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This version of the "horizontal release" drill is perfect for golfers who struggle out of the sand. More specifically, it is great for players who have a hard time feeling the differences between a "stock" release and that which is necessary for great bunker play.
To effectively use the bounce in the sand, we want to make sure the clubface remains open throughout the entirety of the motion. This is in stark contrast to our stock, full-swing mechanics; moves such as the "motorcycle"or the feeling of gradual supination would fall into this category.
Overall, if you can incorporate this drill into your next short game session, you should see improved low-point control and an ability to hit higher & softer bunker shots, especially when "short sided".
Tags: Bunker, Drill, Beginner
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The Stirl is horizontal bunker releases.
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So for some golfers they have a really hard time feeling the proper rotation of the club
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face in this shot.
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For bunker shots you basically want the club face to stay more constant or basically
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more open and square, especially on the way through.
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A lot of golfers tend to bring it back, a little bit more closed, come into it closed,
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and then either try to open it or without knowing it they actually really close it down.
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So they'll tend to do more of this style of release, which closes it down and causes
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a whole host of contact problems because you take away balance when you close the face.
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So what I want you to do is if you struggle with that club face, you're going to
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make some horizontal swings just like this where it's going to stay basically facing you
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or facing the sky.
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It's not going to turn down and face the ground.
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Now what you're going to do is you're going to add the timing so you're going to keep
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it facing the sky as it passes your body.
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So less chest rotation and more arm throw.
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Now that I've got this feeling of kind of throwing those arms, I'm going to focus on getting
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the low point ahead of the golf ball and I'm going to focus on getting that sound as it
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comes around but the face stays open.
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You do so, you'll get that good bounce sound and the ball will pop up pretty quickly.
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That's a good sign that you're managing the face a little bit better.
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If you're not quite sure how you're managing the face, do a horizontal swing so you
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can feel what it would be like for your face to say open, which will usually come from
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a feeling of either the back of the left hand staying up or the palm of the right hand
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facing the sky in that follow-through.
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Instead of that right hand getting on top of the left or the left hand the palm facing
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up.
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If you do one of those two if you get the too much rotation, you're going to tend to have
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blade of shots or really low shots that have a low launch and you'll have a lot of trouble
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when you have a high lip that you need to carry.
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So there's a great skill for working on for greenside bunkers especially when you have
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to hit it high and soft.
