Watching an approach shot trickle into a greenside bunker or a drive veer into a steep-face fairway bunker can be disheartening. Suddenly, you find yourself resigned to failure.
Enough of the defeatist attitude! Bunker shots are easier than you think.
Players who fear the sand simply have poor technique. That leads to lack of confidence, which creates inconsistent results that never get better, no matter how much you practice. Only by learning correct bunker play technique and committing to a positive mindset can you exorcise those bunker demons.
Most players use the “old school” technique, which has been around since the sand wedge was invented in the 1920s. Set up about 45 degrees open to the target, with the ball placement (see photos below) near the middle of your stance and the club face open to the target line. The swing path is parallel to the feet line, keeping the clubface open as you slide the club under the ball. The concept of sliding the club beneath the ball, as opposed to digging at a spot behind the ball, is important. There is no set distance behind the ball where you enter the sand, mainly because at most courses the sand density varies from bunker to bunker.
Some advanced players implement the “modern” technique, which is playing from a square stance with a square club face and the hands slightly behind the ball. The swing path is down the target line with the trailing edge sliding under the ball and the clubface facing the sky in the finish position. If the old school technique is stubbornly troublesome, give the modern a try.
When setting up for a greenside bunker shot, I always like to feel as if I’m starting with a pretty open face, maybe a little more than you might initially think. From there I take my backswing outside the target line (along the feet line) and rotate my hands to open the face even more.
From the top of my backswing, the length of which is determined by the length of the shot, I swing on the same path as my backswing, outside to inside the target line. As I slide the club under the ball, using the trailing edge of the wedge, I’m able to accelerate the club for maximum spin and control.
Speed and conviction through the strike are imperative if you expect to consistently escape bunkers. A good way to practice bunker shots is taking swings without a ball, (see photo below) splashing the sand as you swing across the target line with the trailing edge of the club sliding though the sand, not digging into it. After each swing, check to see if the path you left in the sand is pointing down the target line.
The best way to improve your sand game is to hit lots of short shots – 5-10 yards – in the practice bunker. Always practice with a purpose. Short bunker shots are score killers if you don’t have good technique.
Challenge yourself with different lies – uphill, downhill, sidehill, “fried egg” and buried lies. Don’t be afraid of the latter two; they’re really not that difficult, and the results generally are predictable. Closed face, open face, square face, just stick the club into the sand under the ball. It will pop out with a lot of over-spin, causing it to run out when it hits the green.
The difficulty of a fairway bunker shot is often determined by the softness or firmness of the sand. Firm sand is much easier to play from because it’s similar to hitting off hardpan, usually with a reasonably clean, accessible lie. Clean contact is the most important aspect of a successful fairway bunker shot.
I usually take an extra club, choke down about an inch and focus on the front of the ball to achieve ball-first, clean contact. You can play the ball slightly back in your stance if you prefer, but that’s not essential with this technique. Using a hybrid for a long bunker shot off firm sand is often a great choice because the club won’t dig into the sand.
Don’t be too hard on yourself if the result isn’t what you hoped. Any fairway bunker shot that hits the green or lands near your lay-up target is very acceptable at all skill levels.
Fairway bunker shots from 25 to 100 yards are considered among the most difficult shots in golf, if not the most difficult. The best advice I can offer on long shots from bunkers is to avoid those predicaments altogether by laying up or aiming well away from the hazard!
When you do find yourself faced with a long bunker shot, using the fairway bunker technique as described on above is usually your best bet. However, the design of sand wedges and other high-loft clubs, each featuring an array of grinds and bounce angles, can make club selection tricky, especially if you intend to hit a full shot. Practice these shots using different clubs from the same lie to get a feel for trajectories and distances. Familiarize yourself with each club’s distinct performance characteristics by taking notes when you practice and play.
Sometimes, if the front of the green is accessible, a safe option is to use a less lofted club and clip the ball first. When executed properly, this lower trajectory shot will land short of the green and run onto the putting surface.
I’ve also seen players use an 8-iron from 30-60 yards and blast the sand as if it were a short greenside bunker shot. This option requires a lot of practice and unwavering confidence!
Don Levin reckons he’s given 80,000 lessons – “That’s a conservative estimate,” he says – since becoming, in 1989, a full-time golf instructor, most recently at Cordova Golf Course in Sacramento. After twice being named a second-team All-American at San Jose State, he spent two seasons on the PGA Tour as well as eight years on developmental tours in Europe, Canada and South Africa. Don’s star pupil is his son, Spencer, winner of the 2002 NCGA Amateur Championship and the 2004 NCGA Men’s Player of the Year award. Spencer has made 244 starts on the PGA Tour and reached an Official World Golf Ranking of 60th in 2012. He won the 2023 Veritex Bank Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour.