Epson Tour professional Natalie Sheary (New Britain, Connecticut) returns for Episode 5 of her weekly instructional series, “Staying Sharp with Sheary.” The Wake Forest University alumna and past Epson Tour champion at the 2016 W.B. Mason Championship provides advice and drills to keep your game sharp—both physically and mentally—while at home and in practice, as courses begin to reopen.
In this week’s episode, Sheary outlines the keys to executing a greenside bunker shot.
“When setting up for a traditional bunker shot, I have three thoughts in mind,” Sheary said. “First, I have the club face open but square to my target. Next, my weight is distributed heavily on my left side. Lastly, I remember to make an aggressive, confident swing so the speed can create additional height and spin.”
#StayingSharpWithSheary Ep. 5 - Greenside Bunker Shot
— Natalie Sheary (@NatSheary) May 13, 2020
Check out the full segment ➡️ https://t.co/XmEfSvvBFH pic.twitter.com/yOb9qAOQNn
Another component that Sheary details is picking a spot in the sand that is 1-2 inches behind the ball to aim for in the downswing. The objective is to hit sand first and “splash” sand through impact. As a visual aid during practice, Sheary mentions she draws a line in the sand to see where contact is made and that her swing follows the guideline of striking behind the ball.
“When opening up the club and then taking your grip, you’ll notice that the face is now pointing away from the target [to the right},” said Sheary, a right-handed golfer. “It’s important to shift our entire body [left] to open the stance until the club face is square to target. Once a quality setup position is achieved, take a healthy swing and accelerate through the sand.”
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