The Golden Rule

Open the clubface before you finalise the details of grip and set-up; that's the No.1 rule when you are in the sand.

Pre-set loft and 'bounce'

OK, so you've caught me on the beach having a laugh up here at Turnberry. But where better to explain to you the secret of good sand play?

Using the so-called 'bounce' on the sand-iron is the key to splashing your way out of trouble, and to do that you have to open the club-face before you fix your grip. Lay it wide open like this, with the handle running low in the fingers of the left hand.

When you then complete your grip, the loft and the 'bounce' (i.e. the extent to which the heavy flange sits below the leading edge) is pre-set. With a slightly open stance, making your regular swing is all it takes to skim the flange through the sand.

I have laid the club on the sand here to illustrate a point - but remember, the rules do not allow you to touch the sand when you are on the course playing these shots for real. Then you must hover the club slightly behind the ball