Golf instruction draws on enduring wisdom from legends like Julius Boros, who emphasized turning over swaying for solid ball striking. GOLF Top 100 Teacher Kellie Stenzel highlights five common bunker shot mistakes that recreational golfers often make. These insights from GOLF.com offer practical advice to improve play.
In a recent GOLF.com series called Timeless Tips, assistant editor Zephyr Melton revisits advice from the March 1970 issue of GOLF Magazine by three-time major winner Julius Boros. Boros warned that trying to muscle the ball often leads to a 'sway,' where the right hip and shoulder move laterally beyond an imaginary vertical line boxing the body. This weak position shifts the head and prompts compensation on the downswing, resulting in an improper descending angle, low slices to the right, or pop-up shots with little power due to uncoiled body movement.
Boros advised using the chin as an anchor point for rotation. Initiate the backswing by pushing the club with the left shoulder and side, turning the left knee toward the right to rotate the body. This coils properly, keeping the right side within the line and the back facing the target. On the downswing, shoulders turn under the chin, the right knee pushes left for weight transfer, and the left side swivels, generating power from legs and body while releasing hands at impact. 'To hit the ball hard, accurately, and with consistency, keep your body within the imaginary box,' Boros wrote. 'Make it work for, not against you.'
Separately, Kellie Stenzel, who once struggled with bunkers in college but improved through teaching with Mike Adams at PGA National, outlines five frequent errors. First, poor ball position: The ball must be forward in the stance for sand-first contact; centering or backing it leads to ball-first hits that fly over greens or into lips. Second, excessive shaft lean: Beyond the club's 8-14 degrees of bounce, the leading edge digs, preventing glide; keep the handle toward the center for loft and bounce function. Third, mindlessly opening the face: This adds loft for high, short shots, suiting fast swingers but frustrating average golfers with thin contact; keep square unless the lofted club goes too far. Fourth, falling back: Avoid 'helping' the ball up by leaning on the trail foot; the club scrapes low through sand, finishing weight forward on the lead foot. Fifth, fearing a big swing: Sand buffers contact, so speed is needed; practice throwing sand without the ball to build confidence.
These tips underscore core concepts personalized to one's swing, applicable from amateurs to pros.