KJ Choi recently demonstrated a strange sand trap drill he teaches young players.
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For recreational golfers, the bunker shot is one of the most challenging shots. And much of this struggle comes from a lack of practice.
Finding a suitable place to practice your bunker shots can be difficult. Most public courses don’t have manicured short game practice areas to fine-tune the techniques needed to hit the ball correctly. Therefore, the only bunker practice many golfers do is when they find one. in course.
This isn’t very effective if you’re hoping to become a skilled sandbox player. Bunker shots require a technique not used anywhere else on the course, and much of learning the correct technique comes from trial and error. If the only time you hit a bunker shot is when you find sand during a round, you won’t be a good bunker player.
Hitting a solid bunker shot requires you to use your hands and arms in a very specific way, and most golfers are never taught the right feel. Champions Tour pro KJ Choi has a solution for this, and it comes in the form of a weird-looking bunker drill.
KJ Choi’s Bizarre Sandpit Training
If your first reaction when you see Choi training is, “What the hell is he doing?” you are not alone. Often, you’ll see someone using the clubhead as a hammer after a bad bunker shot, rather than as a training exercise.
While this drill may seem strange, if done correctly it can provide some key benefits for the feel you need to hit the bunker.
If you watch the video with sound, you’ll notice that the sound the clubhead makes when it hits the sand is very similar to the sound it makes when you hit a correct bunker shot. This is because the club head contacts the sand at a very similar angle in both cases.
“You hit the ground at a 90-degree angle [at impact],” Cui said.
When you swing the club straight down into the sand like a hammer, you’re also forced to replicate the angle of the shaft on a bunker shot. When you hit the ball the right way, your hands will be in line with the shaft and clubhead at impact. When you perform this exercise correctly, you must create the exact same angle.
“Some people have the wrong grip and wrong angle,” Cui said. “Te Yatai [far] To the left. So we go into the bunker, get grip first and maintain the downward angle.
If you could replicate the way the clubhead hits the sand and When you hit a bunker shot, adjust the angle of the shaft during the hammer drill and you’ll soon be hitting better bunker shots than you ever thought possible. Give it a try.
