Gary Nicol's short game secrets: Uphill lie in a bunker

In our quest to learn how to improve shot selection, The Golf Shack Academy on tour found our way to Archerfield Links, East Lothian, Scotland. Whilst there, we caught up with Gary Nicol, European Tour coach at TPEGS coaching, also based at Archerfield.

Bunker play is one of the most common parts of the game that is neglected by amateur golfers during practice.

We asked Gary for a few tips on how to approach bunker play, specifically when faced with an uphill lie in a bunker.

Once you understand how to play this shot it is not overly difficult to execute.

The uphill lie you are faced with automatically adds in a little bit more loft sow hat we are going to do is stand with the slope and not against it.

Standing with the slope gives us a bit more elevation to start with, and because of that I have to hit the sand a little harder due to the fact a lot of the energy is going to go up rather than forward.

So get a solid firm base with your feet slightly planted into the sand and fully commit to the shot.

Remember, don’t open the club face too much, stand with the slope and hit it a little harder to make sure the ball goes the distance you want it to.

About Gary

Renowned European Tour coach, TrackMan Master and Certified Mind Factor coach Gary Nicol is available for private coaching at Archerfield Links. Gary has successfully coached golfers of all abilities over a 25 year period and spent 16 years traveling around the world. He has worked with over 30 Tour Pros including numerous tournament winners and Ryder Cup players. Gary offers a range of private coaching programmes including – individual one hour lessons, playing lessons, video lessons and analysis. All this is delivered to your email address and smartphone for you to watch and learn from, wherever and whenever you want.

About Archerfield

The Performance Centre located in East Lothian, Scotland is regarded as one of the finest golf Coaching and Fitting Facilities in Europe. It boasts state of the art technology from; TrackMan, V1 Video, GEARS, SAM PuttLab and SAM BalanceLab.

They provide an enhanced level of coaching for all levels of ability and world class Junior Coaching programmes.

If you are looking for new golf equipment then look no further, they are now custom fitting PING, Titleist and Callaway golf clubs with a wide range of components and club options available. Their custom fit experts will work with you to find the best solution for your game.