Bunker Theory

When I first started playing someone said to me to draw a 6 inch circle around the ball (in my mind) and swing to remove the surface from that whole circle.

I took him on his word and I can always get out of the bunker. I give it a full swing and it usually gets me maybe 10 yards out of the bunker. fine but not great. I'm getting around to starting to practice bunker shots soon (it's on my list) but I don't know the whys and hows of bunker machanics.

one time in a mid fairway bunker I just gambled and hit a 7iron out and played it like a normal shot and it went about 80% distance. what I'd like to know is why don't I play just a normal pitch shot out of greenside bunkers. what would happen? I'm sure there is a good reason I just don't know it. If I want to go futher do I take more or less sand. is it a risk vs reward thing where the less sand equals more distance but greater risk?

Thanks fellow golf people.

Pretty much all you need to know about bunker theory in eight minutes.

Great video, thanks! Especially about getting back to basics with the wrist.

Thanks but I don't speak Northerm.... All I heard was something about gravy? ;-)

Here is how i play a greenside bunker shot.

1) always take out THE SAME AMOUNT of sand (i used to draw a semi-circle behind the ball, but whatever works)

2) OPEN your STANCE to the target (right handed, point feet left of target, LH, point feet right of target)

3) OPEN CLUB FACE like a flop shot  (this exposes the bounce of your wedge and will help the club get out of the sand and not dig in)

4) ACCELERATE AT IMPACT!!! ( Gary Player's analogy is the best ive heard and says that at impact it should be like your lighting a match, with lots of acceleration at impact.

5) to control distance, all you do is take the same swing and just make it a shorter swing for shorter distance and a longer swing for a longer shot.  The key is to always have the same swing and impact for every greenside bunker shot, just make your swing longer and shorter for different distances.

Go to the practice bunker, and do these 5 steps, (step 5 takes lots of practice with getting the proper feel) and you will improve your bunker play,

A good pitch shot is just like any shot from the fairway - the club hits the ball first and compresses it against the ground to impart a backspin on the ball. The reason a pitch shot doesn't work well from a greenside bunker is because:

(1) you can't compress the ball against the sand - it's too soft

(2) it's more difficult to consistently manage your distances.

You might be able to pull it off in firmer or wet sand, but you'd be better off still trying to take some sand before hitting the ball to more easily manage your distances.

If you're already able to get out of the bunker on most occasions, you might only need to adjust the length of your back swing to control your distance. I've always found that the problem with trying to take more or less sand to control my distance is that it's HARD to do on a consistent basis. On one occasion you might take too little sand and fly the green, or take too much and stay in the bunker. The bunker is much for forgiving on mishits if you keep doing what you are doing - splashing out that 6-inch circle.

However, it sounds like you're already taking a full swing and still only getting 10 yards. Try this: instead of trying to scoop out that 6-inch circle, try extending the splash more forward down the target line and toward the green. For example, imagine the club entering the sand 2 inches behind the ball and exiting 6 inches in front of the ball.

amazing - based on the video, seems like he's endorsing flipping of the wrists to maintain proper bounce angle, rather than lagging the club head like any other iron shot.    Makes sense when you think about it.

One related question ... in my area - the traps are rarely well maintained & play like concrete (seems the bounce of the wedge is almost a detriment, as it leads to alot of thin hits due to the harder surface).     How do you guys handle bunker shots with hard packed sand ??

Read the post before yours

I'm no master sand player, but I'll share my approach.  With super hard packed sand I basically try to play it like a chip off a super tight lie.  Hands forwards, descending blow, make sure you strike the ball first.  If it's really hard pan and a high lip, then pretty much I at least a screwed, and just trying to hit a more standard sand shot and hoping for a perfect/lucky shot.  I might open my stance up extra and hit the ball coming across it a lot to try to "slice" into the hard packed sand a little bit with the club, instead of just bouncing off it coming in more from behind.

Absolutely. You need the clubhead to pass your hands as it goes through the sand. One way to think about it is the exaggerated motion you would have to make in order to play a high sand shot with a very low lofted club. The classic Seve 3 iron lob.

I think with harder sand especially concrete ones in the summer, It is a little easier if you open the face a little and lead with the handle slightly to make sure the sole digs under the ball. Our bunkers can get seriously hard underneath and thinning is very common

Nice one Spanners. Next step this shot.

I took on thing out of the video in particular to the course today, and that was the "butterfly grip" . When I did that it seemed like my bottom hand was "under" the club a lot more. I found 2 bunkers tonight and just by changing the grip I was surprised at how much easier it was to play out of the sand.

I even got the 2nd one up&down; for birdie on the par 5 last

yay me!

Your right, he is wrong! lol.  Anyways, you compress the ball on the clubface, not the ground.  And you get backspin from hitting down on the ball, causing the ball to roll up the clubface and get backspin from the grooves.

The reason a pitch shot doesnt work in the bunker is because you cannot control distance as well or get the ball up high enough to get control on the bounce and spin.