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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.
Improve Bunker Shots with a 9-Iron Drill
After this video, you'll be able to:
- Control the face rotation during bunker shots for improved accuracy
- Understand how to manage your swing path to avoid blading the ball
- Learn to generate loft and distance by using a longer club effectively
In this video, you'll learn a unique drill to hit bunker shots using a 9-iron, which helps develop essential skills for better ball contact and distance control. This approach can enhance your confidence and versatility in the sand.
Video Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.580
This drill is bunker practice with a 9 iron. So I've actually got a 7 just to
2
00:00:05.580 --> 00:00:09.500
kind of show the concept a little bit more. But one great skill that you can
3
00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:13.440
work on is being able to hit bunker shots with a club that's a little bit
4
00:00:13.440 --> 00:00:19.120
longer than your sandwich. So a 9 iron is a great place to start but I've seen
5
00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:24.780
John Rahm hit flop shots with a 4 iron. So and Sevi was famous for being able
6
00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:25.060
to
7
00:00:25.060 --> 00:00:29.820
spin a 3 iron out of out of the bunker. If you can do it with a longer club you
8
00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:29.860
've
9
00:00:29.860 --> 00:00:33.960
demonstrated the basic skills. The basic skills in order to do this with a
10
00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:38.160
longer club are swinging the club a little bit more around while controlling
11
00:00:38.160 --> 00:00:43.240
the face rotation. On a shallower swing it's almost easier or more natural to
12
00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:47.840
have the face close on the way through. So you have to fight that tendency. You
13
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:51.720
still have to get the bottom of the swing out in front of the golf ball. You
14
00:00:51.720 --> 00:00:56.960
don't want to be hitting up on this but in order to produce some loft you have
15
00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:03.620
to release the arms a little bit even sooner than you would do with the
16
00:01:03.620 --> 00:01:09.060
sandwich or lob wedge. If you get any amount of shaft lean and body rotation
17
00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:14.340
you're typically going to blade it and leave it in the sand just like so. So
18
00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:14.460
this
19
00:01:14.460 --> 00:01:18.340
helps with the timing of that right arm throw as well as controlling low point
20
00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:25.460
and it exaggerates the need to get even more shallow with your body. So I'm
21
00:01:25.460 --> 00:01:25.700
going
22
00:01:25.700 --> 00:01:31.340
to basically try to lay this almost flat like so, swing it around my body while
23
00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:36.320
keeping and managing the face as it comes more around kind of like this. So as
24
00:01:36.320 --> 00:01:36.340
I
25
00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:40.860
said I recommend starting with something like a nine iron and work your way up
26
00:01:40.860 --> 00:01:45.380
to something longer like say a seven iron. This is also one of the common ways
27
00:01:45.380 --> 00:01:48.940
that you can hit the ball a little bit further. So if you find yourself with
28
00:01:48.940 --> 00:01:52.980
your sandwich you can only hit it 15-20 yards. This might be a good way for you
29
00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:58.060
to add a 30 to 40 yard bunker shot just by making the same swing but switching
30
00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:00.260
clubs.
31
00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:14.220
All right not too bad. I did a decent job of managing the bounce. I'm going to
32
00:02:14.220 --> 00:02:19.180
see if I can add a little bit more loft with a little bit earlier release and
33
00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:29.220
getting the grip a little bit lower to begin with. So there you can see now I'm
34
00:02:29.220 --> 00:02:34.260
I started to get a little bit higher launch by getting the grip down and
35
00:02:34.260 --> 00:02:38.260
releasing it just a little bit earlier with that right hand. If I did that with
36
00:02:38.260 --> 00:02:43.100
a sandwich that would have been the high really nice floaty soft bunker shot
37
00:02:43.100 --> 00:02:43.780
but
38
00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:48.180
it's a lot tougher. If I can do it with a seven iron I know you can do it with
39
00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:48.220
a
40
00:02:48.220 --> 00:02:50.660
sandwich.
41
00:02:50.660 --> 00:03:03.460
There we go. You saw me get way down low for that one. You saw me really
42
00:03:03.460 --> 00:03:08.540
swing around and pop that up. That came out nice and soft. I would call that a
43
00:03:08.540 --> 00:03:12.380
win and now I can move on to the next drill.
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.580
This drill is bunker practice with a 9 iron. So I've actually got a 7 just to
2
00:00:05.580 --> 00:00:09.500
kind of show the concept a little bit more. But one great skill that you can
3
00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:13.440
work on is being able to hit bunker shots with a club that's a little bit
4
00:00:13.440 --> 00:00:19.120
longer than your sandwich. So a 9 iron is a great place to start but I've seen
5
00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:24.780
John Rahm hit flop shots with a 4 iron. So and Sevi was famous for being able
6
00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:25.060
to
7
00:00:25.060 --> 00:00:29.820
spin a 3 iron out of out of the bunker. If you can do it with a longer club you
8
00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:29.860
've
9
00:00:29.860 --> 00:00:33.960
demonstrated the basic skills. The basic skills in order to do this with a
10
00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:38.160
longer club are swinging the club a little bit more around while controlling
11
00:00:38.160 --> 00:00:43.240
the face rotation. On a shallower swing it's almost easier or more natural to
12
00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:47.840
have the face close on the way through. So you have to fight that tendency. You
13
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:51.720
still have to get the bottom of the swing out in front of the golf ball. You
14
00:00:51.720 --> 00:00:56.960
don't want to be hitting up on this but in order to produce some loft you have
15
00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:03.620
to release the arms a little bit even sooner than you would do with the
16
00:01:03.620 --> 00:01:09.060
sandwich or lob wedge. If you get any amount of shaft lean and body rotation
17
00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:14.340
you're typically going to blade it and leave it in the sand just like so. So
18
00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:14.460
this
19
00:01:14.460 --> 00:01:18.340
helps with the timing of that right arm throw as well as controlling low point
20
00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:25.460
and it exaggerates the need to get even more shallow with your body. So I'm
21
00:01:25.460 --> 00:01:25.700
going
22
00:01:25.700 --> 00:01:31.340
to basically try to lay this almost flat like so, swing it around my body while
23
00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:36.320
keeping and managing the face as it comes more around kind of like this. So as
24
00:01:36.320 --> 00:01:36.340
I
25
00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:40.860
said I recommend starting with something like a nine iron and work your way up
26
00:01:40.860 --> 00:01:45.380
to something longer like say a seven iron. This is also one of the common ways
27
00:01:45.380 --> 00:01:48.940
that you can hit the ball a little bit further. So if you find yourself with
28
00:01:48.940 --> 00:01:52.980
your sandwich you can only hit it 15-20 yards. This might be a good way for you
29
00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:58.060
to add a 30 to 40 yard bunker shot just by making the same swing but switching
30
00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:00.260
clubs.
31
00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:14.220
All right not too bad. I did a decent job of managing the bounce. I'm going to
32
00:02:14.220 --> 00:02:19.180
see if I can add a little bit more loft with a little bit earlier release and
33
00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:29.220
getting the grip a little bit lower to begin with. So there you can see now I'm
34
00:02:29.220 --> 00:02:34.260
I started to get a little bit higher launch by getting the grip down and
35
00:02:34.260 --> 00:02:38.260
releasing it just a little bit earlier with that right hand. If I did that with
36
00:02:38.260 --> 00:02:43.100
a sandwich that would have been the high really nice floaty soft bunker shot
37
00:02:43.100 --> 00:02:43.780
but
38
00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:48.180
it's a lot tougher. If I can do it with a seven iron I know you can do it with
39
00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:48.220
a
40
00:02:48.220 --> 00:02:50.660
sandwich.
41
00:02:50.660 --> 00:03:03.460
There we go. You saw me get way down low for that one. You saw me really
42
00:03:03.460 --> 00:03:08.540
swing around and pop that up. That came out nice and soft. I would call that a
43
00:03:08.540 --> 00:03:12.380
win and now I can move on to the next drill.
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.
Improve Bunker Shots with a 9-Iron Drill
After this video, you'll be able to:
- Control the face rotation during bunker shots for improved accuracy
- Understand how to manage your swing path to avoid blading the ball
- Learn to generate loft and distance by using a longer club effectively
In this video, you'll learn a unique drill to hit bunker shots using a 9-iron, which helps develop essential skills for better ball contact and distance control. This approach can enhance your confidence and versatility in the sand.
Video Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.580
This drill is bunker practice with a 9 iron. So I've actually got a 7 just to
2
00:00:05.580 --> 00:00:09.500
kind of show the concept a little bit more. But one great skill that you can
3
00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:13.440
work on is being able to hit bunker shots with a club that's a little bit
4
00:00:13.440 --> 00:00:19.120
longer than your sandwich. So a 9 iron is a great place to start but I've seen
5
00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:24.780
John Rahm hit flop shots with a 4 iron. So and Sevi was famous for being able
6
00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:25.060
to
7
00:00:25.060 --> 00:00:29.820
spin a 3 iron out of out of the bunker. If you can do it with a longer club you
8
00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:29.860
've
9
00:00:29.860 --> 00:00:33.960
demonstrated the basic skills. The basic skills in order to do this with a
10
00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:38.160
longer club are swinging the club a little bit more around while controlling
11
00:00:38.160 --> 00:00:43.240
the face rotation. On a shallower swing it's almost easier or more natural to
12
00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:47.840
have the face close on the way through. So you have to fight that tendency. You
13
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:51.720
still have to get the bottom of the swing out in front of the golf ball. You
14
00:00:51.720 --> 00:00:56.960
don't want to be hitting up on this but in order to produce some loft you have
15
00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:03.620
to release the arms a little bit even sooner than you would do with the
16
00:01:03.620 --> 00:01:09.060
sandwich or lob wedge. If you get any amount of shaft lean and body rotation
17
00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:14.340
you're typically going to blade it and leave it in the sand just like so. So
18
00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:14.460
this
19
00:01:14.460 --> 00:01:18.340
helps with the timing of that right arm throw as well as controlling low point
20
00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:25.460
and it exaggerates the need to get even more shallow with your body. So I'm
21
00:01:25.460 --> 00:01:25.700
going
22
00:01:25.700 --> 00:01:31.340
to basically try to lay this almost flat like so, swing it around my body while
23
00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:36.320
keeping and managing the face as it comes more around kind of like this. So as
24
00:01:36.320 --> 00:01:36.340
I
25
00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:40.860
said I recommend starting with something like a nine iron and work your way up
26
00:01:40.860 --> 00:01:45.380
to something longer like say a seven iron. This is also one of the common ways
27
00:01:45.380 --> 00:01:48.940
that you can hit the ball a little bit further. So if you find yourself with
28
00:01:48.940 --> 00:01:52.980
your sandwich you can only hit it 15-20 yards. This might be a good way for you
29
00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:58.060
to add a 30 to 40 yard bunker shot just by making the same swing but switching
30
00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:00.260
clubs.
31
00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:14.220
All right not too bad. I did a decent job of managing the bounce. I'm going to
32
00:02:14.220 --> 00:02:19.180
see if I can add a little bit more loft with a little bit earlier release and
33
00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:29.220
getting the grip a little bit lower to begin with. So there you can see now I'm
34
00:02:29.220 --> 00:02:34.260
I started to get a little bit higher launch by getting the grip down and
35
00:02:34.260 --> 00:02:38.260
releasing it just a little bit earlier with that right hand. If I did that with
36
00:02:38.260 --> 00:02:43.100
a sandwich that would have been the high really nice floaty soft bunker shot
37
00:02:43.100 --> 00:02:43.780
but
38
00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:48.180
it's a lot tougher. If I can do it with a seven iron I know you can do it with
39
00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:48.220
a
40
00:02:48.220 --> 00:02:50.660
sandwich.
41
00:02:50.660 --> 00:03:03.460
There we go. You saw me get way down low for that one. You saw me really
42
00:03:03.460 --> 00:03:08.540
swing around and pop that up. That came out nice and soft. I would call that a
43
00:03:08.540 --> 00:03:12.380
win and now I can move on to the next drill.
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.580
This drill is bunker practice with a 9 iron. So I've actually got a 7 just to
2
00:00:05.580 --> 00:00:09.500
kind of show the concept a little bit more. But one great skill that you can
3
00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:13.440
work on is being able to hit bunker shots with a club that's a little bit
4
00:00:13.440 --> 00:00:19.120
longer than your sandwich. So a 9 iron is a great place to start but I've seen
5
00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:24.780
John Rahm hit flop shots with a 4 iron. So and Sevi was famous for being able
6
00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:25.060
to
7
00:00:25.060 --> 00:00:29.820
spin a 3 iron out of out of the bunker. If you can do it with a longer club you
8
00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:29.860
've
9
00:00:29.860 --> 00:00:33.960
demonstrated the basic skills. The basic skills in order to do this with a
10
00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:38.160
longer club are swinging the club a little bit more around while controlling
11
00:00:38.160 --> 00:00:43.240
the face rotation. On a shallower swing it's almost easier or more natural to
12
00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:47.840
have the face close on the way through. So you have to fight that tendency. You
13
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:51.720
still have to get the bottom of the swing out in front of the golf ball. You
14
00:00:51.720 --> 00:00:56.960
don't want to be hitting up on this but in order to produce some loft you have
15
00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:03.620
to release the arms a little bit even sooner than you would do with the
16
00:01:03.620 --> 00:01:09.060
sandwich or lob wedge. If you get any amount of shaft lean and body rotation
17
00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:14.340
you're typically going to blade it and leave it in the sand just like so. So
18
00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:14.460
this
19
00:01:14.460 --> 00:01:18.340
helps with the timing of that right arm throw as well as controlling low point
20
00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:25.460
and it exaggerates the need to get even more shallow with your body. So I'm
21
00:01:25.460 --> 00:01:25.700
going
22
00:01:25.700 --> 00:01:31.340
to basically try to lay this almost flat like so, swing it around my body while
23
00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:36.320
keeping and managing the face as it comes more around kind of like this. So as
24
00:01:36.320 --> 00:01:36.340
I
25
00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:40.860
said I recommend starting with something like a nine iron and work your way up
26
00:01:40.860 --> 00:01:45.380
to something longer like say a seven iron. This is also one of the common ways
27
00:01:45.380 --> 00:01:48.940
that you can hit the ball a little bit further. So if you find yourself with
28
00:01:48.940 --> 00:01:52.980
your sandwich you can only hit it 15-20 yards. This might be a good way for you
29
00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:58.060
to add a 30 to 40 yard bunker shot just by making the same swing but switching
30
00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:00.260
clubs.
31
00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:14.220
All right not too bad. I did a decent job of managing the bounce. I'm going to
32
00:02:14.220 --> 00:02:19.180
see if I can add a little bit more loft with a little bit earlier release and
33
00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:29.220
getting the grip a little bit lower to begin with. So there you can see now I'm
34
00:02:29.220 --> 00:02:34.260
I started to get a little bit higher launch by getting the grip down and
35
00:02:34.260 --> 00:02:38.260
releasing it just a little bit earlier with that right hand. If I did that with
36
00:02:38.260 --> 00:02:43.100
a sandwich that would have been the high really nice floaty soft bunker shot
37
00:02:43.100 --> 00:02:43.780
but
38
00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:48.180
it's a lot tougher. If I can do it with a seven iron I know you can do it with
39
00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:48.220
a
40
00:02:48.220 --> 00:02:50.660
sandwich.
41
00:02:50.660 --> 00:03:03.460
There we go. You saw me get way down low for that one. You saw me really
42
00:03:03.460 --> 00:03:08.540
swing around and pop that up. That came out nice and soft. I would call that a
43
00:03:08.540 --> 00:03:12.380
win and now I can move on to the next drill.
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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