It’s fair to say that Rory McIlroy is one of the best bunker players in the world, if not the best.
Of course, the very best professional golfers do not struggle at all out of green-side bunkers. In fact, they would prefer to play from the sand traps rather than the rough.
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Meanwhile, almost every single amateur golfer usually fears the worst when their ball finds its way into a green-side bunker.
The good news is that Rory McIlroy is on hand to help out and has offered a brilliant bunker tip which every amateur golfer who is struggling out of the sand should try to put into practice.
McIlroy regularly offers tips to help amateur golfers improve their games.
And his most recent advice on how to hit a high, soft shot out of green-side bunkers is right up there with some of the best tips he has ever given.
Rory McIlroy’s bunker tip will help amateurs get the ball up and down more
The main problem for mid-high handicap golfers is that they give far too many shots away around the greens.
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Bunkers prove to be particularly problematic for a high percentage of amateur golfers.
Photo by Michael Reaves/PGA of America/PGA of America via Getty Images
And one of the most difficult shots in the game for an amateur is when their ball finds the sand with the pin tucked tight to the edge of the green.
Back in 2023, McIlroy appeared on a TaylorMade instructional video and shared his best advice for how to hit a high, soft shot from the sand
“For the high bunker shot, try to get this line very far forward, like right inside my left heel here,“ McIlroy explained.
“And then what I try to do, I try to get my hands a little bit lower.
“That’ll help the ball get up in the air.
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“And from there, what I’m also trying to do is this line that I have from the ball to my left heel, I’m trying to match the angle of the shaft to that line as well.“
How to play from plugged lies in bunkers
From a plugged lie, it is vital to hit down on the ball with the leading edge of the club, thus ensuring that you limit the effect of the bounce on the sole of the face.
Gary Player, one of the best bunker players to have ever graced the game, recently shared some great advice for amateurs to implement when faced with plugged lies in the sand.
“How do you play a plugged lie?“ Player began.
“I have always found that closing the clubface and hitting steeply down on the ball has always been the best way to create some kind of consistency in a typically inconsistent lie.
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“PS, be aware of the topspin.“
With advice from Gary Player and Rory McIlroy, how can you not improve your greenside bunker play?
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