The dreaded sand trap…the average golfer tends to be a poor bunker player for two reasons. First, he mistakenly thinks he must hit down into the sand behind the ball with a steep descending stroke, ends up digging too deeply, and thus nullifies the "bounce" on the sand wedge. Second, there's too much body movement in his swing, and too much shifting of the weight from side to side.

The well played sand shot requires the club to strike the sand behind the ball at a very precise point. Excessive body movement and weight shift will severely worsen the chances of hitting that mark.

I believe the best method for most golfers to take in hitting a bunker shot solves both problems. The key element is in the address position. Take a very wide stance - wider than you would for any other shot. I believe the inner edges of the feet should be slightly wider than the shoulders. The extra wide stance prevents any significant body movement or weight shift. It also widens the arc of the total swing, so you swing the club through the ball on a shallower angle than on normal shots. This virtually eliminates the possibility of digging into the sand behind the ball and leaving it in the bunker.

Along with the extra wide stance, dig your feet down into the sand for stability, and to get a sense of the sand's texture and depth. Remember it is against the rules to touch the sand with your club at address, or on your takeaway. To compensate for the lowering of your feet, grip down on your sand wedge.

Play the ball more forward in your stance than normal, up off your left heel to help you hit into the sand behind the ball. Open your stance slightly by aligning your feet, hips, knees and shoulders on a line to the left of your target.

Swing the club primarily with the hands, arms and shoulders. Do not concentrate on taking the club back to the outside, this only increases the tendency to hit down steeply behind the ball. Instead, simply swing the club along the line of your set up, and due to aiming left you will already be swinging the club from outside to inside. Aim to hit about an inch behind the ball. Because of the wide stance and swing arc, the club will slip under the ball and take a relatively shallow divot.

Arguably one of the most intimidating shots for most golfers to be able to master, with practice it will become a much more dependable shot for you to hit than trying to hit out of deep rough. With the condition of most golf courses any more the sand becomes one of the easiest "up and downs" around the green, because you are able to control the spin you put on the ball much better than out of the rough.