Playing in the Sand

Your experience with greenside bunker instruction may differ from this version. The information below is intended to be less complicated and should eliminate any confusion when hitting greenside bunker shots. Keep in mind the objective of a bunker shot and learn one skill at a time.

After you finish reading the article, click on this picture for a YouTube video of the bunker swing. There are seven swings on this video all in different speeds so you can watch the swing in slow motion and regular motion. I also included a visual of a good quality divot.

Objective of a greenside bunker shot:

Use the clubhead to create a good quality divot of sand that will carry the ball onto the green to an intended target with the correct amount of distance and spin.

Use the clubhead…

The sand wedge was designed in the early 1930’s to help golfers “scoop” their ball out of the sand or deep rough. Today there are a variety of wedges with different degrees of loft and bounce. You will want to play with a set of wedges that works best with your playing ability and course conditions. Contact me for wedge fitting help.

Loft is measured in degrees and is the angle the club is tilted back relative to the ground. The golf ball will respond to the amount of loft at impact. Higher loft produces a higher shot; lower loft produces a lower shot.

Bounce is also measured in degrees and is the angle the leading edge sits off the ground. Bounce prevents the leading edge from digging into the ground and allows the sand wedge to slid through the sand. Bounce is great for creating good quality divots.

In the setup position open the clubface a few degrees so the bounce of the club will be used instead of the leading edge. The golf ball will not fly in the direction the club is facing because you will be contacting the sand, not the ball. Once the face is slightly open, take your grip. The handle of the club will be in a neutral position with the end of the club pointing towards your belt buckle. The hands and club position at the moment of impact will also look different than the moment of impact for an iron swing. Because you are using the bounce of the clubhead and not the leading edge, the moment of impact will also have a neutral position.

To create a good quality divot...

Once you understand the design of the golf club and how to use the golf club to create a divot, it’s time to work on the quality of your divot. Start by drawing a line through the center of your feet. Setup with the club on the line. Take a normal golf swing that would produce about a 50-yard shot. A good quality divot will be long, shallow and through the line. It does not need to be the same exact size every time. Pay attention to the feeling of the swing that produces this good quality divot. This is the swing you will use to produce a great bunker shot. Do not worry about hitting a specific spot in the sand. Focus on making an aggressive 50-yard swing and allow the swing to create a divot.

Here are a few thoughts on the quality of your divot.

If the divot...

happens before the line you may be trying to scoop the ball.
happens after the line you may be trying to push the ball.
is too deep, open the clubface to use more of the bounce.
is too thin, you may have incorrect fundamentals in the golf swing causing you to loose your width or pulling the arms in.

Carry the ball onto the green…

After you understand and feel comfortable creating good quality divots and you can feel the swing, it’s time to add the golf ball. As you learned, the divot starts slightly before the line and ends slightly after the line. The ball position should be just in front of the line or where it would sit in the middle of the divot. (See picture above.) Depending on the characteristics of your divot, the ball position may need to be adjusted.

To an intended target…

Your intended target is where you want the golf ball to land and come to rest. First start with your clubface aiming in the direction of your target. Then set your body to the club. At this point you can open the face a few degrees and take your grip. The swing path of the clubhead will be similar to a short iron full swing.

The correct amount of distance…

In the bunker, energy or momentum of the clubhead is what will produce a good bunker shot. Now that you understand the setup, the quality of your divot and the swing, it’s time to control distance. Controlling distance in the bunker is a lot like controlling distance with your wedges. The amount of backswing will change the distance of the shot. Remember to develop a signature tempo and use the same tempo for every shot. Instead of hitting harder or softer, change the amount of golf swing and keep the tempo consistent. You can always learn how to use other clubs like the gap wedge or pitching wedge to control distance with longer shots. *Notice the rhythm and tempo in the video.*

Practice Session:

Practicing in the bunker can get become frustrating if you're not careful. Remember the objective is to create good quality divots that are long, shallow and through the line. So why not practice without a golf ball! Spend 5 to 10 minutes working on the quality of your divot by taking 3 practice swings paying attention to the divot and feeling of the swing. Then hit one shot with a golf ball. Repeat this pattern for a few minutes. Then try using three other clubs, your choice. Pay attention to the difference in ball flight and amount of roll. And to finish up the session, take the sand wedge and alternate hitting shots to the front of the green and then back of the green.