Beat bunker shots forever with this step-by-step guide.
Image via YouTube/Titleist
Being in a bunker is not fun.
But living in a basement where you can’t adapt to sandy conditions? That’s even worse.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into a greenside bunker and realized that my ball isn’t resting on the green lie but on hard, hard-packed sand. It may not sound like a big difference, but, like any other lie on the golf course, you need to make adjustments for this type of shot.
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Unfortunately, not many novices know what to do when they encounter this situation.
Instead of just hitting the ball and hoping it will come out, check out the tips in the video below from GOLF Top 100 by Instructor James Sieckmann (courtesy of Titleist’s YouTube channel). Before you know it, you’ll be a bunker whiz, and you’ll no longer let the sand situation get the best (or worst) of you.
Hard sand vs. soft sand – How to beat one from the other
A way out of the hard sand
“From full (and firm) sand, I’m definitely going to have to use my lob wedge,” Sieckmann said.
Why his L-wedge? Because the ball will come out quickly.
“The ball will come out quickly, and I need to get the club completely under the ball,” he said.
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Sieckmann then describes the setup.
“I will put a lot of pressure on myself [lead leg]use narrower, steeper and steeper [angle of attack],” said Sieckmann. “Maybe I’ll shave the face a little so it doesn’t roll too much.” Then I just need to slow down the swing.”
After hitting a low, spinny bunker shot, he explains why a supertoic is so important when playing outside of hard sand.
He says: “If I’m shallow or I choose the wrong team, I won’t get the result I want. “So it’s okay to change clubs and adjust your setup and swing to get the right angle of attack to hit the sand the right way to match the lie.”
How to hit soft sand
“In general [fluffy] sand conditions, I’ll rely on the quad [on the lead leg] and I really let the clubhead go,” said Sieckmann. “But I don’t want to dig [the club]so I might give up my sand wedge instead of my lob wedge.”
Sieckmann then explains his decision to go with less loft, and how it will help produce a higher, softer shot.
“When I’m in the clubs, it can reach 54 degrees,” he said. “There’s a higher bounce and a lower floor, which should help the ball move forward, and the club should slide into the sand and dig a lot.”
Next, he talks about how to set up a bunker shot when hitting soft sand.
“I use my 54, I’m still going to play an open face, maybe aim a little to the left, and use a nice wide swing,” he instructs.
So the next time you find yourself in a basement, use Sieckmann’s tips to adapt your turns based on false conditions. You can stick it next to a pin.
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