Conquer bunker shooting once and for all with this step-by-step guide.
Image via YouTube/Titleist
Being in a bunker it’s not fun.
But being in a bunker when you can’t adjust to the sand conditions? This is even worse.
I can’t tell you how many times I have entered a green bunker and I realized that my ball is not actually resting on a fluffy lie, but on hard, compacted sand. It may not seem like a big difference, but like any other lie on the golf course, you need to make adjustments for this type of shot.
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Unfortunately, not many amateurs know what to do when they encounter this situation.
Instead of just hacking your ball and hoping it pops out, check out the tips in the video below from GOLF Top 100 Teachers James Sieckmann (courtesy of Titleist’s YouTube channel). Before you know it, you’ll be a bunker and no longer let the sand condition get the best (or worst) of you.
Hard Sand vs. Soft Sand – How to hit from each
How to get hit by hard sand
“From really packed (and hard) sand, I would definitely have to use my flat wedge,” says Sieckmann.
Why his L-wedge? Because the ball will come out faster.
“The ball will come out quickly and I have to get the club completely under the ball,” he says.
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Sieckmann then explains the setup.
“I’m going to put more pressure on my (lead leg), I’m going to use a tighter (angle of attack), lower and lower,” says Sieckmann. “Maybe you’ll flatten the face a bit so it doesn’t bounce too much. Then I just need to slow down.”
After hitting a low, ring bunker shot, he explains why technique is so important when playing hard sand.
“If I’m too shallow or if I choose the wrong club, I won’t get the result I want,” he says. “So it’s okay to change clubs and adjust your setup and swing to get the right angle of attack to get into the sand the best way to match the lie.”
How to get hit by soft sand
“In normal (fluffy) sand conditions, I’ll lean into the quad (on the lead foot) and really let the clubhead go,” says Sieckmann. “But I don’t want to dig (the club), so I’ll probably push to my sand wedge instead of my wedge.
Sieckmann then explains his decision to go with a little less loft and how it will help produce a high and smooth shot.
“If I’m between clubs, I’d go 54 degrees,” he says. “There’s more bounce and less loft, which should help the ball go further, and the club should slide through the sand and not dig in as much.”
Next, he talks about how to set up for a bunker shot when hitting soft sand.
“Using my 54, I’ll still play with an open face, maybe a little more left, and then I’ll use a nice wide swing,” he instructs.
So the next time you find yourself in a bunker, use Sieckmann’s tips to adjust your swing based on the conditions of the lie. You can just stick it close to the pin.
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