One of the short game shots you need to know how to hit with some skill is an explosion shot from a green side bunker. This is an easy shot because there is a margin of error that does not exist with shots from ground. You will need to hit the sand 2 inches behind the ball, but if you hit 3 or 4 inches behind the ball you will still move the ball and, probably, out of the bunker.

Sand shots are not the most important shots in your bag because they happen infrequently. Further, as you improve your skills with the Concept Golf principles, sand shots will automatically improve as well. We'll cover two shots: the explosion from the green-side bunker and the long shot from a fairway bunker.

As an aside, the term "sand trap" is not a real term in golf. The rulebook deems it a hazard, specifically a bunker. The phrase "sand trap" is also quite negative in that the word "trap" gives one the sense that he is "trapped" and escape is difficult, if not impossible.

Now, how to make those sand shots.

The explosion shot from a green-side bunker is an easy shot. It uses the same principles as the short wedge shot, with a few small changes. Your number one objective is to get your ball out of the bunker in one swing. You can get fancy later on, but for now you want to get out of the bunker on a reliable basis, with one swing.

Here's the address position for the explosion shot: stand as if the shot was a full swing, but with the line through your toes being 45 degrees left of the target. You do this to compensate for the more open clubface you will create. Your feet should be wide apart. Hold the club at the end. The ball is positioned just forward of center. Place slightly more weight on your left foot. Open the club face by spinning the club in your hands. Note: do not change the face angle by holding the club and twisting your hands. To provide stability during the swing, work your feet into the sand so that the insides of your feet are deeper.

The swing technique is the same as with all other clubs. Weight transfer is the foundation, so go to the right foot and then to the left foot. Keep the right leg flexed and the knee pointed at the ball. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed during the swing. The swing is a full-size swing that is more gentle than a driver swing. Your mindset should be to make a swing that would hit the ball about 50 yards from the grass. Hitting the sand, and not the ball, will deaden the shot more than you expect.

The sand wedge is constructed so that the trailing edge is higher than the leading edge to prevent it from digging deep into the sand. With the clubface open, you want the club to enter the sand about two inches behind the ball. Many students are timid about this shot, thinking the ball will go too far. To remedy this fear, go to a fairway bunker and explode a shot with a full swing. Even with a full swing, it won't go very far when you hit two inches of sand first.

If the pin is just beyond the bunker, you need a high, soft, short shot. To hit that shot open the face of the sand wedge until it is wide open, almost parallel to the ground. Use the same full swing, hit two inches behind the ball and expect it to go only a few yards.

With the pin on the far edge of the green, 15 or 20 yards away, you need a long sand shot. Simply square up the face of your sand wedge, use the same full swing, hit two inches behind the ball and you will get the distance you need.

The answer in these two situations is simple