Finding the sand traps on a golf course is up there with many of the inevitabilities of life, but knowing how to play bunker shots can help to seriously improve your scoring.
Many amateurs struggle with this crucial aspect of the game, and it might be one of the reasons you don't get better at golf, but listening to the best tips can quickly make things better.
In this video and article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Alex Elliott talks us through his top five best bunker tips for golf...
1. Nail The Set Up
A huge part of success from the sand is determined by your setup, and specifically your address position. Opening the clubface should be your first port of call, but you must ensure you do this before taking your grip (the video above demonstrates how to do this).
Take a nice wide stance, similar to the one you might adopt for your driver setup, and position the golf ball around a clubhead inside your lead heel. Shuffling your feet in the sand can also help to create a stable base.
It's important to allow for some knee flexion in the stance, as this will bring your hands lower towards the sand. Place your weight on on your lead foot and commit to the swing.
2. Line Drill
Next, you need to perfect your strike. This is one my favorite drills to practice this element of bunker play, and it's really simple to setup. Draw two lines in the sand, one to represent the ball position and one to represent where the bounce of the wedge will make contact with the sand (see image above).
Place a ball on the front line, and place your club just behind the back line. Start at the opposite side of the line to the ball, and make some practice swings where you are aiming to hit the back line first, then the front line.
As you do these, move towards the ball, as by the time you reach it you will have developed a great feel for how the clubhead should interact with the sand. This will result in a better strike and more consistent results.
3. Strike The Match Drill
Draw on the sand an oversized matchbox, as shown above, and draw a line across the middle. The middle line is what you are looking to strike (the point before the golf ball that we’ve just been working on). This drill is about using the momentum of the clubhead in the swing to create the speed you need. I want you to start by swinging with just your left hand on the club.
Try to hit the line and check that the clubface is pointing back at you, half way into the finish position. Now do the same with just your right hand on the grip. You should get a feel for the weight of the clubhead, striking that match, at the bottom of the arc of the swing. Now place both hands on the club and replicate what you’ve just done.
4. Two-Ball Drill
This drill is quick, easy and effective. Place the first ball on the sand - give yourself a good lie. Now use a second ball to create an indentation in the sand, just behind the first. The aim here is simple - get the club striking the sand at the start of the indentation mark. Crucially, lock your focus in on the start of that indentation - that’s what you should be looking at, not the ball!
5. Loft On Drill
The best bunker tips for golf so far have shown you how to set the foundation, find the strike and create the speed. Now it is time to work out how to keep the loft on the club throughout the swing. Get your wedge and shuffle some sand onto the face. Now make a practice swing but stop at the top. The aim is to keep the sand on the face for longer in the swing - it should only fly off, once you have reached the top. Get it right and the sand will fly over your lead shoulder. Any earlier than this and you’ll be closing the face and losing helpful loft.
My best bunker tips for golf are designed to help you set the basics while making your practice sessions as enjoyable as possible. Give them a go, they should work!
