Greenside Bunker Shot Instruction (A How-To GUIDE for Beginners)

Do you dread ending up in the bunker?

What about when your shot looked like it was headed towards the center of the green? I feel you.

But fear no more! This instructional golf article will help you get over your fear and teach you how to hit consistent greenside bunker shots time after time.

All Greenside Bunker Shots Are NOT Created Equal

One of the first things to understand is WHICH sand trap you wind up in DOES make a difference.

Pros and professional golf announcers talk about golfers “short-siding themselves” whenever they wind up in the bunker to which the flag is closest.

What this means is that there is not a lot of green between their ball, which is in the sand trap, and the pin. Since it is difficult to put enough spin on a golf ball when hitting from sand, it is difficult to stop the ball quickly.

The less green there is between your ball and the pin, the more likely your greenside bunker shot is going to roll well beyond the hole (making for a difficult putt on your next shot).

Pros understand that when hitting from a greenside bunker the more green between their ball and the flag the better. This is because they can allow for the inevitable roll once their ball lands on the green. This extra distance will allow the golf ball to decelerate and they don’t need to worry about relying on spin for stopping their ball as quickly.

Now that you have some background, please spend a few minutes watching this excellent video below from Chris Ryan at ChrisRyanGolf.com for an awesome lesson on everything the beginning golfer needs to do when hitting out of a greenside bunker.

How to Play a Greenside Bunker Shot (Video)

Now that you’ve watched this golf training video, let’s talk about some of the important points Chris Ryan demonstrates.

Two of the most important things to consider when preparing for your next sand shot are:

1. Choose the right club
2. Focus on your set-up and stance (even more than your swing!)

Choosing the Right Club For Your Greenside Bunker Shot

In the video, Chris advises to use a wedge with, roughly, a 54 – 58 degree loft and medium amount of bounce. He says NOT to use a wedge with too much loft, but doesn’t recommend a specific club or brand.

If you don’t have a Sand Wedge or you are looking to buy one of the newer golf wedges (several of which fit with the recommendations Chris provides in the video), please take a moment to read my article on The 6 Best Wedges for High Handicappers.

In that article, you will find specific club recommendations for all different types of wedge play, including sand wedges for bunker shots, chipping wedges and lob wedges for shots from just off the green, and pitching wedges for approach shots.

Set-Up and Stance For Hitting Consistent Greenside Bunker Shots

After you’ve watched the video, you’ll notice that the instructor spends most of the time discussing the set-up and stance. These are the most important aspects of greenside bunker play.

The Correct Set-Up and Stance

Start your set-up by holding the golf club directly out in front of your body, but don’t secure your grip on the club yet.

Now, rotate the club face open to about a forty-five degree angle as shown in image number 2.

Once comfortable with how open you have your club, then and only then, secure your grip on the club.

As for your stance. start with your feet a little more than shoulder-length apart. Align the ball with the rear feel of your leading foot. For a typical right-handed golfer, this will be the heel of your left foot.

Flare your lead (left) foot outward slightly and move your weight forward by shifting your hips forward (not leaning). In the video, Chris describes this as ‘squeezing’ his left knee forward slightly.

Align your torso directly over the ball and as you bring the club down behind the ball, make sure that your hands are centered. The key takeaway is that you shouldn’t have your hands too far forward when hitting these shots.

Balance is Key

So, at this point you should have the clubface of your sand wedge open about 45 degrees, which may be more than you are accustomed to. The ball should be aligned with the heel of your left foot if you are a right-handed golfer. And your left foot will be flared slightly outward.

You’ll have your weight slightly forward (without leaning) and your hands centered with your body and your torso directly over the ball.

While maintaining your balance, lower the handle of the club slightly so that it is not so upright and move your body into more of a seated posture.

The Swing

In the instructional golf video above, Chris Ryan demonstrates an optimal swing. His backswing is only a little past horizontal and he says that it is especially important to accelerate the club throughout the downswing.

Aim to make contact with the sand about 3-4″ behind the golf ball and swing through the sand and ball so that you extend your lead (left) wrist through the shot.

Your golf club should finish in a position so that the face or loft of the club points back to you. In these types of shorter-distance bunker shots you do not want to rotate the club through the ball. Simply swing back-and-through and extend your lead wrist.

The club shaft will finish roughly past mid-way through your follow-through. Some players have been taught to try to have the shaft finish parallel to the ground (i.e. in a horizontal position). This may lead to trying to stop the club and this deceleration may lead to an errant shot.

Always accelerate the club through the shot and make sure the face stays open through contact with the sand and the golf ball.

Conclusion

There a a couple key points when hitting a successful greenside bunker shot. These are demonstrated exceptionally well in the golf video above.

First, select a sand wedge without too much loft (54 – 58 degrees of loft is ideal).

Make sure that the clubface is open to about 45 degrees (which may be more open that you are used to) BEFORE securing your normal grip on the club.

Second, spend more time than you think you need to make sure that your set-up is correct. According to the instructor in the video, this will GREATLY improve your chances of hitting a successful sand shot. Follow the advice above to get your set-up right and everything else should follow nicely.

I certainly hope that you enjoyed this golf tutorial on greenside bunker shot instruction and that the next time you wind up in the sand – even though you thought your shot was headed towards the center of the green – you will not feel as intimidated as you may have felt before reading this article!

Happy Golfing!