Standing over your ball in a greenside bunker can be one of the most intimidating shots in golf, but it doesn’t have to be. With a solid understanding of a few core principles and a reliable technique, you can turn a moment of fear into a genuine scoring opportunity. This guide will break down exactly what a bunker shot is and give you a complete, step-by-step roadmap for getting your ball out of the sand and next to the pin, time and time again.
The first and most important mental shift you need to make involves the point of contact. On every other shot in golf, your goal is to strike the ball first. In a greenside bunker, this is precisely what you do not want to do. Trying to hit the ball cleanly from the sand will likely cause you to either catch it thin and send it flying over the green or dig the leading edge of your wedge too deeply, leaving the ball frustratingly in the bunker.
So, what are you supposed to hit? The sand.
The entire goal of a greenside bunker shot is to slice out a thin layer of sand from underneath the golf ball. You’re aiming to enter the sand about two to three inches behind the ball, travel underneath it, and exit an inch or two after it. The resulting explosion of sand is what lifts the ball gently out of the bunker and carries it onto the green. You’re not hitting the ball, you are moving it by displacing the sand it sits on. It’s a "splash" shot, not a "hit" shot.
This "splash" is made possible by a design element on your wedge called bounce. If you set your sand wedge down, you’ll notice the back edge of the club’s sole (the bottom part) hangs lower than the front cutting edge (the leading edge). This angle between the ground and the sole is the bounce angle.
Think of it like the hull of a boat. A sharp edge would dig into the water, but the wide, angled hull allows it to glide across the surface. The bounce on your wedge works the same way in the sand. It prevents the sharp leading edge from digging in too deep and getting stuck. Instead, it allows the club to skim or "bounce" through the sand, creating that perfect splash that propels the ball forward. Understanding and using the bounce is the secret to great bunker play.
While you can technically hit a bunker shot with other clubs, your primary tool for this job should be your sand wedge (SW). Sand wedges are specifically engineered for this shot. They typically have a loft between 54 and 56 degrees and, most importantly, have the highest amount of bounce of any wedge in your bag (usually 10 to 14 degrees).
If you have an extremely high lip to clear and very little green to work with, a lob wedge (LW) with plenty of bounce might also be an option. But for 95% of greenside bunker shots, your trusty sand wedge is the perfect choice.
An effective bunker shot is built on a solid setup. If you get your setup correct, the swing itself becomes far simpler. Deviate from these fundamentals, and you’ll find yourself compensating during the swing, leading to inconsistency. Let’s walk through the setup, step-by-step.
For a right-handed golfer, this means aiming your feet, hips, and shoulders significantly to the left of your actual target. A good starting point is to aim your body about 20-30 degrees left. This preset "open" position encourages a swing path that cuts across the ball from out-to-in, which is exactly what you want. This path makes it easier to slide the club's face under the ball and fully engage the bounce.
Shuffle your feet into the sand until you feel firmly anchored. Do this for two reasons. First, sand is an unstable surface, and digging in provides a solid base for you to rotate against. Second, it effectively lowers your body's a bit, which presets a lower swing bottom. This helps you get underneath the ball and ensures you take sand.
This is arguably the most critical step. *Before* you take your grip, rotate the clubhead so the face points more towards the sky. Once the face is in this open position, then place your hands on the grip. Many golfers make the mistake of taking their normal grip and then trying to twist their hands to open the face, which is incorrect and ineffective.
Opening the face does two things:
Once you’ve done this, the clubface will be aimed to the right of your target, but because your body is aimed to the left, these two things should cancel each other out, and the ball will fly towards your target.
Take a slightly wider stance than you would for a normal pitch shot from the fairway. This lowers your center of gravity and creates more stability. Accompany this with a slight squat and a feeling of your hands being lower than normal. This combination further encourages a flatter swing that utilizes the bounce effectively.
Play the ball forward in your stance. A great reference is to have it positioned off the instep or heel of your lead foot (your left foot for a right-hander). This placement makes it easier to ensure your club enters the sand *before* it gets to the ball.
Your weight should also be slightly favoring your lead foot - think about a 60/40 pressure split. This helps you stay centered over the ball and promotes a descending blow into the sand, preventing you from leaning back and thinning the shot.
With your setup dialed in, the swing becomes an athletic motion focused on one feeling: acceleration. Committing through the shot is non-negotiable.
Matching the alignment of your body, take the club back slightly outside your normal swing path. As you bring the club back, you want to hinge your wrists relatively early. This creates a steeper angle on the way down, allowing the clubhead to "thump" into the sand with some force instead of just sweeping it.
This is where most bunker shots are lost. Out of fear of hitting the ball too far, golfers slow down as the club approaches the sand. This is killer. When you decelerate, the bounce can’t do its job, the leading edge digs, and the club gets stuck in the sand, often leaving the ball right where it started. You must accelerate through impact.
Visualize splashing a big scoop of sand directly onto the green. Distance control doesn't come from slowing down your swing speed, it comes from adjusting the length of your backswing. For a longer bunker shot, take a longer backswing, for a short one, take a shorter one. But always maintain your speed through the sand.
Forget the ball exists. Your singular focus is on your entry point. Pick out a spot in the sand about two inches behind the ball. That is your target. Hit that spot! Imagine you're taking a dollar-bill-sized divot of sand out of the bunker, with your golf ball sitting in the middle of it. This visual can help you stay committed to hitting the sand.
A great indicator of proper acceleration is your follow-through. Once the club splashes through the sand and the ball is on its way, keep rotating your body all the way to a full, balanced finish. Your chest should be pointing toward the target, and your weight should be almost entirely on your lead leg. Holding your finish is proof that you never quit on the shot.
Getting comfortable in the bunker boils down to trusting a shot that feels counterintuitive. Remember to hit the sand, not the ball. By positioning your body and club correctly at setup - with an open stance and an open face - you’re setting yourself up to use the club's design for its intended purpose: to splash the ball out on a soft cushion of sand.
When you encounter a particularly tough situation - like a plugged ball, a weird upslope lie, or an exceptionally high bunker lip - the standard technique needs adjustments. For those tricky spots where uncertainty creeps in, we designed Caddie AI to act as your on-demand course expert. You can snap a photo of any lie you find yourself in, and our AI can instantly analyze it and give you specific, step-by-step instructions on the best way to play the shot, helping you commit with confidence instead of guessing.
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