Many golfers fear bunkers, but the greenside bunker shot is the only one in golf where you do not hit the ball. You hit the sand, and the sand carries the ball out. Once you trust that, bunkers become far less scary.
The setup
- Open the face of your sand wedge before you take your grip, so the bounce (the rounded sole) can glide through the sand.
- Open your stance slightly and dig your feet in for stability.
- Ball forward of center; weight slightly toward the lead side.
- Hold the club a little lower on the grip.
The swing
Aim to enter the sand about two inches behind the ball and swing through to a full finish. The most common error is decelerating: a short, timid swing leaves the ball in the bunker. You need more speed than you think, because the sand slows the club down. Keep the face open through impact; do not let it roll over.
Distance control
For longer bunker shots, take a bigger swing or a less open face. For short shots to a close pin, open the face more and keep the swing long and smooth. The sand is never “hit hard”; it is splashed.
A rule to know
Under the Rules of Golf, you may not touch the sand with your club in the area right in front of or behind the ball, or in your practice swing, before you play the stroke. Doing so costs a two-stroke penalty in stroke play. You may, however, dig your feet in to take your stance. The full rules are on the official Rules of Golf.
Drills for the practice bunker
- Draw a line in the sand and practice entering the sand on it, without a ball.
- Place a towel or a dollar bill-sized rectangle around the ball: take out the whole rectangle of sand.
- Hit ten shots in a row and count how many land on the green.
Fairway bunkers are different: there you want to hit the ball first, as with a normal iron. For the shots around the green that do not involve sand, see our guide to chipping and the short game.
