This month, Steve Dahlby, [Director of Instruction at Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona] teaches Shane McLaughlin, of Palatine, Ill. Shane’s long game is so good he has whittled his handicap to a 5. Now he wants a better bunker game.
1. Thin to lose
Shane’s backswing was too far inside. He could recover from this position during a full swing, but on greenside bunker shots his inside club path was too shallow coming into the ball. Either his club would bounce off the sand and he’d skull the ball or at best he would hit it thin, not taking enough sand to control distance or trajectory.
2. Walk the plank
To improve his backswing plane, I put a wooden plank next to Shane’s ball and asked him to let his clubhead swing more alongside the board than away from it. I altered his practice swing so he could get a sense of the path the club should take away from the ball.
3. Hello, Sandy
With a more upright back-swing, all Shane has to do on the downswing is let the club and his body swing to a full finish. The clubhead now hits the sand two to four inches behind the ball. The shot flies higher, lands softer and spins to a quick stop.
Article originally published in Golf Digest, Feb, 2002 by Steve Dahlby
Ranked as one of Arizona’s top instructors, Steve Dahlby has helped countless players improve their games with his unique teaching style. Based at world-famous Troon North since 1995, Steve has worked with players of all levels including member of the PGA Tour and European Ladies Tour as well as top-ranked club professionals, amateurs and juniors.
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