How Do I Set-Up For A Bunker Shot??

Bunker shots can appear to be one of the hardest shots in golf as a beginner. However, once you understand the set-up differences, it becomes like any other shot. I would though, before placing a lot of practice time in the bunkers, ensure your basic swing is reasonably competent. This is why when receiving lessons, the coach will tend to save hitting bunker shots after the student has had a few lessons. The reason being is that when adding the sand element, you want to make sure that the angles in your golf swing are sufficient in order for the ball to have enough loft to exit the bunker.

Now the overall routine is that you first want to grip the club in your right hand (opposite for a left hander) and then set the clubface angle to where you want to direct the ball. The second step will feel quite strange as I now want you to direct the clubface 45 degrees right of this position. Now due to the clubface pointing 45 degrees right, I now want you to direct your feet line 45 degrees to the left. After you set both of these positions, I want you then to grip the club.

Also, during this process, it's important to know that for bunker shots, you have to keep the clubface above the ground in the set-up. You're only allowed to strike the sand during impact. The next step is having the ball position just forward of centre. You also want to have the width of your stance to be slightly wider than shoulder width. The reason being is that you'll need greater balance as you'll being swinging longer due to needing to contact the sand as well using a lofted club such as a Sand Wedge.

Now the next element just requires you to strike the sand behind the ball. You want to aim to strike the sand around one inch behind the ball. If it's your first time trying to get out of the bunker, just try keeping your normal swing with the above set-up fundamentals and obviously striking the sand first behind the ball. A couple of handy swing thoughts though would be to practice swinging to shoulder height on the backswing and to shoulder height on the follow through. Over time you then want to create an 'L' shape between your left arm and shaft at the top of your swing. This just means you need to hinge your wrists on the backswing while keeping the left arm reasonably straight.

If you need any further help in playing bunker shots, just contact myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.