Beached

The amatuer player, the weekend duffer, whatever you decide to call him, or her (don't want to play favorites, no that's for grandmothers and teachers) fears green side bunker shots. Hogie, I know what you might be thinking, what are you, the long hitting black bear, doing talking about short game and writing in these very long winded, wordy sentences. Maybe he's right. I am not a short game guru, or William Faulkner, but I am so slouch around the greens. "Don't sell yourself short judge, you're an incredible slouch" (Caddyshack). So, here is how to play the green side bunker shot:

1. Imagine there is a valuable jewel on the beach that looks suspiciously similar to a golf ball. You can keep it, and become the richest man (or woman) in the world, if and only if you can get it into a bucket several yards away. Ahhhh, but you can't pick it up with your hand. Dammit. Instead you have to only a golf club, a sand wedge. Instinctively, you wouldn't want to sratch the jewel, no you would splash it out. Lesson Over.

Maybe Hogie can offer you a more technically sound method for bunker play, but for now, this will suffice. Hogan, the guy from the 50's (not his reincarnated self ala Mr. Butler) would aim for green side bunkers at the US OPEN since the greens were too fast for long putts. You may not get that good at bunker shots, but... you can get pretty darn close. Claude Harmon taught hitting bunker shots with only his right hand. Gary Player practiced spinning a 3 iron from green side traps. Some players use the Texas Wedge to escape a low liped bunker. Chi Chi Rodreguez says he was born in the sand (literally he was born on the beach somewhere, no). Anyway you look at it, bunkers are nothing to fear. Children playing in the sandbox at the park tis all it is.

Bear