Set up for impact

THE SETUP AND IMPACT POSITIONS may look similar, but they’re actually quite different. At setup, the body should look poised to make a hit, with your weight centered, the club hovering above the sand, and the shaft vertical to the ground. At impact, there are three main differences. First, my weight has transferred to my forward leg. You can’t hit great sand shots off your back leg! Second, the shaft is leaning toward the target. This is a must for consistency. In fact, it’s the loft of the wedge that’ll lift the ball, not a lack of shaft lean. And third, because I need to hit down and into the sand, my knees are flexed more at impact than they were at address. If you can concentrate on making these three differences at impact, you’ll see that hitting sand shots is a lot easier.