Golf Digest Tip of the Week

"TIP: SCOOP IT FROM THE SAND       

In a steep-faced bunker, your goal is to get the ball up in the air as quickly as you can. Start by addressing it with a slightly open stance. Next, open the face of your sand wedge, then take your grip—in that order. Now's the tricky part, because you must do the opposite of what you've been taught: You must let the clubhead pass your hands before impact and slide under the ball. I feel as if I'm flicking my right wrist at the shot (left). Do it right, and the ball will land softly and stop fast.
—Matt Kuchar, four-time PGA Tour winner"

I personally rarely open my stance ever in golf, but unless it is an extraordinarily steep bunker, I will. It is a good idea to always open the face up during almost all bunker shots. The important thing, as noted is to do it in that order: open stance, open face, then grip because if you do the process in some other order, your alignment will suffer. On normal shots, you should finish high and keep your hands relatively straight. In this situation, you don't want to take a completely full swing, and you want to curl your wrists upward.