High & Soft Over Bunker

Sometimes, a super-high ball flight comes in real handy.

For example, you’ve got a mammoth bunker to fly over to a tight pin!

Select a lob or sand wedge and play an open clubface with an open stance. Play the ball in the center or just ahead of center. Set your hands low and in line with the shaft to encourage the loft of the club to do its magic.

 Play the ball in the center or just ahead of center. Set up is slightly open – meaning that my body is lined up left of a square set up.

 Super-soft hands with zero tension are critical for super-high shots over a bunker. My legs are quiet allowing clubhead speed to launch the ball high. Legs are quiet in this shot.

An open stance and clubface require fast hands on the downswing. Fast hands can only happen with zero tension.

If you’re on a slope, as I am here, be sure to angle your shoulders with the slope.

Over a bunker to a severely sloping downhill green…yikes!

With the right focus and set up, this shot is not so intimidating. And we don’t need one of those super-fancy flop shots either. Instead, we will use the loft of your club and execute a simple pitch stroke.

To pull this shot off, I am intently focusing on my landing area (not the flag) with super soft hands, arms, and shoulders. Tension kills shots of this nature. With your SW or lob in hand, set up with an open stance and clubface. I’ll land this ball just on the green and let the slope take the ball to the hole. The high & soft effect is from the clubhead sliding under the ball; similar in effect to a sand shot.