Many amateur golfers are scared stiff when they realize they will be playing their next shot from a greenside bunker.
However, the truth of the matter is that bunker shots should be one of the easiest in the game because, essentially, you do not have to hit them perfectly.
Remember, when hitting bunker shots, we’re not actually trying to make contact with the ball. We hit down into the sand and then the sand lifts the golf ball out of the trap.
There are plenty of useful golf tips out there pertaining to improved bunker play.
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However, some of the advice given by PGA Tour pros is simply too complicated. Here at The Golfing Gazette, we will try to simplify matters for you…
* Antony Martin is a former professional golfer who competed on the mini-tours in America. He got down to a plus four handicap before turning pro and represented his country at Schoolboy level in 2002 and 2003.
The best bunker tip for mid-high handicap golfers
The problem with the majority of online golf tips I see is that they fail to acknowledge that golf does not follow a one-size-fits-all policy.
Certain tips should be tailored for better players and slightly altered for higher handicappers.
Bunker play is the perfect example of one part of the game where different advice is needed for single-digit players and high-handicap golfers.
While low-handicap players will get their greenside bunker shots inside six feet around a third of the time, 20-handicappers only manage that on 8% of their shots.
They also miss the green 42% of the time.
So the key to improving scores for higher handicap players is finding a way for them to minimize the trouble they cause for themselves from the sand.
There is no need to try and hit your greenside bunker shots within tap-in range. It’s just not going to happen on a consistent basis.
However, what you can do is limit your mistakes, and turn double bogeys or even triple bogeys into solitary dropped shots.
Your main priority should be getting your ball out of the sand and onto the green.
As mentioned earlier, 20-handicap golfers miss the green 42% of the time when hitting out of a greenside bunker.
However, they only leave their ball in the sand 8% of the time. That proves that higher handicap golfers are getting too greedy by chasing the perfect contact.
A thin strike is more common than a chunk, and the stats prove that (case study Shot Scope).
New technique required for better bunker play
If you’re struggling out of greenside bunkers, you need to focus on hitting down into the sand aggressively.
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Ideally you will make contact with the sand around 1.5 inches behind your ball.
Your ball should be positioned slightly forward in your stance with the majority of your weight on your lead side.
This will encourage you to hit down into the sand. The most common mistake I see amateur golfers make out of bunkers is when they lean back to try and ‘lift’ the ball out.
This is where big numbers come into play because they either knife their ball through the back of the green or leave it in the sand.
If you hit down with speed and trust the loft on your club, your ball should pop out higher with a little spin as well.
However, I’m not trying to get you striking the ball perfectly – you don’t need to out of the sand.
If you hit down into the sand, while maintaining the loft on your clubface, and hit around 1.5 inches behind the ball, I can almost guarantee you will be putting on your next shot eight or nine times out of 10.
Adjustments obviously need to be made if the sand is firmer or fluffy. The harder the sand, the steeper your angle of attack needs to be and vice versa.
Try the tips laid out above and let us know if your bunker play improves!
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