Bunker Splash Line Drill

In a practice bunker, use your sand or lob wedge. Draw a line in the sand about two inches behind the ball, perpendicular to your target line, with your finger or the grip end of a club. Open the clubface slightly and dig your feet in for a stable base.

1. Set up with an open stance, the ball forward (off your lead heel), weight slightly favoring the lead foot, and the clubface laid open so it points a touch right of target.
2. Pick the drawn line as your entry point and commit to striking the sand on that line — pretend the ball isn't even there.
3. Make a full, accelerating swing and 'splash' the sand from your line through to in front of the ball, taking a shallow, dollar-bill-sized patch of sand.
4. Keep the clubface open through impact and finish your follow-through — never quit on a bunker shot.
5. Once you can hit the line consistently with a ball, practice entering an inch closer or farther to feel how entry point changes how far the ball flies.

Splash 10 shots hitting your line, then 10 with a ball in place. About 15 minutes.

Common mistake: decelerating out of fear and trying to lift the ball, which leaves the club stuck in the sand and the ball in the bunker. Instead, accelerate through impact with a committed, full follow-through and trust the bounce of the wedge to splash through — a bunker shot needs more speed than you'd expect because the sand absorbs the energy, not the ball.