WATCH: Amateur golfer takes hacking to a new level – leaving crowd in fits of laughter
24/03/2024 17:05
You will often have heard golfers or others referring to certain players as hackers.
They swing at the ball as if they were hacking their way through the Amazon jungle and get just as sweaty as an explorer making their first foray into the tropics.
Add a camera into the mix and you have a painful experience.
We hope this chap was playing a matchplay shootout here and not strokeplay.
If at first you don’t succeed…
Basic bunker rules and tips
When your ball's in a bunker, it's crucial to remember not to contact the sand with your hand before your stroke. Some players use this to evaluate the sand’s quality, remove footprints left by previous players, or discover an easier position to play from, which is a whole other category of breached rules.
Before striking a shot, players must avoid contacting their club with the sand.
Touching the sand before a shot is only acceptable if you’re not testing the conditions.
If there is a leaf against your ball, you may remove it as long as it does not move the ball. Similarly, it's OK to sweep aside pebbles, twigs, leaves, etc from the space around your ball before setting up for a shot. Just make sure not to touch the sand or move your ball.
It is basic etiquette to help other players and staff maintain the course. This entails raking your footprints and any divots left from your bunker shot.
You should also rake the bunker if you have to stand on the sand to make your shot.
Weakening your lead hand grip, which implies turning your left hand to the left (for right-handed golfers), is the first and most important stage in striking a bunker shot. Positioning your hand like way keeps the clubface open throughout the forward swing. It keeps the clubface from shutting down, allowing the ball to fly higher and settle softer.
Getting your legs down to the ground flattens the shaft, allowing your wrists to be more flexible and dynamic. Bringing your centre of gravity closer to the ground will allow you to swing the clubhead beneath the ball. You also want your sternum directly behind the ball and your weight should be shifted onto the lead foot. You want to make contact with the sand behind your ball and get underneath to propel it up and out of the bunker and into freedom.
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