Editor’s note: This is the third in a season-long series offering golf tips from Central Oregon golf professionals.

I ask my students to attack greenside bunker shots, and they invariably tighten up with the fear of blading a bellied sand wedge 50 yards across the green and into a water hazard.

But NOW isn’t the time to be timid. Greenside bunker shots require smooth, aggressive swings that incorporate what I call the three S’s of bunker play: setup, speed, and sand.

Once you incorporate all three thoughts into your approach, you’ll find that your bunker shots are more consistent, and you will able to hit a greater variety of shots when the need dictates.

Your setup for a standard greenside bunker shot relies on a proper sand wedge with bounce angle on the sole of the club. Start by really digging your feet into the sand by at least an inch; this allows the bottom of your swing to get into the sand and avoid the dreaded skulled shot. Align your feet and body to the left of your target by approximately 20 degrees. Then, open the club face so that the center of the face points approximately 20 degrees to the right of the target.

Your swing will be along the line of your body and feet, and it will have very little or no lower-body movement. If you need to hit a higher shot, alter the body/feet line to 40 degrees to the left of the target and open the club face more to 40 degrees to the right of the target.

Speed is the term I use to persuade the student to accelerate the swing through impact. A smooth, aggressive swing speed will negate the texture of the sand slowing the club through impact and leaving the ball in the bunker.

Your club swing should be to waist height or higher, and your release of the club through the sand should also continue to waist height or higher. The longer the shot, the longer the swing becomes, and the greater amount of speed we need to bring into impact and through the hitting zone.

Finally, your impact is not with the ball, but with a pillow of sand that will explode the ball out onto the green. Train yourself to concentrate on a point in the sand that is about an inch behind the back of the ball. Your goal is to make an aggressive swing and enter the sand at that point.

Don’t try to stay above the sand as if the ball were sitting on a concrete driveway, but make an effort to swing the club into the sand as hard as you can.

The bounce angle on the sand wedge and the speed of your swing will help slide the club through and out of the sand, similar to a smooth, rounded stone skipping across Mirror Pond. The ball will come out of the sand with a deep thud at impact, and sand will explode onto the green.

Eliminate most of the fear by getting into a bunker without a ball and practice hitting the sand hard. Swing hard like a 5-year-old, let yourself get dirty, and splash sand out all over the place.

Do this for several minutes, then simply add the golf ball to your practice.

If you aren’t happy with the results you’re seeing, please contact your local PGA professional for individualized instruction and the purchase of a proper sand wedge. We’re all happy to help you enjoy the game.