To Escape the Sand…You Must Commit to these Fundamentals

Unlike any other golf shot, the bunker shot requires making initial contact with something other than the ball.

Outside of greenside bunkers, golfers are tasked with making solid contact as frequently and consistently as possible by utilizing a ball-first strike. At some level, bunker shots require more know-how than other golf shots.

From a broader viewpoint, utilizing proper technique when escaping the sand near the green is unnatural. Therefore, we must approach such shots through a separate lens in comparison to other shots we play every time we are on the course.

Accepting these differences is vital for golfers who want any chance of having consistent success in bunkers. What may be a given for one golfer is a hurdle for another, but accepting that golf is indeed hard brings all golfers together on some level.

Regardless of your handicap, learning or re-examining how to execute from the bunker is a worthwhile endeavor. When we set foot in any bunker, we must remember that we are not permitted to ground our club. Outside of such hazards, golfers are routinely able to test the surface(s) from which they are about to play from.

This unique trait means there’s less predictability with respect to how our clubhead will interact with the surface our ball has come to rest on. Therefore, we must be even more sure to stay committed to the shot we are trying to play when in a greenside bunker.

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A lack of commitment or trust in execution derives from a lack of confidence or belief in one’s ability to achieve a desired result.

Perhaps feared more than any other one golf shot, the greenside bunker shot evokes negative thoughts or feelings in players at a higher rate than other shots do for one reason more so than any other.

It’s HARD.

If you struggle from the greenside sand, focus on keeping the club “moving” thru the sand by imagining you’re splashing the sand out of the bunker.

Unlike other short game shots except for maybe the flop shot, the bunker shot requires a more pronounced, longer backswing than chip shots do. You cannot swing in the bunker like you would from any standard lie in the rough or fairway near the putting surface. You must commit to a more aggressive, full swing with the ball in the middle of your stance or forward of that. Also, don’t be afraid to utilize a wider base with more knee flex.

We want the clubhead to enter the sand so that the bounce of the clubhead as opposed to the leading edge is exposed more so than it otherwise is on any other golf shot. Depending on the weight/density of the sand, you want to pick a spot roughly two inches behind your ball for your clubhead to initially enter the sand.

Making initial contact with the sand and not the ball is the single most important part of playing from greenside bunkers. We want to open our stance so that it matches a proportionately open clubface at address.

Opening the clubface not only exposes the bounce on the club itself but adds loft to the club which makes it easier to lift the ball out of the sand and onto the green.

Before we even think about the hole, we must be aware that our primary objective is to get the ball out of the bunker before anything else.

On short-sided bunker shots with very little green to work with, it’s commonplace to get too “cute” trying to pull off a great shot as opposed to the prudent one. Sometimes, accepting that you’re going to have a medium-length putt to save your par or bogey goes a long way in avoiding those big numbers which ruin rounds.

This is not to say that you shouldn’t be trying to get your ball as close to the hole as you possibly can when you’re in the bunker. However, this is to say that we must pick and choose our spots to be aggressive carefully.

Loving your putter goes a long way in making these decisions easier over the course of a round.

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Mainly, we must make a longer backswing in the greenside bunker and always remember to smack the sand a couple inches behind the golf ball with authority. We’re trying to get the ball out of the bunker by splashing the sand behind the ball out first.

When in doubt, be sure to take more sand behind the ball rather than too little. A “thin” bunker shot can lead to a variety of ugly results that rear their ugly heads when we don’t take enough sand behind the golf ball.

The “safer” chunk and run style bunker shot which requires a slightly more square clubface is a useful play when we aren’t quite sure of the sand’s consistency and/or how much of it there is.

Also, players who like using their hands would be wise to add wrist hinge in bunkers for all we’re trying to do is clear the front lip which may require a shot which doesn’t travel more than a few yards in total.

Adding this extra hinge ensures a steeper angle of attack while also utilizing a little more of the leading edge. If you like getting handsy or steep with your swing in the bunker, make sure you maintain a firm lead wrist thru the sand at impact. Understand that adding more hinge means we are going to “dig” the clubhead more at impact.

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Consequently, we are going to receive more resistance from the ground or sand at impact.

To be sure the clubhead keeps moving thru the sand, make sure you keep your speed up like you would on an approach shot from the rough only without the ball-first strike.

Spin results from the quality of the strike coupled with the speed in which the clubhead travels through the hitting area. The more spin you want to create, the faster or more aggressive you must be at impact and over the course of the entire physical swing.

Take a wider, more open stance after opening your clubface in the bunker and smack the sand two inches behind the ball utilizing a long backswing and more speed.

Being a good bunker player first requires the inner belief that you are a good bunker player thanks to a strong commitment to these sound fundamentals. Approaching the greenside bunker your ball has come to rest in presents you with the opportunity to get the ball close to the hole. It cannot be thought of as a task which presents an opportunity to leave your ball in the sand.

The manner in which we frame shots mentally plays an enormous part in how successful or unsuccessful we are in executing each respective shot.

A positive attitude in the bunker pays dividends more so than maybe any other spot on the golf course.