By Krista Dunton, PGA
Why are bunker shots so tough for amateurs? What is the most common piece of advice players hear when they are faced with a bunker shot?
The answer is to hit 2-3 inches behind the ball. However, the cause of most of their poor bunker play is because they’re hitting 5-7 inches behind the ball!
Most players are too shallow in their bunker play causing them to hit too far behind the ball. This results in the club swinging upward, causing thin shots or fat shots left in the bunker. Another issue is that the ball position is often too far back, causing the swing path to be too much to the right, resulting in a very shallow impact.
How do we help your students be more consistent and confident out of a bunker?
Create a lot of steep angles in the setup.
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- Hunker in the Bunker – Dig feet in, widen stance and flair the front knee over the front foot to line up the lead shoulder, knee and ankle. This will create the steep angles in the body that the shot requires.
- Lower hands to increase loft and bounce on the club.
- Keep shoulders level or lead shoulder a bit lower to add a steep angle.
- Ensure the ball is positioned middle or slightly forward of center with the hands slightly forward of the ball.
If you struggle to get set up correctly, try this tip of allowing your lead hand to touch your lead knee – this will level out your shoulders, which is great for bunkers and short game.
In a bunker shot the club needs to be swinging downward as it contacts the ball, utilizing the loft and the bounce and allowing the club head to slide under the ball and release under and past the ball towards the player’s lead side.
The low point of the swing should be under the ball not behind the ball. When a player intends to hit 2-3 inches behind the ball, they often set up too far behind the ball, and their club ends up entering the sand too far behind the ball, resulting in the club swinging upward into the ball and not downward.
Here is a fun little drill that you can use to help teach players to hit closer to the ball and have the club still swinging down under and releasing toward their lead side to create the correct impact for a bunker shot. I call it “Blast the Castle.”
Make a small little sand castle and place the ball on top of it. By entering the sand at the correct spot and allowing the club head to release past the ball they will successfully blast the castle and take the ball out with it.
Another great drill for low point and impact location is to draw a line in the sand and practice hitting the line and forward.
One last thought on hitting great bunker shots – it starts with confidence! So when you “hunker in the bunker” and dig your feet in, do it with a little swagger and confidence. Allow the club head to have some speed and execute with confidence.
