Q School - Bunker Play

by Victor Vianzon, Head Professional

Many golfers that come to me for a bunker lesson usually have one thing in common – they have read articles that tell the golfer they are supposed to line up a certain way and have the clubface just so, or they’ve seen another golfer do it a certain way and they try to copy them, and would most often have little success.

When I observe them hitting sand shots, they would quite often show a stance or set-up that is very different from how they would hit a normal shot off grass.

Here are a few tips to help you consistently get out of a bunker:

1)  Use a stance/set-up similar to the one you would normally use when hitting off grass. If you think an open stance and/or open clubface would help, go ahead but only make small changes/adjustments. Remember that most sand wedges are designed so that you don’t need to make big adjustments to hit the ball out of sand.

2)  Always follow-through to ensure acceleration through the shot. The follow-through throws the sand (along with the ball) out of the bunker.

3)  Hit the sand an inch or two behind the ball. Knowing where your club impacts the sand is key as this determines how well your shot comes off. An easy drill to practice impact point is to draw a line on the sand, practice hitting the line (without any balls) and taking the same amount sand each time. The line shows you where your club impacted the sand.

 These few tips will go a long way in helping you hit sand shots consistently.

 “Golf is a game, and games are supposed to be fun!”