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Short-sided bunker shots might seem intimidating—especially on firm, fast Bermuda greens like those at Cabot Citrus Farms—but they’re surprisingly easy to execute when you know the correct setup and swing keys. 

Lucky for you, one of the most trusted short game coaches in the game, GOLF Teacher to Watch David Armitage, shared his easy-to-follow steps for navigating these tricky sand shots.

Follow his six keys for short-sided bunker shots, and start hitting these with more confidence and precision.

1. Widen your stance

Adding width to your stance not only helps you get your base lower to the ground, but it also helps you get the ball up quicker, which is crucial with short-sided sand shots.

2. Weight forward

When hitting short-sided bunker shots, you don’t want a lot of lateral or back-and-forth movement in your swing. Getting your weight forward adds stability to your base and creates a fixed point to rotate around. To get your weight properly forward, use Armitage’s advice and shift your sternum so your midline is over your lead thigh.

3. Open your clubface

Setting the face open in the sand allows you to add loft, launch the ball higher and generate speed, which helps you create spin. 

However, how much you open the clubface depends entirely on the shot at hand. Ask yourself, how high is the lip of the bunker? Where is the hole location? Even knowing if your shot will land downgrain or into the grain can play a factor in how much you open the face. Use your best judgement when dialing in your clubface.

4. Set your hands

“Once I’ve [opened the clubface], that’s when I grip it,” Armitage says. “Don’t make the bad mistake, which is opening the face with your hands already on the club.”

As you place your hands on the grip, keep your grip pressure light. This will reduce tension and help you feel the weight of the club as you swing.

5. Find your ideal entry point and focus on it

Knowing how much sand to take from a short-sided lie in the bunker can be challenging. Take too much and you lose spin, and even risk leaving it in the bunker. But, take too little and your ball goes flying over the green. 

As Armitage demonstrates, for short-sided lies, you want your club to enter the sand an inch or two behind the ball. Then, focus on that spot as you make your swing. 

6. Keep your speed, abbreviate the finish

Because these shots are so close to the hole, it can feel uncomfortable to keep your speed through the finish out of fear of hitting the shot way over the green. But maintaining your speed is actually essential to the short-sided bunker shot since sand-first contact naturally slows the club down.

Instead of slowing down your swing, try shortening your follow-through. Armitage explains that an abbreviated finish is the best way to take distance off your shot. Plus, the shorter follow-through will also increase your spin and, with enough practice, you’ll be able to stop these tricky shots on a dime.

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Handling tricky bunker lies, even those in rake marks and footprints, is hard for a lot of rec players.

My simple advice is to get uncomfortably close to the ball. With a funky lie, snuggle. Then hinge the club straight up in your backswing, which will increase your ability to create a lot of steepness on the way back down to the ball.

Steepness is your best option to get out of most bunker lie predicaments. After you create this steepness, your goal is for the club to enter the sand a few inches behind the ball. That’s critical.

Your follow-through? Not so much — you don’t need to do too much with your swing after the ball gets airborne. Open the clubface at address to match how much green you’ve got to work with. Less green, more loft.

It’s as simple as that.

Parker McLachlin is a GOLF Teacher to Watch and short-game expert. Learn more from McLachlin at shortgamechef.com.

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The post When the ball’s above your feet in the bunker, use these 3 adjustments appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements, learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way.

Being in a bunker is tough. Being in a bunker with a tricky lie is even tougher — but it shouldn’t be as difficult as we often make it.

Around this time last year, I feared bunker shots. I had trouble using the bounce of the club to spray sand during my shot, and never knew if I’d have a solid out on the first attempt or if I’d mishit it and added a painful stroke to my scorecard.

Bunker Shots

I *finally* learned how to escape deep bunkers thanks to this short-game expert

By: Nick Dimengo

Thankfully, I’ve overcome those negative feelings and have started to see much more success when hitting from bunkers. Instead of just guessing on what was going to happen, I now understand the “why” — dialing in my setup, hand positioning and angle of attack.

Still, these types of shots can be daunting — especially when the golf ball is above your feet.

To help build your confidence, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Josh Zander has three simple adjustments to make when the ball is above your feet in the sand. So take a look below at what he suggests, and apply these tips to your next round in order to see the solid shots you’ve always envisioned.

How to hit a golf ball above your feet from the bunker

To see success from the sand, Zander reminds viewers that it doesn’t take wholesale changes — and says these are the three easy adjustments worth using.

Adjustment 1: Aim more to the right

“First of all, anytime the ball’s above your feet, the [club]face points more to the left, so you’re going to want to aim a little bit more to the right,” Zander says.

Adjustment 2: Move the ball back in the stance

“Also, when the ball’s above your feet, your club runs into the ground earlier, so we’re going to want to move the ball a little bit more back in the stance,” he adds.

Adjustment 3: Stay more upright

“The big thing here is trying to get the plane of your swing to match the fact that the ball’s above your feet, so we need a flatter swing,” Zander instructs. “A good way to get the swing flatter is to stay more upright.

“So I’m going to get to the ball with a little bit of knee flex, but I’m not going to get a lot of hip hinge. If my spine is more upright, then the club can swing more around.”

By putting all of this together, you can start to build more confidence and experience much better results anytime the golf ball is above your feet in the bunker.

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This week’s PGA Tour event at PGA West has one of the most daunting bunkers in pro golf. Just left of — and below — the 16th green sits a bunker that looks like you’d need a ladder to climb out of.

The sand sits 18 feet below the putting surface, and any time a player goes into it, they’re hoping to get out of it in just one shot. Hitting it near the stick is merely a bonus.

Pros can make most shots look easy, but hitting out of this famed bunker is anything but. Even with the proper technique, escaping this trap is treacherous.

The secret to escaping a deep bunker

The first — and perhaps most important — step for escaping a deep bunker is club selection. And while you might think you need to use your highest-lofted wedge (often times the 60 degree), PGA Tour pro Adam Hadwin says you should use something with a little bit less loft.

“I’m going to use a 56 degree because I’ve got to get the ball so far out of here,” Hadwin says. “A 60? Yes, the loft gets it up, but I can’t carry it far enough onto the green.”

Bunker Shots

I *finally* learned how to escape deep bunkers thanks to this short-game expert

By: Nick Dimengo

With the sand wedge, you can still get the ball airborne, but you’re also able to get the distance you need to get the ball to the green.

With the proper club selected, remember to get a wide and stable stance. Open the clubface to add as much loft as possible, and lower the handle to give yourself even more loft.

From there, remember your basic bunker tips — full swing, hit behind the ball, accelerate through the shot — and let the club do the work. The ball should shoot up out of the deep bunker, giving you a chance to save your par.

For even more tips on escaping deep bunkers, check out our video with Parker McLachlin — aka The Short Game Chef — below.

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The post This 1 issue is killing your greenside bunker shots, says top teacher appeared first on Golf.

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When you find yourself in a greenside bunker, one outcome that many amateurs fear is overhitting their shot. But when you’re afraid to hit the sand with the right swing speed, you actually risk not making the proper contact to even get out of the bunker.

This is where understanding the proper setup and technique is so important, ensuring that you make solid contact that accomplishes at least one thing: Getting out of the sand.

Bunker Shots

How to control your distance from a greenside bunker

By: Nick Dimengo

So remember to dig your feet in, keep your weight forward, open the clubface, and take the appropriate angle of attack depending on the lie and the depth of the bunker you’re in.

Assuming you have those fundamentals down pat, now all you need to do is swing with the right speed — something that GOLF Top 100 Teacher Trillium Rose explains in the video above.

How to improve your swing speed from a greenside bunker

As mentioned above, what makes a greenside bunker so daunting is that the margin of error is so slim. It’s easy to mishit a shot like this and completely sail the green, but it’s also common to get the leading edge too steep, which will just dig into the ground and cause a chunked shot.

Using the bounce and spraying some sand is the name of the game, and Rose says that this is executed by gauging your swing speed.

“When you’re in a greenside bunker, the issue is swinging fast enough to get out,” says Rose.

So instead of fearing that you’ll hit a greenside bunker shot too hard, Rose says you must adjust your mindset, understanding that this shot requires more speed.

Bunker Shots

I *finally* learned how to escape deep bunkers thanks to this short-game expert

By: Nick Dimengo

“You could be 30 yards or 20 yards away from the flag, but in a good bunker shot, the club’s going to get through the sand and the sand is going to slow the club way down,” she adds. “So you need much more speed than you would if you were in grass.”

Unlike when you’re hitting from grass, the sand will allow your club to glide through it much easier. And since it’s going to slow the clubhead down significantly, Rose suggests increasing your swing speed by about double the distance you actually have.

“Imagine if you’re 30 yards [away], you’ll have to swing like you’re 60 yards away. Splashing the sand is going to slow the club down, so don’t worry about [hitting it too hard], it’ll be perfect.”

With the proper setup and game plan, you can adjust your swing speed accordingly to master these tricky greenside bunker shots. So don’t be afraid to hit the sand with some force in order to spray both it and your ball, out of the trap.

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The post Why Tiger Woods avoids using a 60-degree wedge from the sand appeared first on Golf.

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Bunker play is a challenge for golfers of all abilities. Heck, even pros need to get creative every so often, with deep banks sometimes making it difficult to play aggressive shots.

Whether you’re anxious every time your spikes touch the sand or you’re short-game master, every player can use some more instruction — especially when that advice comes from Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler.

The two TaylorMade staff players recently paired up for a bunker-shot masterclass, breaking down their techniques and swing paths, along with their preferred club choices.

Check out the video below or read on to learn how their tips may help your bunker game thrive.

Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler’s bunker tips

From the jump, Woods asks Scheffler what club he typically uses to hit bunker shots, with the 2022 Masters champ saying he prefers a 60-degree wedge. But when hitting from a longer greenside bunker shot, Scheffler says drop to as low as a 9-iron.

Woods, surprisingly, says he never grew up using a 60-degree.

“I like a 56-degree, myself,” Woods says. “I grew up without a 60-degree, so I’m just used to having that [club]face open on my 56 all the time. I found that, when the sand gets heavier, then my 60 doesn’t work. It just goes too deep [into the sand].”

Using a 60-degree wedge from anywhere on the golf course can be difficult, and it’s interesting to hear Woods agree.

Woods demonstrates his bunker setup with a 56-degree wedge, saying he gets “more squatty” and tries to avoid overswinging.

Instruction

‘They can’t use the damn thing’: Lee Trevino says this tech wrecks high-handicappers  

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“I really do like dropping my right leg back to feel the hook in it,” he says. “I turn through, always. I never used to, but now that my back is fused, it just goes. I can’t stop it.

“On a [bunker shot] like this, I get really wide in my stance, with my hands back.”

After Scheffler hits a bunker shot using Woods’ instruction, the two start discussing how they would approach a tight pin placement from the sand.

Scheffler says he uses a similar setup as Woods.

“Same thing as you, I’ll try to get wide,” he says. “Last year, I tried working on getting further away from [the ball]. For me, it was hard to get my hands lower.”

Short Game

Masters champs Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler give their best short-game tips

By: Nick Dimengo

Scheffler adds: “But, yeah, really far away, handle back, and then just try to throw [the club]. Just use the bottom to try and get underneath it.”

The players continue to talk about their swing approach while hitting from bunkers, with Woods saying he gets in trouble when he drags his hands.

“I get going bad when I just start dragging it, and I don’t have any release to it” Woods says. “So, me practicing the release in a draw motion gets me into feeling like the club is being let go. I hit bad bunker shots when I drag my hands, and I just dig [the club] into the ground.”

So if you’re a player who struggles hitting bunker shots, remember that even players of Woods’ caliber can’t always hit them perfectly.

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Ask 100 amateur players what they fear most on the golf course, and a high percentage will probably say it’s hitting from a greenside bunker. Finding success from the sand requires a lot of factors.

It’s knowing which club to use (or that you trust the most). It’s understanding how to set up the right way. It’s having the ability to hit in front of the ball to, not only get your shot out, but to put it on the green.

Mastering the above techniques requires a lot of practice and patience; but, alas, it can be accomplished.

To help players better control their distance from a greenside bunker, Grayson Zacker — the director of instruction at Jim McLean Golf Schools — offers up some tips.

Zacker says that many of his students struggle hitting from greenside bunkers, but he reminds them that the shot doesn’t need to be as hard as they envision it.

“Depending on your skill level, the first goal is to learn how to get out of the sand and onto the green,” says Zacker. “You will want to perfect the standard bunker shot of about 10-20 yards since most greenside bunker shots fall into this category. Once you are reasonably proficient at that, you will want to learn how to hit it a little bit shorter or a little bit longer.”

To see Zacker’s tips on controlling your distance from a greenside bunker, scroll below.

1. Don’t be afraid to use different clubs

Zacker reminds players that just because you’re playing from the bunker, doesn’t mean you only need to use your sand wedge — and offers some alternative options.

“You can use a lob wedge for shorter bunker shots, and a gap wedge, pitching wedge, or even a 9-iron for long bunker shots. The loft of the club plays a major role in the height and distance of the shot, even in the sand.

“[If you do use a sand wedge], make sure you do everything the exact same as you do with your standard shot. If you open the face slightly with a 9-iron, take a three-quarter swing, hitting three inches behind the ball. You should expect a 30-50 yard bunker shot. However, if you do the same with a lob wedge, it will just go 5-10 yards.”

2. Don’t change the amount of sand you are taking

Zacker says that it’s risky when amateurs try to control the amount of sand they take during a shot.

“If you hit further behind the ball, it will go shorter. And closer to the ball will go farther — but it’s too risky and hard to control. Instead, I recommend striving for a consistent divot that is about half-deep and starts about three inches behind the ball.

“If you accidentally hit a little closer to the ball, it will fly a bit farther but will have more spin and stop. If you hit a little more behind it, it will come out shorter with less spin; and have more roll, traveling with a similar total distance.”

3. Practice at different speeds

Understanding your swing speed is a crucial part of seeing success from a greenside bunker. Zacker shares his method to help control his swing from the sand.

“I use a three-quarter speed swing for my standard bunker shot of 10-20 yards. The length of my backswing and follow-through is about three-quarter as well. For a longer shot, you can take a full swing at maybe 90 percent speed. For the short shot, you can swing slower, maybe 60 percent.

“It’s important that you still take a three-quarter backswing even for a short shot — because a short, low backswing doesn’t work in the sand.”

4. Think about how far you want the sand to go

Finally, Zacker reminds players to engage with the sand on their shot and not the ball. When the latter happens, it’s not only going to often produce a bad shot, but it won’t allow for any speed control.

“In the greenside bunker, the clubhead never makes contact with the golf ball. The club hits the sand, and there is a pillow of sand between the club and the ball, dampening the energy transfer. By thinking about how far the sand will go, you can tailor the speed of your swing to throw the sand at different distances — thus making your ball go shorter or farther.”

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I hate calling out beginner golfers — especially when everyone’s just trying to have fun on the golf course — but it’s important for new players to understand some basic rules. One of the most crucial? Bunker rules.

Let me break down a recent scenario.

Just the other day, I was playing a round with my friend. Great guy, new golfer, really eager to learn the game. Unfortunately, he still lacks basic rules knowledge.

Rules

Rules Guy: What do you do when a bunker rake is holding your ball in place?

By: Rules Guy

So when he was standing in a fairway bunker and hitting sand with each practice swing, I cringed. I knew he should be penalized two strokes for each swipe, but instead, I turned the other cheek, ignored his breaches and allowed him to get comfortable before hitting his shot.

I didn’t want to stress him out or clutter his mind with rules, but the problem with me ignoring the issue is that he’ll continue to make the same mistake until someone does school him. And I’d really hate for that to happen when one day he finds himself in a pivotal moment in a big match.

So take heed, newbie golfers! Here’s what you need to know when playing from the sand:

Understanding proper bunker rules

If you’re more of a visual learner, I’d recommend you check out this recently released United States Golf Association (USGA) video that explains bunker dos and don’ts. If you prefer words, keep scrolling and you’ll soon do away with any of the confusion or awkwardness that I encountered this past weekend.

What is a bunker?

As the USGA’s video explains, bunkers are “prepared areas of sand with a few special restrictions that serve to maintain the challenge of playing from them.” While they don’t act as a hazard like water does — where a player gets penalized for going in and taking out their ball — they do present an obstacle, and can make a course more difficult. But you will not be penalized for hitting into one.

Bunker rule No. 1: No touching the sand

When your ball’s in a bunker, it’s important to remember not to touch the sand with your hand before your shot. Some players do this to test the condition of the sand, wipe away footprints from previous players or to find an easier spot from which to play from (which is a whole new category of broken rules).

Bunker rule No. 2: Do not touch the sand with a club before your shot

This is what my friend was doing the other day — hitting the sand with each practice swing. This is a no-no. Players must avoid making any contact between their club and the sand before hitting a shot.

The only time it’s OK to touch the sand before a shot is when you’re not testing the condition — i.e., if you’re using a club as support to enter a bunker.

Bunker rule No. 3: It’s OK to move loose impediments and movable obstructions

If there’s a leaf up against your ball, go ahead and remove it — so long as your ball doesn’t move. Similarly, it’s OK to clear out pebbles, twigs, leaves, etc., from the area around your ball before setting up for a shot. Just be careful not to touch the sand or move your ball at all.

Bunker rule No. 4: Rake up your tracks

As a former “bunker bum” during my days working on the maintenance crew at several courses, it always irks me when a player exits a bunker without tidying up. Sure, we’re all frustrated from being in the sand, but it’s proper etiquette to help maintain the course for other players. This means raking your footprints and any divot you made from your bunker shot.

While there are plenty of other things golfers need to remember when playing from the sand, these basic bunker rules are a good start for playing the game the right way.

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The post This is the key to hitting a high, soft bunker shot, according to a Top 100 Teacher appeared first on Golf.

The post This is the key to hitting a high, soft bunker shot, according to a Top 100 Teacher appeared first on Golf.

There are a few shots out there that, when executed properly, make you feel like a real player. The high, soft shot from the sand is one.

Becoming a proficient bunker player can pay huge dividends in your game. Once you master the sand, bunkers go from being potential scorecard disasters to scoring opportunities — and a chance to show of your impressive skills to your playing partners.

My relationship with bunkers has been a volatile one. I’ve gone through long periods where just getting out has been difficult, let alone getting it close to the hole. That’s why, when I had the opportunity to talk to Top 100 Teacher Jeff Smith at GOLF’s recent Top 100 Teacher Summit at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz., bunker tips were among the first topics on my mind.

How to hit a high, soft bunker shot

“The first thing we need is understanding that we have to have a mini explosion of sand right under the golf ball,” Smith began. “So the easiest way to get that is to move the ball more forward — about underneath your front hip joint — and you need the club to move in a steep fashion up and down so that the bottom of the arc of your normal, natural golf swing will be right below that golf ball.”

Bunker Shots

Think of these 3 things to hit a perfect bunker shot every time

By: David Armitage, GOLF Teacher to Watch

That’s the biggest key right there, according to Smith. If you can position your club correctly at impact, the club’s loft will do the rest.

“All the sudden, all that mass of the club is dead below the center mass of the ball and launches it straight up into the air,” Smith said. “You’ve already got plenty of loft if you’re using a sand wedge or a lob wedge, so you don’t need to open it up that much. You can if the sand is a little soft. But if it’s a little firm you don’t need to.”

Smith says you can even use a pitching wedge with this technique.

“It’ll still come out soft and high,” he said. “But it will still have some roll too.”

I can’t wait to give it a try in my next round. For more tips from Smith, click here.

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Stability is the key to a successful escape from the fairway bunkers. GOLF Magazine Teacher to Watch Derek Swoboda shows us a simple setup trick that will have you making more consistent ball-first contact.

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