, soft-landing escape. Aim to make almost a full follow-through to ensure you accelerate through the sand (see Photo 3).
To play an even higher shot, bend your knees to lower your centre of gravity, and drop your hands even lower. Tour players can hit the ball almost straight up that way. With some practice, you can too.
Next week: Control the controllables - mind games!
