The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-02-10
Exams Abuses
Safety Play to
Get Out Of
Bunker
By cHARLEs .cHIcK. EVANS

BY CHARLES CHICK EVANS
h It is now only q matter OF
weeks till courses all over the
country will be again playable.
| | shall write frequently now, as
the season approaches, on golf and
how to play it. Today let's talk
about bunkers.
In addition to giving SPORT
aess to course, bunkers are
intended to penalize poor play.
Therefore, suppose, whenever we
are bunkered we can blame about
80 per cent of the disaster on
our lack of skill and the other
half on luck.
OF course no matter how skillful
player Isl he is sure to get into
these difficulties frequently and the
rest of his ability is to get out with
minimum OF loss. II there is any
place on the course where player
must have control OF his temper, it
when he finds his ball sarcastic
ally smiling at him from q bunker
he golfer who Is able to realize
that having landed III bunker he
had best accept the inevitable and
regard stroke as practically lost
Ieally has tremendous advantage
de is able to approach his bah in
frame of mind that will enable
MN TO recognize the difficulties or
. is next shot and plan to play not
Tor the purpose Of getting distance.
ut merely to get out OF the bunker
and q few Yards the other side so
can take his next shot under
normal conditions
Distance from bunker Is aabso.
Inkely no object to seIf-cOntrOlIed
ana wise players. This attitude
toward bunker shot Is insurance
AGAINST any more waste strokes
and = the best Of golf strategy.
uEAnd recOVerIes from bunker are
usually miracles and this Is no
age Tor miracles. A player should
feileet that a shot lost in bunker
can pesE pc recovered by q GOOD
putt.
assuming your ball lies clear in
the sand close up to the bunker
YOUR best chance Is a heavy nfbIfck.
TOUR stance must largely be adapt-
ed TO the circumstances. The closer
your bah lies to the bunker. natur.
ally the more under the bali Won
snould get. you should hit the
SAND about two inches back of the
ball and take plenty of ii.
mere Is no such thing as a fol.
low through in playing a IiibIick
out OF bunker. follow through
hinders rather than helps. To al.
tempt 1t would likely mean YOU
wouldn't get under the ball enough
to give it the necessary raise.
When the ball lies close to the
bunker, instead of attempting TO
20 straight over it, it is often wise
TO play the ball crosswise to the
bunker at an angle of As degrees.
This gives the ball a chance to
rise before reaching the bunker.
When the ball is pretty well back
from the bunker and there really
seems fair chance of getting dis
lance. many good players attempt
1t, particularly when they feel that
the hole is lost otherwise. In such
situation / think 1t is best to go
straight at the bunker instead OF
playing at an angle using whatever
Giup seems WLsSbt unQef the Cir
cumstances. OF course a player is
always handicapped i'm making 4
shot In bunker. since his club
cannot be permitted to touch the
ground in addressing the ball
In closing let me repeat that 1t
is in most instances wise TO play
a bunkered shot merely to get out.
and that you must keep your
head" no matter how aggravating
the circumstances.
1Copyright. John r pile Col