NORMAL bunker conditions would dictate that, when playing a shot from the sand, you use a sand wedge and aim to hit the sand around two inches behind the ball.

You may even open the club face (aim it to the right) to give you more loft and to encourage more bounce on the club to help the club move through the sand.

When it rains, most bunker sand becomes more packed together making it much firmer as a surface. For these abnormal conditions, you will need to make a change to your technique.

Change club

OPT for a lob wedge with a low bounce angle which should be around five degree (the bounce angle is the angle of rise between the leading edge and the back of the sole).

The ‘bounce’ literally helps the club bounce off the sand.

This is not ideal when the sand is wet as it can cause you to thin the ball in to the face or over the green.

Using a low bounce club like a lob wedge will help you cut into the sand.

Aim

PLAY the club face square to your target so not to add bounce.

Also aim to strike the sand much closer to the golf ball.

You are aiming to cut into the sand and not let the club bounce.