By Steven Palmer, PGA Professional and Director of Instruction, Michael Campbell Golf Academy
Tll professionals, once we reach a certain level, hit the ball well. A normal PGA professional like me could stand on a driving range and not be out of place with full shots. The difference between someone like me and a great champion like Michael Campbell is his ability to create winning shots and the consistency with which he can produce them. I am privileged to be able to watch Michael every day and one facet that always impresses me greatly is his bunker skills. The following is a breakdown of these skills and some ways you can emulate him to benefit your own game. Enjoy!
The body is the engine
One thing that is very visible in Michael’s technique is that his arms are there purely to provide a constant radius to his swing. He doesn’t turn his wrists too much and keeps his hands open. This makes him use his body aggressively, which is much more reliable under pressure and also provides a high level of consistency in stroke and speed. Photos on the right.
Most players do not use the full potential of their body and overuse their hands and arms, which often results in a weak and inconsistent action. Notice how in Michael’s backswing his body is fully turned, left shoulder under his chin, but his club and arms are short of the top of his backswing and his swing is still wide. This is the first position you should copy! Photos above left.
Loft
One thing to keep in mind in Michael’s setup is that his hands are not pushed forward or away from the target. Here a club reference pointing somewhere near his belt buckle is helpful. This ensures the use of the club’s natural loft and, with its slightly open face, provides plenty of loft to get the ball out of even the steepest bunkers. Photos above right.
A very important part of this is to address the club with the same loft at impact….. of course it is not good to set it this way if you are going to change this at impact! Notice how Michael’s club is in a very similar position at impact to what it is in the setup….. it doesn’t tilt towards the target and deloft the club, but it doesn’t tilt either, which compromises the quality of the stroke. Photos on next page top left.
Speed
This is a very underrated part of good bunker play. In my experience, players are often afraid to swing too fast, as they fear they won’t catch enough sand and end up hitting the ball and spinning the shot out of control. If you play with a lot of loft and hit a lot of sand under the ball, you’re going to need a lot of club head speed to get the ball the right distance. In these shots, you can see how Michael’s body is the engine of his swing, how he turns his body all the way back and to the finish, and the slight blurring of the camera and the explosion of sand show how powerful his swing is. Photo second from right
Hit the sand in the right PLACE!
Consistency in this regard is the fundamental basis when it comes to playing well and confidently in the bunker. The truth is you can do everything else well, but if you don’t hit the sand in the right place consistently your bunker play will be inconsistent at best!
Golfers mistakenly believe that a good swing equals a good putt. The reality is that the stroke is a skill that must be learned along with good technique. Mastery of technique helps mastery of the stroke and vice versa, so it is important to work on both.
One of the best exercises is to draw a line in the sand just behind the ball and practice making consistent size chops. One thing you will notice about Michael’s technique when performing this exercise is that his sternum is more or less vertical over the ball. Too far forward or back makes it much more difficult to enter the sand for the correct spot, which is between three and five centimeters behind the ball. First photo from the right.
Try all these hints and see if you can recreate the short game of a great champion…. With a few thousand hours you should be able to!
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