00:00As we pull up the video of Pearson Cootie hitting a bunker shot, the next scenario I have for you
00:04is two, right? So let's talk about just a short bunker shot like we have here. And let's say in
00:09this scenario, there's not a ton of sand. So talk to me about when a player gets into a short
00:15-sighted
00:15bunker shot and they feel like when they walk in there, they're like, I'm starting to dig and not
00:19feeling a ton of sand. What does that tell the player and what does that tell a coach on how
00:24to
00:24approach the shot at hand here? Great question. So we start pretty much every session, especially
00:30at home and sometimes even on the road, I will set up a firm bunker station as you're describing.
00:34And then I'll also set up a soft bunker station just so we're always prepared for both. But
00:41there's glaring differences. I mean, out of the firm, the first thing we're going to do is we're
00:47going to put the ball, we're going to have way more pressure on our left foot. So it's going to
00:52be
00:52instead of maybe 60, 40, we're going to go probably to 70, 30 on our left foot. Because
00:56when it's firm, the only way to get a height is to use the heel of the golf club. That's
01:01the
01:01sharper part of the club. The toe we know is the softest. So you're not using the bounce nearly as
01:07much as when you're in firm. So the pressure is going to be more left. Your handle of the club
01:13is
01:13actually going to go a little forward, which promotes a little bit of more steepness and promotes
01:18the heel of the club digging into the ground a little bit, which we need when it's firm opposite
01:23of soft. So also when it's firm, the ball is going to come out faster. You don't have to open
01:28up the
01:29face as much because again, we're not using the bounce. We're using, we're using the leading edge.
01:33We're using the heel. So it's a little bit more down, steeper, big difference in steep than cut though.
01:40Follow me. Yeah. A lot of guys can use steep with, with cut path. The path may be marginally more
01:46left, but it's way more V way more up, straight up and straight down. It's less speed. It's leave
01:53the heel of the club into the ground. You literally almost have no follow through because the only way
01:57to get height out of firm is to use the, is to use the heel of the club to be
02:01steep and a lot less
02:03speed than you would have out of soft. Cause the ball comes out faster. Very similar to like,
02:08like this week, it's colonial. We've had, we've had a decent amount of rain. So the rain,
02:11so the bunkers are a little more compact. They're not necessarily firm, but they're wet.
02:17That ball's always going to come out. So the ball's coming up faster, coming out. Yeah. And the
02:20other, the, the, the farther end of this would be if the ball was plugged. Right. So that would be,
02:25uh, the similar deal where you trying to have to get steep. And so that's, that's the, the other end
02:30of the deal here. So let's work our way all the way back to the other side where the, you
02:34know,
02:34let's say you have a longer bunker shot in the sand. It's heavy. It's a, you know, one that you
02:40get in there and you, you, you dig your feet and you're like, Oh man, how the heck am I
02:44supposed to
02:44hit this bunker shot? You know, carrying it 25 yards, uh, in my brain, I'm, I'm trying to go to
02:50something almost like a gap wedge or something with a much, uh, lower loft and more bounce. And we're
02:57trying to hit this. We're putting a lot of energy into this. And if anything, wouldn't we want to be
03:02a
03:02little bit more shallow in our arc in which we strike it a thousand percent? So if you,
03:06if you could come out more on tour with me and get guys used to 52, I would really appreciate
03:10it.
03:10Cause it's like pulling teeth to get him to even use a 56 degree. Uh, but we'll, you know, uh,
03:17we'll,
03:17we'll share some Jackson Coyven stuff later, but anyway, he's, he, that's a, a prime example of
03:21just a college kid that never only thinks he's supposed to use a 60. I'm like, do you realize how
03:25hard you have to swing and how much there's less bounce in this club? So at a soft, you need
03:31face open.
03:32You need, you need, you need more bounce. You need a little bit more rounded shallowing motion to
03:38where the club is returning back at 90 degrees at impact. So when the, when, when it's firm,
03:43you need a little shaft lean when it's soft, you need, you want the club at 90 degrees, uh, back,
03:49back at impact. So therefore the club is working up and out of the sand in a shallow, in a
03:54shallowing,
03:55uh, kind of style. If that, if that makes sense. Um, so it does out of soft, the face is
04:02way more
04:02open. It's a little bit more rounded. It's a little bit more released. Some guys feel it right
04:06hand. Some guys feel it left hand, but the club has to pass you by. It has to feel like
04:10it's working
04:11over your left shoulder. So my two favorite training things I do for guys when it's firm,
04:17I'll make them hit some buried bunker shots to get comfortable getting the heel in the ground.
04:21And then when it's soft, I'll make them hit it on off up slopes. So if they hit it off,
04:26up slopes, when it's really soft, it'll get them to let, to trust the speed and trust the club
04:32passing them. Because if they lean, it is just going to dig right into the hill and go nowhere.
04:36So those are my, you know, two of my favorite drills to prepare them for those certain lies.
04:41Uh, also firm is going to be off down slopes. Those are very similar as well to what your motion
04:46is going to be off firm. So, um, just try and, and off soft. I would have a lot of
04:51guys practice
04:52off the ball above their feet because that's going to make them be more rounded, release the
04:56toe of the club. The toe beats the heel. The heel doesn't drag, um, all those kinds of things.
05:01So putting them in situations that, uh, will force them to kind of, kind of do the right
05:05things to get an understanding. And you'd be sure, look, I wouldn't have a job if everybody
05:10understood these things. I'm thankful, uh, that not everybody knows. Otherwise I wouldn't be doing
05:15this. So, uh, um, but I love it. It's a passion of mine and it's something that I love studying
05:20different lies and, and, and especially out of the rough.
Comments