How to Clear a Bunker like a Pro - Denis Pugh

Sand Play

To be a good bunker player you have to learn to be fairly aggressive. And at the same time you have to have a clear understanding of the type of impact that you are trying to achieve with the sand. My advice on these regular greenside trap shots is to hit a lot further behind the ball than you have probably ever been told to do – but at the same time take a long shallow cut.

Typically, a lot of golfers struggle in this situation because (1) they aim to strike the sand far too close to the ball, and (2) they hit down too steeply – the inevitable result being they take too much sand from directly underneath the ball, rather than from either side. Without the consistency of a shallow ‘divot', there is no real control over the flight (if there is one).

The big feeling that can help you to overcome this problem is to hit the shot ‘fat-thin', and with a fairly stiff-wristed swing. Once you are set up to the shot you simply follow an orthodox in-tosquare- to-in path (i.e. swing along the line of your body). Trust it, and the ball will come out with a softer flight and less spin when it lands (so it runs like a chip). Like a pro, you are using ‘bounce' and creating much shallower impact.