Day 43: Balls and Bunkers

I went to hit balls this evening with my buddy at Westchester Golf Course.
This is a fairly nice range in that you can hit balls from the grass - only irons though.
I started out hitting the ball great - great ball flight.
However, as time went on, I started to get a bit leaky to the right. I am not sure why my swing breaks down over time. It must be that I resort to old habits as I get tired.
However, I am making good contact with every shot, so I know that I am getting closer and closer to finding the right swing to 'groove' in. I understand that it will take some time to groove that swing in - I also know that I am getting closer and closer to that magical place.
I found that there is a certain place in the down swing where you just let your hands and wrists 'go' - it is a split second before impact. This is the 'release' point and I know fully understand what instructors are talking about. It is the point where you release your hands and wrists and let the momentum of the club head travel through the ball. Sam Snead calls it the hand snap as demonstrated in this video. It's the same wrist action as throwing a baseball. You would not throw a baseball without breaking your wrists - the same goes with swinging a golf club:


The only issue I have now is the timing of that release point. When the timing is correct, the ball goes for 'miles' on a straight flight path. When the timing is incorrect, all sorts of bad things can happen - slice, hook, shank, etc. So the timing of the release point must be the same on all shots in order to get the desired effect - I also understand that this will come with more and more repetition. There is nothing more gratifying than figuring out how to do something the right way and then executing it to perfection. I would say that I now do that about 50% of the time. This is a far cry from where I started 43 days ago when I did not even know how to swing the club correctly. The other element of improvement that I have seen over the past 43 days is that my 'misses' are far less disastrous as they used to be. Before I started, I was just happy when the ball traveled further than 150 yards - meaning I did not hit it fat, pop it up, shank it, etc. - now I find that if I 'miss' it might mean that I pushed my approach 15 yards right of my intended target line, but the distance was good. I know that this is the 'name of the game' - to increase your successful shot percentage and to minimize the degree of your 'misses'.

I ended the session by spending almost 1.5 hours hitting out of the bunker. It was a good session. There is a bunker with about a 5 foot tall lip. I started hitting my 57 degree SW out of the bunker and focused on good rhythm and a long finish. I had some trouble at the start by hitting too far behind the ball coupled with a swing speed that was too fast. As I got the rhythm down, I noticed that I did not need to bring my arms back very far at all, but needed to make a full hinge with my wrists and then carry my arms through the shot. After I discovered the necessary tempo needed, I changed to my 60-degree wedge and the ball popped out a lot easier and fluffier. However, the weight of the club head is much heavier with my 60-degree so it really wants to demolish the sand as it enters. After realizing this, I had to take sand much closer to the ball which requires a lot of concentration. The good part about that is that you really swing the club pretty slow, so it is easier to focus on making a more consistent entry point into the sand.
As I got home, I found this video from Phil Mickelson which dispels some myths about the bunker and he shows demonstrates some good technique on bunker play. He emphasizes a long, high finish as the most important element to good bunker play. Enjoy!