Tips for better bunker play

PGA Teaching Professional, Matt Austin

Matt Austin is a AAA PGA Teaching Professional at Long Island Country Club in Frankston, Vic.
For lesson bookings please phone (03) 9786 5294 or email maustin@pgamember.org.au

The most common complaint I hear from students is “I can’t get out of bunkers”. More often than not I find that they have a poor concept of how a successful bunker shot should be played or may have taken small pieces of advice from numerous sources which has caused mass confusion. Terms such as “explosion” and “cock your wrists” are the main culprits. Also, incorrect equipment or a limited understanding of how the sand iron should be used can contribute to this state of confusion.

The first thing I like to investigate is the equipment. Too many people are using a very lofted wedge with little bounce as their bunker club. This can be useful out of some lies but generally for the average golfer this style of club will tend to dig into the sand making it difficult to get the ball out. I much prefer to see a more standard loft of 54° - 56° with a medium bounce of 8° - 12° as a bunker club. This will often be determined by the type of sand you play out of at your home course.

The second, and I feel most important fundamental is setup. Poor setup positions make it very difficult to achieve consistent results with any golf shot but these errors can be highlighted in bunkers. Too many people fall into the trap of trying to add loft at address by excessively opening the clubface and their stance or moving their ball position too far forward in relation to their feet. This forces the golf club to swing drastically across the intended line and results in only a glancing blow to the ball which can also lead to inconsistent contact. It also compels the golfer to generate a great deal of clubhead speed to get the ball out of the bunker.

I prefer to start with a square and neutral setup and use the golf club they way it was designed. The ball position should be slightly forward of middle (approx 1 golf ball width) and 55% of weight favouring the left side for right handed golfers. This should position the centre of the body, or the bottom of the swing arc, marginally behind the ball to assist in making consistent contact with the sand at the same point in the swing. Allow the shaft to remain vertical at address to maintain the correct loft.

The swing from here is very similar to a pitch shot from grass. Too often I see an over – cocking of the wrists during the takeaway in an attempt to steepen the plane on the backswing. This will swing the club more steeply but it will also create far too much power for a standard bunker shot and will usually result in a deceleration into impact and a poor result. Also, over – cocking will often cause the wrists to hinge during the backswing which closes the clubface and changes the dynamic loft making distance control very difficult.

I much prefer to see a swing that relies on flexion from the elbows to swing the club up and down on the correct plane. The wrists stay fairly quiet and relaxed enabling the golfer to swing more aggressively without imparting too much power onto the ball. This combined with a consistent posture and correct body turn will encourage the club to enter the sand with the correct speed and maintain it to a full, balanced follow through.

The key to being able to control distance from a square and neutral setup is maintaining the static loft we started with at address throughout the swing. Resisting cocking, hinging or rotation of the wrists will allow you to swing through with confidence knowing the golf ball won’t travel too far. After some practise you should become very accurate with your ball flight, spin, distance and direction control. Once you have mastered the square and neutral method, then you can start to add variables such as opening and closing the clubface or stance.