Bunkers are part of the game and should be approached from the perspective that if this is what the game gives you, fair or not, then this is what the game gives you; nothing more and nothing less. Bunkers should not be approached from the perspective that they are confidence sucking, score depriving, knee-numbing traps but rather, an opportunity to execute another shot in your repertoire – a shot by the way, that has a large margin for error and one in which you don’t even have to hit the ball to get it out of the bunker. What could be easier?
For a good bunker shot, three things are required:
- The right attitude – confidence
- A basic understanding of swing mechanics in the sand
- A repeatable short game swing and some practice from the beach
The Basic Sand Shot from a Greenside Bunker with a good lie
The basic greenside bunker shot is easily made with a proper understanding of body alignment. Only three small adjustments need be made from the normal short game swing:
- Align your body - stance, shoulders, and swing line, to the left of the pin
- Open your clubface to about 45 degrees from your swing line. The ‘open’ clubface should be aligned to the pin and will allow the clubface to bounce through the sand without digging into it
- Ball position is forward in your stance, just inside your left heel
- Weight distribution is about 60-40% on your front foot
- Having previously determined where the bottom of your swing arc is for your short game swing, with the ball position forward in your stance, you will be able to consistently hit behind the ball without having to aim or manipulate your swing in any fashion whatsoever, by approximately 2-5 inches
- The clubface should penetrate the sand by ½ inch, no more
- The swing should follow your body alignment. The open clubface will send the ball toward the pin. Your backswing should go to about the 9:00 o’clock position (left arm straight, parallel to the ground)
- Accelerate through to a full, high finish with most of your weight now on your front foot. Do not leave the club buried in the sand.
- Do not try and ‘jack-hammer’ or ‘stab’ at the ball with your club in an effort to drive it through the sand. A smooth acceleration of the club head to a full finish will be far more effective and repeatable. You should take about a six inch ‘divot’ in the sand.
For a buried lie all that is necessary to do is:
- Move the ball back in your stance (for a completely buried ball move it to the center of your stance)
- Square your body alignment
- Square your clubface
- Everything else remains the same
Fairway Bunkers
Your first concern if you find yourself in a fairway bunker is to congratulate yourself on once again utilizing the entire course and being able to ‘extend’ your game.
Next concern should be making sure that you get the ball out of the bunker and onto the fairway again:
- You need to use a lofted club if the bunker has a high lip
- Body alignment should be square to the target line
- Clubface is square to the target line
- Ball should be slightly back in your stance
- Balance is critical. Make sure you settle firmly into the sand as you set up.
- Use a ¾ length swing again smoothly accelerating through the ball to full finish