Distance control from a bunker isn’t easy to learn. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things in golf to master. Golf instruction and reading golf tips help, but it takes practice to learn how to hit it close to the pin from different bunkers. But even a modest improvement here cuts strokes from your scores and lowers golf handicaps.
The perfect set-up for right-handed players is to aim left of the target, generating a slight fade. To produce it, adopt an open stance and an open clubface at address, and then swing along your bodyline. The ball will fly right of where your body and feet are pointing. I have players practice this set up a few times during my golf lessons before moving on to hitting bunker shots from various distances.
Here’s a list of common bunker shots:
The length of your backswing with a greenside bunker shot isn’t nearly as important as the follow-through, as I’ve discussed in my golf tips. The longer the shot, the longer your follow-through needs to be. For short shots, the club should finish knee high. For medium-length shots, the club should finish chest high. For long shots, the club should finish well above your chest.
The key to making a good bunker greenside shot is acceleration. You need to accelerate through the shot until the club passes though the sand. Don’t stop at impact, like some players do in my golf lessons. Hit through it. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself hitting from the bunker again.
Bunkers with Tight Pins
Greenside bunkers with tight pins are really tough shots, especially if the sand is soft and fluffy. You can’t ground your club in the bunker, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips, but you can feel the sand with your shoes when you step in the bunker. If it’s fluffy, you may need to blast out of the bunker. Use a sand wedge, open the face, and take a full swing hitting the sand about four inches behind the ball. The open face forces the ball to fly higher and land softer.
If the ball is plugged, don’t open the clubface. Close it. Then cock your wrists quickly and take a steep downswing. Try to hit the sand just behind the ball. That will unplug it and throw it out of the bunker.
Longer Bunkers
An alternative to hitting the traditional bunker shot is the bump and run. The theory is that you improve your distance control the sooner you get the ball out of the sand and onto the ground and rolling toward the target. However, you need to have the right situation— a low-lipped bunker, some room to roll the ball, and an unplugged lie—to hit the bump and run from the sand.
Take a 6 or 7 iron, instead of a sand wedge, and address the ball with a slightly open stance. The shaft and your body should be leaning forward. Position you hands away from your body so that the shaft is more vertical than normally. Without grounding the club, take it back slowly and accelerate through the ball. Hit down on the ball. It comes out low and runs as soon as it hits the ground. See my golf tips for more info on making this shot.
Fairway Bunker Shots
The 80- to 100-yard bunker shot is the hardest of all. At least that’s what some players who’ve taken my golf lessons think. Ideally, you want to have the ball fly high and land softly. Instead of a sand wedge or a 6 iron, try an 8 iron but grip the club more in your fingers than normally. And make sure the heel of the club is higher than the toe at address and that the face is open. Aim slightly left of your target, stand a little taller, and hit the ball before the sand.
The key to the fairway bunker shot is the body turn. The tendency with this shot is using your arms and hands only. You need a full body turn to get the distance you want from this shot. Therefore, you need to get your body in the act. Keep your lower body stationary and turn your chest away from the target, so it stays in front of the club.
Additional Golf Tips on Bunker Shots
For uphill bunker shots, use a less lofted club and swing normally. For downhill shots, adjust your shoulders to the angle of the slope and swing down the slope. If you want to stop the ball when it lands, remember this: The faster you swing the club and the closer the clubhead comes to the ball, the more spin you put on the ball.
Tour players get up and down from the sand more than 60 percent of the time. If you’re can do it only half that number, you’ll eliminate unnecessary strokes and lower your golf handicap.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80…And Shoot Like The Pros!”. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that was able to figure out the secrets of shooting in the 70’s on a consistent basis without quitting your day job. Jack has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately.