Jordan Spieth is renowned for being one of the best bunker players on the PGA Tour.
So, with that in mind, it goes without saying that any amateur golfers who are looking to improve their bunker play should grab any advice that Spieth has to offer with both hands.
The 33-year-old has won an impressive 13 PGA Tour titles throughout his career, including three major championships.
Despite Jordan Spieth‘s recent struggles, he is still one of the biggest box-office stars in the professional game.
He is still one of the very best in the business when it comes to his short game skills.
Spieth offered some brilliant tips a few years back to help amateurs perform better out of the sand.
Jordan Spieth’s bunker advice will help amateurs avoid common mistake
Back in 2021, Spieth wrote an instructional column for Golf Digest.
And he offered some great tips regarding ways for amateur golfers to improve their bunker play.
“Taking classic advice to the extreme, a lot of amateurs strike the sand a few inches behind the ball and end up hitting weak bunker shots with no spin,“ Spieth explained.
“My contact point is about an inch behind the ball, which gets it to launch and spin much better. It’s just like hitting a flop shot out of the rough.
“Try this: Draw a line in a practice bunker and make swings where you enter the sand right in front of it. Then graduate to hitting shots still focusing on that line—real or imaginary.
“You’ll soon groove the proper contact point and be able to treat bunker shots like opportunities instead of penalties.“
The dangers of trying Jordan Spieth’s advice without practice
Bunker play is one of the hardest things to master for amateur golfers.
Conversely, professionals prefer to be in the sand rather than the rough for the most part.
Spieth’s tip to help amateurs with their bunker play is a great one, but word of warning: it could lead to more thins through the back of greens if you don’t practice it enough.
Striking the sand nearer to the ball is the best way to get closer to the pin, but it also brings more danger into play.
For mid-high handicappers, the chunk and run shot is probably the safer play.
Striking down into the sand two inches behind the ball may not enable you to get the ball up and down all the time, but it should enable you to guard against the disastrous double bogeys and worse.