Pat Perez - Bunker Shot (Part 1: Hit The Sand Past The Line)

Pat Perez demonstrates the basics of bunker play and how to teach yourself to hit the same bottom every time.


Transcript

PP, you've always been tremendous a bunker player. What are we doing here? What do we got?

I've just kind of had a simple idea always. I've always been about 45 degrees left. I've swung along a path that's about the same. And I've kept the face just wide open and stable all the way through. And I've just kind of had a simple straight up type of--

You don't do it like your regular-- you don't do it like your wide arm deal? You show it to them--

No, this is a little steeper. Depending on, especially-- like this shot, this will be a little more out. It won't be as steep. But as you get into the bunker, we'll see there's a lot of different shots in the bunkers. As you know, my feet and my swing line are about the same. But I keep the face wide open. That ensures two things.

One, the ball will fly towards the pin. And two, it'll go up in the air. The ball position for me will be kind of off the heel. I don't really know of any-- maybe a little forward lean in there. But--

A lot of people say put the hands back. But you like to have a little lean?

I think that's just kind of where I've been.

Yeah.

I don't really worry about it either way.

So the bunkers don't bother you at all.

The bunkers don't bother me.

Why do they bother so many people?

A lot of the problem is they're trying to help it up. They've wondered why they only hit it from here to here. And what I try to teach people, the members I play with here at the Rim, I try to get them to hit on that line past the line every time. They need to be able to find the bottom.

Yeah

Like that-- so I would advise anybody to try and hit along that line, but hit the front of it.

Yeah.

That's how they ensure their contacts will be the same. You play with members-- you know, you see the guy and it's like that, right?

Yeah.

And he gets stuck or he's steep or he tries to help it in the air. He takes no sand. It goes five miles.

Yeah. So my thing is always I've always had a--

Line there.

--a line to try to hit there. And it varies. I mean, it could be back here if I wanted to try and get it to the back pin and run it back there. But just your normal shot, I'm just going to try to hit it right on that line. And it ensures a solid strike. And the ball will land and just kind of release. Sometimes, it'll check. It depends on the sand as well. A lot of people don't understand, the sand has a lot to do with what kind of shot you can actually play out.