Ping trying to make getting out of the sand easier with the new BunkR

Perhaps the hardest shot for beginners is the bunker shot, the only shot in golf where we’re taught to hit something other than the ball first.

But just like they did with the ChipR for chip shots, Ping is releasing the new BunkR club to help players get out of the sand more easily.

What is it:

Unlike the Ping ChipR, the BunkR is not necessarily a whole new type of club, but rather a much more extreme version of a lob wedge.

The BunkR features Ping’s classic Eye2 wedge shape, one of the more forgiving wedges of all time, along with full-face MicroMax wedge grooves. The sole is super wide to add to the forgiveness factor and features 14.5 degrees of effective bounce.

Lastly, standard loft on the BunkR is 64 degrees, which is normally a loft we would caution all but only the most precise short-game artists in the world from using. But as the BunkR is specifically designed for sand shots, the added loft works perfectly to allow golfers to hit bunker shots from a square-faced position.

Why it’s cool

With the BunkR, Ping designed it so instead of taking a classic open stance (or closed in more modern practices), wrenching the face open and taking a more vertical swing, golfers can use a regular chipping motion to simply pop the ball out of the bunker using the extreme bounce and loft of the BunkR.

Who’s it for

The target market for the BunkR wedges is geared toward beginning and novice golfers before they learn proper sand-shot techniques. But it could also be useful to more experienced golfers who have simply struggled out of the sand or play in very soft sand conditions where a high bounce wedge like the BunkR might excel.

Specs, price and availability

The Ping BunkR wedge is available for pre-order starting today and will arrive at retail on March 27.

The BunkR will cost $195 and come stock with at 35″ long with a Dylawedge grip that is longer than typical to encourage players to grip up to hit certain shots.

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