Golf Lessons - Golf Bunkers
- Don't Stay Bunkered

Given the choice between a bunker shot, high chip shot out of rough or one from a bare lie around the green, the professional and low handicap golfer would prefer to play the bunker shot.

Most handicap players would make the bunker shot their least favourite of the three. The difference being that good players can control the spin and run of the ball out of sand, through good technique. Whereas the high handicap golfer sees the shot as high risk and would prefer a bit of grass under the ball to help get it airborne. But with a little understanding of method involved together with patience and practise, bunker shots can form an important and enjoyable part of your armoury when doing battle on the course.

Golf Lessons - Bunker Shots - At the address in a bunker A big problem for all golfers is the inconsistency of sand in bunkers at different golf courses. Some bunkers are full of deep soft sand and others it seems just have a thin layer lying on top of a very hard base. This can result in the two most detested poorly played bunker shots. The first is the screamer that flies out like a missile straight over the back of the green into more trouble. The second is the shot that fails to rise up and flops back into the bunker.

So let’s look at some ingredients for successful shots. The more loft on a sand iron the better. Do as the pro’s do and try using a 60° lob wedge in the bunker as it helps to get the ball quickly airborne. Position the ball towards the left heel in your stance.

Golf Lessons - Bunker Shots - At the top of the back swing Always point the club face at the target, but your feet and body must point to the left. The more left you stand, the more open the club face will be, the more height and stop you will impart on the ball. Don’t quit on the shot, the main cause of leaving the ball in the bunker.

Keep your swing tempo smooth and always remember to follow through. Encourage your hands to break quickly on the take away, making a more upright back swing and more vertical down swing.

A low take away in the back swing makes the swing arch too shallow and tends to make the ball fly out too far. Great in a shallow faced fairway bunker but not a deep faced green side version.

Golf Lessons - Bunker Play - Plenty of sand and plenty of follow through In soft sand, wiggle your feet well down in to the sand to get a firm base. Take plenty of sand from under the ball and try to hit about 2” behind it. Imagine the ball as the yolk in a fried egg and try to take out the whole of the fried egg in your shot. Remember that this type of bunker shot is also referred to as an “Explosion Shot”, so plenty of sand and plenty of follow through.

In compact sand or hard base bunkers, take less sand both from behind and from under the ball. Don’t use a club with loads of bounce or curvature on the sole, as it can make the club skid at impact, causing a “flyer”. Use a club were the head sits tighter to the ground so you can just slip it under the ball with a shallow divot. Who knows the bunker shot might soon become your best friend!