* BY MIKE BARGE * TIPS FROM THE PROS Don't Bog Down in the Sand Overcome your fear of hitting a greenside bunker shot with this confidencestoking drill. G reenside bunker shots strike fear into many golfers yet seem so easy and comfortable to others. How often do you hear tour players prefer to be in sand versus high rough if they miss a green? This comes from understanding technique and hours of practice. You get the ball out of sand with your golf swing. The better your swing the more confident you will be from bunkers. If I could relay one piece of advice to make someone a better greenside bunker player, it would be to swing full enough to throw sand onto the green. This gets you less ball conscious and forces you to accelerate and follow through. You can practice this without a ball to get used to the length and pace needed. The fear of missing the sand and catching the ball first creates hesitancy. Get the feel of sand flying and you can develop the confidence of a tour player. Mike Barge is the director of instruction at Hazeltine National GC, and a Class A member of the PGA of America and the Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame. mngolf.org Summer 2022 MINNESOTAGOLFER 9 PHOTO: MATT SEEFELDT PHOTOGRGRAPHYhttp://www.mngolf.org