Golf Hack: Why you should ‘draw’ your bunker shots for better contact

Hitting a bunker shot, for some players, is a scary proposition. It shouldn’t be. Success here means not even having to make contact with the ball. The funny thing? That’s the most prominent mistake weekend players make. Hello, skull.

Catching a bunker shot thin is typically the result of hanging too far back on your right foot while trying to “scoop” the ball into the air. (This can also lead to fat contact, by the way.) Check the photo below.

Notice how most of my weight is over my front foot and that I’m rotating my upper body toward the target. Having your weight forward facilitates the necessary body rotation, and the rotation allows your arms to extend fully, powering the clubhead into the sand behind the ball. While it’s always a good idea to leave the clubface open on bunker shots (to expose the bounce), I like some students to feel as if they’re hitting a draw, smoothly closing the clubface through impact. It works like magic.

If you still can’t get the ball out, adjust your setup. Place 65 percent of your weight on your front foot, set your feet wide apart (outside your shoulders) and play the ball off your center. Then, keeping your swing at three-quarters, leave all that weight over your front foot throughout. That’s how you draw up a perfect bunker shot.

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