Bunker shots can cause all sorts of anxiety and fear. I’ve seen grown men go week at the knees when their ball lands in a bunker. Sometimes having to hit over a bunker can be a problem, with the thought of duffing the shot so great that a relatively straight forward stroke becomes a difficult one.
At one point in my golfing life bunker shots were a problem. Below I’ve listed the 7 steps that got my bunker play back on track and should have you playing with more confidence and impressing your golfing mates;
Step #1: Use a lob wedge – A sand wedge is ok but a lob wedge is better. It has more loft and makes hitting the ball higher and softer from those green side traps easier. If you don’t have a lob wedge you should get one. The best loft to choose is one with around 60 degrees. Anything with less than this will be too close to your sand iron and more won’t allow you to hit the ball with any forward momentum. Best you stick with about 60 degrees.
Step #2: Forget about swinging outside to in – I’ve seen golfers that have good swings outside the bunker but they can lose the plot when they step inside one. It really is quite funny 
There’s no need to do anything that radically different. You’re still swinging the club. So focus on doing that. I’ve found best results are achieved when you stop thinking about swinging outside in, opening your stance, picking the club up quickly or any other technique. If you can swing the club as you normally do this is a good start. You’ll work out the minor details like alignment etc later.
Step #3: Open the club face – This is the main difference from a standard golf shot. You must have the club face open to play sand shots successfully. This helps the club slide under the ball without digging too deeply. The open club face ensures the ball will come out high and softly. The best method of doing this is to open the club face first, then grip it. By gripping first you are likely to return the club too square, which defeats the purpose. Open the club face first then take your normal hold on the club.
Step #4: Place the ball forward in your stance – Believe it or not but you don’t want to hit the ball with your golf club. The club slides under the ball and the sand pushes the ball out of the bunker – not the club. It’s for this reason you need to place the ball forward in your stance. No need to move it too forward – just enough so you can strike the sand behind the ball… remember, you’re are not hitting the ball!
Step #5: Pre-set the shot – I first heard about pre-setting from Carey Mumford. The idea is to get into your setup, get comfortable and make a few swings (don’t strike the sand or the ball as this incurs a penalty). Then get out of your set-up and check your footprints. You can look to see if your ball position and alignment are correct. Best of all it makes it easy to get into the perfect set-up when it comes to actually hitting the shot. You simply step back into the footprints that you left earlier and hit the shot. There’s less fumbling about, you’ll play more quickly and better!
Step #6: Learn to take a small amount of sand – you don’t need to take a heap of sand. Just a slither will do. Unless the sand is very fine and soft, too much sand will reduce the height and amount of spin you can achieve. The big mistake I see is golfers approaching bunker shots with a closed club face and then trying to dig the ball out. Much better that you approach bunker shots with the thought of sliding the ball out. When you get this right the ball will come out with plenty of spin and you’ll have more control.
Step #7: Learn to automate – Automation is the key skill here. When you can step into a bunker and perform the above steps without thinking too much about them you’ll become a better player. When golf becomes a habit rather than conscious thought you’ll do just fine. Automation allows you to perform under pressure and hit those remarkable shots when you really need them.
Bonus Step: Spend some time in a practice bunker:) This sounds obvious but many golfers think they can improve just by reading an article or watching others perform. If you want to improve your play then I suggest you grab your lob wedge and a few balls and do some practice. Open the club face and slide the club under the ball. I’m sure you’ll start to hit some better shots. Over time you’ll get better and better and once the automation kicks in you will be a good bunker player.
The final step is to experiment with different clubs and shot situations. But don’t do this until you learn the basic shot with your lob wedge first.
I’ve been receiving quite a bit of email about golfers struggling with their short game. I think it’s time to cover some of the basics. Before I do that, there is one key issue holding most golfers back…
They don’t practice!
If you are continually let down by poor chipping, bladed pitch shots and duffed bunker shots, then you need to spend some time (maybe ten minutes per week) practicing these shots. There are no miracle cures. If you aren’t prepared to practice then I don’t think you can be helped. I will cover some aspects of practice below.
Now that’s out of the way let’s get into the good stuff
To master the short game (to your own unique level) doesn’t require any special skills or talent. I have found most golfers who have been playing for any length of time have good skills around the green. They can chip and pitch the ball well – but struggle to be consistent on the golf course.
The short shots can seem easy (at least easier than the long game) and this is a problem. Golfers like to be careful and try hard with the short game – thinking that the easier the shot the more they can think about it. This is not good. You must let the short game flow and be natural. Trying hard fails. Being careful and safe is worse.
How would you throw a ball to someone? Would you think about how hard to throw or do you look and shoot? Most people can throw a ball well by looking and then throwing. There is no complication or over thinking. A complete emptiness of approach allows throwing to be a simple and easy task. If you want to be successful with your short game then you need to follow the same approach. There is no other way!
Thinking less can be uncomfortable, so you may need to put it into practice before taking it to the golf course. Here’s a little practice session that should work well for you.
Take a handful of balls to the local park or pitching green. I don’t like driving ranges with synthetic grass – best you find an area with real grass. It makes the experience more real.
Start with small chip shots. Get comfortable (most important) and feel like you’re moving the club gently through the ball. You don’t need much power at this stage. You’re only after a short shot. Your mind should be free of technical thought. Leave concepts like, wrist cock, weight shift, back swing length and follow through at home. Keep moving the club through the ball and see what happens.
After a few shots you can apply more power. Creep up on it…don’t go for full shots too early. Gradually pick up speed, just like you would if you had to throw a ball to someone who keeps moving further from you. Once the shot feels good you can apply more power. You should be able to feel more wrist cock and a bigger back swing – but don’t analyse. Keep the club moving through the ball and observing the distance each shot travels.
If your mind is clear and free of technical thought this should be easy for you. If you want to hit the chip or pitch further you apply a little more power and vice versa. There’s nothing too complicated. You’re simply chipping or pitching (throwing?) the ball different distances.
You can then step this up a little by experimenting with different ball and club face positions. What happens when you move the ball back in your stance and close the club face? You should get a low running shot. What about doing the opposite by moving the ball forward and opening the club face? You should now get a high and soft landing ball flight.
Keep experimenting and learning what you can and can’t do. It will also help to watch those better than yourself. See how they hit a high soft landing bunker shot. In your own time you can learn the same shot. The key is to keep the task simple. Try and relate your short game to throwing a ball. Keep away from technical thought and analysis. It will only slow you down.
The big trick is to take this natural and instinctive approach to the golf course. Let the short game flow. Look at the shot and pull the trigger. Your subconscious will work out all the minor details like direction and distance – like it does when you throw a ball. If you get stuck play conservatively. If you haven’t tried a super lob in practice then don’t try it on the golf course. Best you aim for the middle of the green with a shot you know you can play.
The short game should be fun – there are also no limits. You have fourteen clubs in the bag and you may use all of them for those little shots around the green. Tiger Woods is a master at using his three wood for chip and runs. Is this something you have tried? Or what about using your 9 iron to get out of a bunker?
A good short game will improve your score. If you keep the process simple and strive for automation you will get better. I guarantee it – but only if you practice!
Let me know how you get on.
Good golfing,
Cameron
