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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best
Young Teachers in
America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.
Fix Chunked Bunker Shots with a Narrow Backswing Drill
After this video, you'll be able to:
- Feel the difference between a wide and narrow backswing in the bunker
- Learn how to position your arms for better control during the shot
- Understand how to use the club's bounce to achieve cleaner contact with the sand
Learn how to improve your bunker play by narrowing your backswing. This drill will help you avoid common mistakes that lead to chunked or bladed shots.
Video Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.240
This drill is the narrow backswing in the bunker.
2
00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:07.630
So I got this drill from Stan Utley from his book, whenever that came out 10
3
00:00:07.630 --> 00:00:08.840
years ago,
4
00:00:08.840 --> 00:00:13.380
and it's been very helpful for golfers who tend to have too much of a wide one-
5
00:00:13.380 --> 00:00:13.820
piece
6
00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:19.300
takeaway, have too much width at the top of the swing, and as a result, they
7
00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:19.800
tend to either
8
00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:24.800
chunk it or blade it, but they almost always bottom out before the golf ball.
9
00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:30.360
So to feel an extra narrowness to the swing, you can do it one of two different
10
00:00:30.360 --> 00:00:31.160
ways.
11
00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:36.390
You can get set up, so leaning slightly left, nose basically in line with the
12
00:00:36.390 --> 00:00:37.360
golf ball.
13
00:00:37.360 --> 00:00:43.790
I'm going to hinge the club up towards my nose so that it's kind of pointing
14
00:00:43.790 --> 00:00:44.600
just between
15
00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:48.550
my legs kind of like so, and my arms are pretty close to my side, and then I'm
16
00:00:48.550 --> 00:00:48.840
going
17
00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:50.640
to make a backswing.
18
00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:56.160
So this is going to feel very narrow if I'm used to making a wide backswing
19
00:00:56.160 --> 00:00:57.000
kind of like
20
00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:58.000
this.
21
00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:03.000
So it would be narrow, make a little backswing pivot, and then from here, I'm
22
00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:03.540
basically
23
00:01:03.540 --> 00:01:08.090
going to throw the club down towards the sand, getting the bottom of the swing
24
00:01:08.090 --> 00:01:08.640
out in front
25
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:10.200
of the golf ball.
26
00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:15.980
So I'm going to bring it up, make a little turn, and then from here, throw it
27
00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:17.080
down towards
28
00:01:17.080 --> 00:01:22.990
the sand as long as I go from a narrow space and don't overly close the club
29
00:01:22.990 --> 00:01:24.000
face, as long
30
00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.980
as I keep the bounce working, I'm going to get out and hit a relatively good
31
00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:28.520
shot.
32
00:01:28.520 --> 00:01:33.070
The second way, so that's option one, is hinge it straight up to feel this nar
33
00:01:33.070 --> 00:01:33.800
rowness in
34
00:01:33.800 --> 00:01:35.880
the backswing.
35
00:01:35.880 --> 00:01:39.830
The second way is to take one of my favorite bunker drills for good players,
36
00:01:39.830 --> 00:01:40.560
which is the
37
00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:44.400
single arm or the right arm bunker shot.
38
00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:50.230
So with the right arm bunker shot, if you're any good at all, you'll notice
39
00:01:50.230 --> 00:01:51.440
that you swing
40
00:01:51.440 --> 00:01:56.360
it up a little bit quicker.
41
00:01:56.360 --> 00:01:59.760
You don't swing it wide the way you might with a full swing.
42
00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.050
So what you can do is you can do that single arm bunker and then put your left
43
00:02:04.050 --> 00:02:04.800
hand on.
44
00:02:04.800 --> 00:02:09.920
And you'll feel that that is pretty close to where we were just hinging it up.
45
00:02:09.920 --> 00:02:14.370
So it's a little tougher to do this one in a two-piece kind of regrip and stop
46
00:02:14.370 --> 00:02:15.440
from here,
47
00:02:15.440 --> 00:02:17.400
but it's definitely possible.
48
00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:24.550
So once you get it up there, hinge it, get back to setup, try to get right back
49
00:02:24.550 --> 00:02:25.560
to there,
50
00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.360
that will tend to feel very narrow.
51
00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:31.710
And as long as I get the club to pass and I get the bottom of the swing
52
00:02:31.710 --> 00:02:32.480
slightly out
53
00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:36.880
in front of the golf ball, I'll hit a reasonably good shot, virtually no chance
54
00:02:36.880 --> 00:02:37.560
of blading
55
00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:42.740
or chunking if I keep it a little bit more narrow and centered at the top of
56
00:02:42.740 --> 00:02:43.760
the swing.
57
00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:44.920
So try that drill.
58
00:02:44.920 --> 00:02:49.050
If you have a tendency to get really wide or too much behind the ball, getting
59
00:02:49.050 --> 00:02:49.720
basically
60
00:02:49.720 --> 00:02:52.200
too shallow for what we're trying to do with a bunker shot.
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.240
This drill is the narrow backswing in the bunker.
2
00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:07.630
So I got this drill from Stan Utley from his book, whenever that came out 10
3
00:00:07.630 --> 00:00:08.840
years ago,
4
00:00:08.840 --> 00:00:13.380
and it's been very helpful for golfers who tend to have too much of a wide one-
5
00:00:13.380 --> 00:00:13.820
piece
6
00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:19.300
takeaway, have too much width at the top of the swing, and as a result, they
7
00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:19.800
tend to either
8
00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:24.800
chunk it or blade it, but they almost always bottom out before the golf ball.
9
00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:30.360
So to feel an extra narrowness to the swing, you can do it one of two different
10
00:00:30.360 --> 00:00:31.160
ways.
11
00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:36.390
You can get set up, so leaning slightly left, nose basically in line with the
12
00:00:36.390 --> 00:00:37.360
golf ball.
13
00:00:37.360 --> 00:00:43.790
I'm going to hinge the club up towards my nose so that it's kind of pointing
14
00:00:43.790 --> 00:00:44.600
just between
15
00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:48.550
my legs kind of like so, and my arms are pretty close to my side, and then I'm
16
00:00:48.550 --> 00:00:48.840
going
17
00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:50.640
to make a backswing.
18
00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:56.160
So this is going to feel very narrow if I'm used to making a wide backswing
19
00:00:56.160 --> 00:00:57.000
kind of like
20
00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:58.000
this.
21
00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:03.000
So it would be narrow, make a little backswing pivot, and then from here, I'm
22
00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:03.540
basically
23
00:01:03.540 --> 00:01:08.090
going to throw the club down towards the sand, getting the bottom of the swing
24
00:01:08.090 --> 00:01:08.640
out in front
25
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:10.200
of the golf ball.
26
00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:15.980
So I'm going to bring it up, make a little turn, and then from here, throw it
27
00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:17.080
down towards
28
00:01:17.080 --> 00:01:22.990
the sand as long as I go from a narrow space and don't overly close the club
29
00:01:22.990 --> 00:01:24.000
face, as long
30
00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.980
as I keep the bounce working, I'm going to get out and hit a relatively good
31
00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:28.520
shot.
32
00:01:28.520 --> 00:01:33.070
The second way, so that's option one, is hinge it straight up to feel this nar
33
00:01:33.070 --> 00:01:33.800
rowness in
34
00:01:33.800 --> 00:01:35.880
the backswing.
35
00:01:35.880 --> 00:01:39.830
The second way is to take one of my favorite bunker drills for good players,
36
00:01:39.830 --> 00:01:40.560
which is the
37
00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:44.400
single arm or the right arm bunker shot.
38
00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:50.230
So with the right arm bunker shot, if you're any good at all, you'll notice
39
00:01:50.230 --> 00:01:51.440
that you swing
40
00:01:51.440 --> 00:01:56.360
it up a little bit quicker.
41
00:01:56.360 --> 00:01:59.760
You don't swing it wide the way you might with a full swing.
42
00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.050
So what you can do is you can do that single arm bunker and then put your left
43
00:02:04.050 --> 00:02:04.800
hand on.
44
00:02:04.800 --> 00:02:09.920
And you'll feel that that is pretty close to where we were just hinging it up.
45
00:02:09.920 --> 00:02:14.370
So it's a little tougher to do this one in a two-piece kind of regrip and stop
46
00:02:14.370 --> 00:02:15.440
from here,
47
00:02:15.440 --> 00:02:17.400
but it's definitely possible.
48
00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:24.550
So once you get it up there, hinge it, get back to setup, try to get right back
49
00:02:24.550 --> 00:02:25.560
to there,
50
00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.360
that will tend to feel very narrow.
51
00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:31.710
And as long as I get the club to pass and I get the bottom of the swing
52
00:02:31.710 --> 00:02:32.480
slightly out
53
00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:36.880
in front of the golf ball, I'll hit a reasonably good shot, virtually no chance
54
00:02:36.880 --> 00:02:37.560
of blading
55
00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:42.740
or chunking if I keep it a little bit more narrow and centered at the top of
56
00:02:42.740 --> 00:02:43.760
the swing.
57
00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:44.920
So try that drill.
58
00:02:44.920 --> 00:02:49.050
If you have a tendency to get really wide or too much behind the ball, getting
59
00:02:49.050 --> 00:02:49.720
basically
60
00:02:49.720 --> 00:02:52.200
too shallow for what we're trying to do with a bunker shot.
Have questions?
Ask Mulligan for help
Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of
Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.
Fix Chunked Bunker Shots with a Narrow Backswing Drill
After this video, you'll be able to:
- Feel the difference between a wide and narrow backswing in the bunker
- Learn how to position your arms for better control during the shot
- Understand how to use the club's bounce to achieve cleaner contact with the sand
Learn how to improve your bunker play by narrowing your backswing. This drill will help you avoid common mistakes that lead to chunked or bladed shots.
Video Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.240
This drill is the narrow backswing in the bunker.
2
00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:07.630
So I got this drill from Stan Utley from his book, whenever that came out 10
3
00:00:07.630 --> 00:00:08.840
years ago,
4
00:00:08.840 --> 00:00:13.380
and it's been very helpful for golfers who tend to have too much of a wide one-
5
00:00:13.380 --> 00:00:13.820
piece
6
00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:19.300
takeaway, have too much width at the top of the swing, and as a result, they
7
00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:19.800
tend to either
8
00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:24.800
chunk it or blade it, but they almost always bottom out before the golf ball.
9
00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:30.360
So to feel an extra narrowness to the swing, you can do it one of two different
10
00:00:30.360 --> 00:00:31.160
ways.
11
00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:36.390
You can get set up, so leaning slightly left, nose basically in line with the
12
00:00:36.390 --> 00:00:37.360
golf ball.
13
00:00:37.360 --> 00:00:43.790
I'm going to hinge the club up towards my nose so that it's kind of pointing
14
00:00:43.790 --> 00:00:44.600
just between
15
00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:48.550
my legs kind of like so, and my arms are pretty close to my side, and then I'm
16
00:00:48.550 --> 00:00:48.840
going
17
00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:50.640
to make a backswing.
18
00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:56.160
So this is going to feel very narrow if I'm used to making a wide backswing
19
00:00:56.160 --> 00:00:57.000
kind of like
20
00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:58.000
this.
21
00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:03.000
So it would be narrow, make a little backswing pivot, and then from here, I'm
22
00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:03.540
basically
23
00:01:03.540 --> 00:01:08.090
going to throw the club down towards the sand, getting the bottom of the swing
24
00:01:08.090 --> 00:01:08.640
out in front
25
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:10.200
of the golf ball.
26
00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:15.980
So I'm going to bring it up, make a little turn, and then from here, throw it
27
00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:17.080
down towards
28
00:01:17.080 --> 00:01:22.990
the sand as long as I go from a narrow space and don't overly close the club
29
00:01:22.990 --> 00:01:24.000
face, as long
30
00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.980
as I keep the bounce working, I'm going to get out and hit a relatively good
31
00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:28.520
shot.
32
00:01:28.520 --> 00:01:33.070
The second way, so that's option one, is hinge it straight up to feel this nar
33
00:01:33.070 --> 00:01:33.800
rowness in
34
00:01:33.800 --> 00:01:35.880
the backswing.
35
00:01:35.880 --> 00:01:39.830
The second way is to take one of my favorite bunker drills for good players,
36
00:01:39.830 --> 00:01:40.560
which is the
37
00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:44.400
single arm or the right arm bunker shot.
38
00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:50.230
So with the right arm bunker shot, if you're any good at all, you'll notice
39
00:01:50.230 --> 00:01:51.440
that you swing
40
00:01:51.440 --> 00:01:56.360
it up a little bit quicker.
41
00:01:56.360 --> 00:01:59.760
You don't swing it wide the way you might with a full swing.
42
00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.050
So what you can do is you can do that single arm bunker and then put your left
43
00:02:04.050 --> 00:02:04.800
hand on.
44
00:02:04.800 --> 00:02:09.920
And you'll feel that that is pretty close to where we were just hinging it up.
45
00:02:09.920 --> 00:02:14.370
So it's a little tougher to do this one in a two-piece kind of regrip and stop
46
00:02:14.370 --> 00:02:15.440
from here,
47
00:02:15.440 --> 00:02:17.400
but it's definitely possible.
48
00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:24.550
So once you get it up there, hinge it, get back to setup, try to get right back
49
00:02:24.550 --> 00:02:25.560
to there,
50
00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.360
that will tend to feel very narrow.
51
00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:31.710
And as long as I get the club to pass and I get the bottom of the swing
52
00:02:31.710 --> 00:02:32.480
slightly out
53
00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:36.880
in front of the golf ball, I'll hit a reasonably good shot, virtually no chance
54
00:02:36.880 --> 00:02:37.560
of blading
55
00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:42.740
or chunking if I keep it a little bit more narrow and centered at the top of
56
00:02:42.740 --> 00:02:43.760
the swing.
57
00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:44.920
So try that drill.
58
00:02:44.920 --> 00:02:49.050
If you have a tendency to get really wide or too much behind the ball, getting
59
00:02:49.050 --> 00:02:49.720
basically
60
00:02:49.720 --> 00:02:52.200
too shallow for what we're trying to do with a bunker shot.
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.240
This drill is the narrow backswing in the bunker.
2
00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:07.630
So I got this drill from Stan Utley from his book, whenever that came out 10
3
00:00:07.630 --> 00:00:08.840
years ago,
4
00:00:08.840 --> 00:00:13.380
and it's been very helpful for golfers who tend to have too much of a wide one-
5
00:00:13.380 --> 00:00:13.820
piece
6
00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:19.300
takeaway, have too much width at the top of the swing, and as a result, they
7
00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:19.800
tend to either
8
00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:24.800
chunk it or blade it, but they almost always bottom out before the golf ball.
9
00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:30.360
So to feel an extra narrowness to the swing, you can do it one of two different
10
00:00:30.360 --> 00:00:31.160
ways.
11
00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:36.390
You can get set up, so leaning slightly left, nose basically in line with the
12
00:00:36.390 --> 00:00:37.360
golf ball.
13
00:00:37.360 --> 00:00:43.790
I'm going to hinge the club up towards my nose so that it's kind of pointing
14
00:00:43.790 --> 00:00:44.600
just between
15
00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:48.550
my legs kind of like so, and my arms are pretty close to my side, and then I'm
16
00:00:48.550 --> 00:00:48.840
going
17
00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:50.640
to make a backswing.
18
00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:56.160
So this is going to feel very narrow if I'm used to making a wide backswing
19
00:00:56.160 --> 00:00:57.000
kind of like
20
00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:58.000
this.
21
00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:03.000
So it would be narrow, make a little backswing pivot, and then from here, I'm
22
00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:03.540
basically
23
00:01:03.540 --> 00:01:08.090
going to throw the club down towards the sand, getting the bottom of the swing
24
00:01:08.090 --> 00:01:08.640
out in front
25
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:10.200
of the golf ball.
26
00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:15.980
So I'm going to bring it up, make a little turn, and then from here, throw it
27
00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:17.080
down towards
28
00:01:17.080 --> 00:01:22.990
the sand as long as I go from a narrow space and don't overly close the club
29
00:01:22.990 --> 00:01:24.000
face, as long
30
00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.980
as I keep the bounce working, I'm going to get out and hit a relatively good
31
00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:28.520
shot.
32
00:01:28.520 --> 00:01:33.070
The second way, so that's option one, is hinge it straight up to feel this nar
33
00:01:33.070 --> 00:01:33.800
rowness in
34
00:01:33.800 --> 00:01:35.880
the backswing.
35
00:01:35.880 --> 00:01:39.830
The second way is to take one of my favorite bunker drills for good players,
36
00:01:39.830 --> 00:01:40.560
which is the
37
00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:44.400
single arm or the right arm bunker shot.
38
00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:50.230
So with the right arm bunker shot, if you're any good at all, you'll notice
39
00:01:50.230 --> 00:01:51.440
that you swing
40
00:01:51.440 --> 00:01:56.360
it up a little bit quicker.
41
00:01:56.360 --> 00:01:59.760
You don't swing it wide the way you might with a full swing.
42
00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.050
So what you can do is you can do that single arm bunker and then put your left
43
00:02:04.050 --> 00:02:04.800
hand on.
44
00:02:04.800 --> 00:02:09.920
And you'll feel that that is pretty close to where we were just hinging it up.
45
00:02:09.920 --> 00:02:14.370
So it's a little tougher to do this one in a two-piece kind of regrip and stop
46
00:02:14.370 --> 00:02:15.440
from here,
47
00:02:15.440 --> 00:02:17.400
but it's definitely possible.
48
00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:24.550
So once you get it up there, hinge it, get back to setup, try to get right back
49
00:02:24.550 --> 00:02:25.560
to there,
50
00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.360
that will tend to feel very narrow.
51
00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:31.710
And as long as I get the club to pass and I get the bottom of the swing
52
00:02:31.710 --> 00:02:32.480
slightly out
53
00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:36.880
in front of the golf ball, I'll hit a reasonably good shot, virtually no chance
54
00:02:36.880 --> 00:02:37.560
of blading
55
00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:42.740
or chunking if I keep it a little bit more narrow and centered at the top of
56
00:02:42.740 --> 00:02:43.760
the swing.
57
00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:44.920
So try that drill.
58
00:02:44.920 --> 00:02:49.050
If you have a tendency to get really wide or too much behind the ball, getting
59
00:02:49.050 --> 00:02:49.720
basically
60
00:02:49.720 --> 00:02:52.200
too shallow for what we're trying to do with a bunker shot.
Have questions about this video?
Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.
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