Bunker mentality & Vijay Singh's Swing

[michaelherz]

Dear Dr. Jacobs,
I've followed your detailed instruction regarding greenside bunker play, but am still unable to achieve a satisfactory level of success. It typically takes me 4 strokes to extricate myself , usually sculling thin shots into the buker face. My playing partners are beginning to laugh whenever I land in a bunker, and begin to count the extra money I will inevitably have to pay them upon the conclusion of our friendly Nassau.
My confidence is ebbing, and my self respect has plummeted to a point where I find myself upping my daily dose of Lexapro.
Can you help?

[Michael Jacobs]

Originally Posted by michaelherz

Dear Dr. Jacobs,
I've followed your detailed instruction regarding greenside bunker play, but am still unable to achieve a satisfactory level of success. It typically takes me 4 strokes to extricate myself , usually sculling thin shots into the buker face. My playing partners are beginning to laugh whenever I land in a bunker, and begin to count the extra money I will inevitably have to pay them upon the conclusion of our friendly Nassau.
My confidence is ebbing, and my self respect has plummeted to a point where I find myself upping my daily dose of Lexapro.
Can you help?

Michael,
Well, let's give everyone a background of your golf game -
Michael plays every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Rock Hill Country Club for a minimum of 36 holes a day......... his idea of practicing is doubling the bet on skins game. With that said, here is what will help you:

I watched you play a bunker shot this past weekend and you did a nice job presetting your address for a 'cut shot' procedure (details for all of our patrons on what that is will be coming soon) but during the stroke you are making a traditional path of the clubhead for a normal shot. We need to follow our open bodylines and create a path that cuts across the ball line from outside in. The direction of the path needs to match the body lines, it should look very severe to you. This severe 'outside in' is coupled with a reverse swivel of the hands. I think that Sand Play will be the subject of this week's Explosive Golf Show ---

[michaelherz]

Dear Dr. Jacobs,
Thanks for the guidance.. I will put it to use this weekend.
Another matter: Vijay Singh practices with a towel under his left arm, presumably to keep his upper left arm connected to his body to foster a one piece takeaway.
Would this exercise help to break my habit of taking the club too far to the inside during my turn?

[Michael Jacobs]

I wouldn't recommend it Michael -
If I were you I would be trying to get that left arm / left hand to to lay on that turned shoulder line or very close to it
Picture of this to come


Towels under arms get the everyday golfer to wrap it around themself and then they either have to throw the club out on the downswing or dip below the plane, but then again some people might say well if Vijay Singh is doing it then it must work --- well, Keith Richards (guitarist of the Rolling Stones) would probably play just as good with towels under his arms. The best are the best, fish know how to swim