Bunkers cost most club golfers more shots than they should, not because the shot is difficult, but because most people are trying to play it the wrong way.
The good news is that a greenside bunker shot is the only shot in golf where you do not have to hit the ball well. You do not even have to hit it at all. Once that clicks, sand stops being something you dread and starts being something you can genuinely get out of first time.
Here is how I explain it to golfers in the shop and out on the practice area.
Why bunkers feel so hard
Three things are usually going on.
The first is that golfers try to lift the ball out. Sand feels soft and unstable, so the instinct is to help the ball into the air by leaning back and scooping. That does the opposite. It either thins the ball into the face or leaves it in the sand.
The second is deceleration. People take the club back, get halfway down, panic, and slow through impact. A bunker shot needs the club to keep moving.
The third is that almost nobody practises it. Most driving ranges do not have a bunker, so the first sand shot many golfers hit all month is the one that matters. That is a tough way to learn anything.
The one idea that changes everything
On a greenside bunker shot, the club never touches the ball. You are hitting the sand behind the ball, and the sand throws the ball out.
That is it. The ball rides out on a cushion of sand.
Once you accept that, the technique makes sense. You are not trying to be precise with the ball. You are trying to hit a patch of sand roughly a credit card's width behind it, and keep the club moving through that sand and out the other side.
Setting up for a greenside bunker shot
Setup does most of the work here. Get this right and the swing largely looks after itself.
Open the clubface first, then take your grip. This is the step most golfers get backwards. If you grip the club normally and then twist your hands to open the face, the face will square up again during the swing. Lay the face open while the club is out in front of you, then wrap your hands around it.
Shuffle your feet into the sand. This does two jobs. It gives you a stable base, and it tells you how firm or soft the sand is underneath.
Play the ball forward. Somewhere around your front heel. This encourages the club to enter the sand behind the ball rather than on top of it.
Keep your weight slightly forward. Around 60% on your front foot, and keep it there. Hanging back is what causes the thinned shot that flies over the green.
Grip down a little. You have dug your feet in, so you are standing lower than normal. Choking down an inch or two keeps the depth consistent.
The swing
Make a full, unhurried swing, much bigger than the distance seems to need. A short bunker shot still needs a decent sized swing, because the sand absorbs most of the energy.
Aim to enter the sand about 5cm behind the ball. Keep your body turning through the shot rather than stopping and flicking with the hands. And finish the swing. If your club is stuck in the sand, you have decelerated.
The single best feel I can give you is this: splash a patch of sand out onto the green. If the sand lands on the putting surface, the ball almost always goes with it.
Distance is controlled by how long your swing is and how much sand you take, not by how hard you swing.
The four mistakes I see most often
Leaning back to help the ball up. The loft on the wedge is already doing that job. Trust it.
Slowing down through impact. Nervous golfers do this without realising. Commit to the finish.
Taking far too much sand. Digging a trench several inches behind the ball leaves it in the bunker. Shallow and splashy beats deep and heavy.
Using the leading edge instead of the bounce. With a square face, the sharp front edge digs. With the face open, the sole of the club skids through the sand the way it is designed to.
Wet and firm sand, which is what we get plenty of
Most bunker instruction assumes soft, dry, fluffy American sand. Plenty of New Zealand courses, particularly through winter and especially on our heavier inland soils, give you sand that is damp and firm underneath.
Firm, wet sand behaves differently. The club will not dig into it the same way, so an aggressively open face will bounce off the surface and thin the ball. In those conditions:
- Open the face less, closer to square
- Take less sand and aim slightly closer behind the ball
- Expect the ball to come out lower and run more once it lands
Dry, soft sand is the opposite. Open it up, take more sand, and expect it to stop faster.
The lesson is simple. Before you play, feel the sand with your feet as you shuffle in. It tells you which shot you are playing.
Fairway bunkers are a completely different shot
Everything above applies to greenside bunkers. From a fairway bunker, you want to hit the ball first and take almost no sand at all.
The rules of thumb:
- Take one more club than the distance suggests, then grip down on it and make a smoother swing
- Keep your lower body quiet. Digging in hard and driving with your legs makes the low point move. Stability beats power here.
- Check the lip before you pick the club. Getting out sideways with a wedge is a far better score than catching the face with a 5 iron.
Getting out is the goal. Advancing it 160 metres is a bonus.
Does your wedge actually suit the sand you play?
This is where a lot of golfers are quietly making it harder for themselves.
Wedges have a feature called bounce, which is the angle of the sole that stops the club digging. It is stamped on the club, usually as a second number.
- Higher bounce (around 10 to 14 degrees) helps in soft, fluffy sand and softer turf. It skids rather than digs.
- Lower bounce (around 4 to 8 degrees) suits firm sand and tight lies, where a high bounce club can skip off the surface.
Most golfers play whatever sand wedge came with their iron set and have never thought about it. If you struggle in bunkers specifically, it is genuinely worth checking what you are carrying. It is one of the cheapest fixes in golf. You can browse the full range of golf wedges at Golf 360, and if you are not sure how many you should have in the bag, we have covered that in what wedges should I carry.
How to practise when you do not have a bunker
Most people cannot get to a practice bunker easily, so use the time you do get well.
When you are in one, hit twenty shots without a ball. Draw a line in the sand and practise entering the sand on that line, splashing sand out every time. Once you can do that consistently, add a ball. Nothing else changes.
The other half of the job is the rest of your short game. If you are chipping well, the pressure comes off the bunker shots. Our guides on chipping consistently and the biggest chipping mistakes I see are a good place to start.
If bunkers are genuinely costing you shots every round, half an hour with one of our PGA professionals will sort it faster than a season of guessing. You can find out more on our golf lessons and coaching page.
A few common questions
Can I ground my club in a bunker?
No. Under the Rules of Golf you cannot touch the sand with your club before the shot, either behind the ball or on a practice swing. Hover the club above the sand at address.
What do I do with a plugged or fried egg lie?
Square the face up rather than opening it, aim a little further behind the ball, and swing down more steeply. Accept that it will come out low and running, and take the middle of the green rather than the flag.
How many shots should I expect to take from a bunker?
For most club golfers, getting out and onto the green in one is a good outcome. Chasing the flag from sand is where big numbers come from.
The short version
Hit the sand, not the ball. Open the face before you grip it. Keep your weight forward, make a full swing, and finish. Read the sand with your feet before you decide how open to go.
Do those things and bunkers stop being a two shot penalty and start being a straightforward part of the round.
If you would like a hand choosing a wedge that suits your game and the courses you play, come and see us at Golf 360 in Mount Maunganui or have a look through our wedges online. We are always happy to talk it through.
Happy golfing,
Scott Pickett
PGA Professional
Founder – Golf 360
Mount Maunganui
