Henrik Stenson names the ‘poor’ mistake amateurs make when setting up to hit a greenside bunker shot

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Bunker shots, for some amateurs, can derail a round. Taking two or three attempts to get out of the sand makes it extremely hard to shave shots off a score.

Yet, in the professional scene, the world’s best players view bunker shots as an opportunity to make birdie rather than merely scrambling for par. Currently, the PGA Tour leaders for sand saves in 2025 are saving par around 80% of the time. ‘Think small, miss small’ is undoubtedly the mantra.

Of course, players at the top level are more skilled when playing in the sand, yet there are still some aspects amateur golfers could emulate when taking to the course.

Tony Finau believes lowering the handle of the club is crucial when looking to scramble from a greenside bunker, and LIV Golf star Henrik Stenson believes many amateurs have the ball way too far back in their stance.

Henrik Stenson’s bunker shot tip

“One of the main things I see when I play pro-ams with amateurs is a poor set-up,” Stenson said in a recent YouTube video.

“Way too many of you have the ball back in your stance and have a square club face. The sand iron with the bounce is designed to bounce through the sand and help you. If you do like this, you are going to have the leading edge dig into the sand, and you won’t get a splash.

“You get a deep divot and the ball going nowhere. You’ve got to be much more willing to put the ball on your left foot and the shaft angle much more towards you, and then with an open face, exposing the bounce more, you’ve got to let the club pass underneath and the sand. If you do it correctly, I can even do it with one hand.”

Henrik Stenson’s LIV Golf scrambling stats

Stenson was statistically the best driver in the world last year. However, the same cannot be said about his short game.

Stenson ranked 27th for scrambling on LIV last year and got up and down 122 times out of 203 with a save rate of 60%.

Stenson’s former Ryder Cup teammate Sergio Garcia was LIV’s gold standard around the greens last season. The Spaniard racked up an impressive 73% scramble rate last season.

Ian Poulter, part of the Majesticks’quartet alongside Stenson, was 25th around the greens in 2024.