BUNKER FUNDAMENTALS

PurePoint Golf Bunker Fundamentals

Part OneAddress Position

Part TwoThe Backswing: The Arm Swing

Part ThreeThe Top of the Backswing: Arriving at the Top

Part FourThe First Move from the Top: How to Start the Golf Club Down

Part FiveImpact: Layer of Sand, and Then the Golf Ball

Part SixFinish: From Impact to Finish and All of the Moves In Between

Part SevenThree Different Distances: Clubface Square, Five Degrees, and Ten Degrees

Part EightSand Firmness

Part NineTypes of Lies

1

6

7

8

9

11

12

14

15

Part OneAddress Position The Grip

Gripping the golf club in the bunker is no different than gripping any other club for any other shot. When you are attempting to hit a bunker shot, you do not want to alter your grip. You can use the same grip you use to hit all of your full swings, since the swing you will use in the bunker is going to be very similar to the full swing you would use for a regular shot.

It is very important to make sure you do not grip the club any tighter than you would for your normal full swing shots. Even if the ball is buried, you do not want to grip the club tighter.

The grip is important to getting the golf ball out of the bunker, and it helps control the distance your shot travels. Depending on the distance you are looking for, the clubface has to return to the sand either square or open. I am going to explain in a later chapter how you are supposed to make this hap-pen.

The Feet

When you address the golf ball in the bunker, the golf ball should be forward in your stance, across from your left heel.

Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, and your toes should be lined up parallel to your flight line. In other words, you want your toe line and the golf ball line to be parallel.

If you aim your feet too far left of your target and you do not pay attention, you will wind up with the golf ball across from your right foot instead of your left foot. The more you turn your feet to the left of the target, the farther the ball creeps back in your stance.

1

Ball Forward in Stance, Across from Left Heel

Once you have the ball positioned correctly in your stance, move your weight to the balls of your feet and shift 75% of your weight to your left side. If you have struggled lately with your bunker shots, there is pretty good chance you might be aiming your feet too far to the left of your target.

Be very careful not to bury your feet in the bunker as you address the golf ball. You need to get a firm grip of the sand with the soles of your shoes, however, you do not have to wiggle your feet back and forth until you are up to your knees in sand. The deeper you bury your feet, the lower your body be-comes in relation to the golf ball. If you bury your feet too much, you will hit behind the golf ball.

With your feet shoulder-width apart, the ball positioned across from your left heel, and 75% of your weight on your left side, you are ready to check your knee position.

The Knees

The position of the knees is important to a successful bunker shot. Once you have your feet positioned in the bunker, make sure your knees are slightly flexed. They should remain slightly flexed during the entire swing.

So many amateurs struggle with their knee action in the bunker. They mistakenly believe they can put more into the shot with their knees moving up and down. Playing shots from the bunker is difficult enough without any up and down movement in the knees during the shot. I am going to show you how to hit consistent bunker shots without moving your knees up and down.

One of the most important things you have to remember to become a consistent bunker player is to make sure your lower half stays as quiet as possible. In other words, your knees have to have a slight, but consistent, flex in them at address, in the backswing, in the downswing, and during impact. They should not move up or down at any point during the swing.

At address, both knees have to point straight over the top of the golf ball.

2

Both Knees Pointing Straight at Address

They cannot move more than a few inches during the backswing. With the full swing for a regular shot, the left knee has a tendency to move toward the right knee a few inches. During the bunker swing, the left knee should only move an inch or two at most toward the right knee.

During the backswing, the upper body is moving and you are restricting the movement of the lower body. A bunker shot does not need the power of the legs, and that in itself is why the knees do not have to move during the backswing.

During the downswing, you have to make sure you swing the golf club back into the sand, and again, you do not need any leg action during this part of the swing.

After the clubhead enters the sand, you will need the power of the legs so you can make sure the clubhead comes out of the sand and help propel the golf ball out of the bunker. The left knee begins to move parallel to the target line after the clubhead enters the sand. As this happens, the right foot will begin to release, and the right knee will start turning toward the left knee. If the legs are driving down the line parallel to the target, the clubhead has to continue past the golf ball.

On the other hand, if the clubhead reaches the bottom of the arc under the golf ball and your legs are not moving, you will have a tendency to leave the ball in the bunker. The reason is simple. You are swinging the golf club up in the backswing and down in the downswing, and the sand is softer than the turf in the fairway. If you swing the clubhead down into the sand without leg action, the club will continue to swing down deeper into the sand.

Moving up the body, lets talk about the hips and what they are supposed to do in the bunker swing.

The Hips

When you address a bunker shot, you have to be bent over slightly from the hips. To feel the correct position of the hips, place your index fingers on your hip bone and push back slightly. Not having the hips in the correct position at address can lead to bad bunker shots.

If you are bent over too much at the hips, you will have a tendency to hit fat bunker shots.If you are too tall in the hips, you will never find the sand in the downswing and you will hit it thin or top it.

Also at address, the toes, knees, hips, and shoulders have to be set up parallel to the intended line you want the golf ball to travel on.

When you swing the golf club up in the backswing, the hips have to stay as quiet as possible. You do not have to turn the hips when the golf club swings back. However, when the clubhead begins to enter the sand, the left hip has to move an inch or two toward the target, and then it has to turn back out of the way.

3

As the clubhead enters the sand, the left knee is moving and the left hip has to follow. The reason the hip has to move is to help the clubhead come out of the sand. If the left hip gets stuck in the down-swing, the arms are not strong enough to move the clubhead through the sand on their own.

The timing of the left hip movement is crucial. If the left hip moves down the line too soon in the downswing, the sand wedge will not reach the bottom of the arc, and you will top or scull the golf ball. If the left hip never moves in the downswing, the golf club will swing too steeply and run into too much sand, and you will leave the clubhead and the golf ball in the sand.

The Shoulders

The shoulders can be the death of becoming a good bunker player. There are two key aspects of shoul-der position in a bunker shot.

The shoulders have to be square to your feet, knees, and hips. The shoulders have to be back, not hunched over.

The sole purpose of the shoulders lining up correctly is for the arms and golf club to swing along this line in the backswing. In a later chapter, I will explain the backswing to you, and all of this will come together.

In the meantime, I want you to focus on the role the shoulders play in the bunker swing. The golf club has to swing up and down on a steep angle. What that means is the arms and golf club have to swing along the shoulder line. When you swing the golf club up away from the golf ball, the shoulders can-not turn in the backswing.

When you swing the golf club back in the full swing, the shoulders have to turn. In the bunker swing, the shoulders do not have to turn. As a matter of a fact, they should not turn, they should tilt up slight-ly in the backswing.

4

Shoulders Tilt Up in the Backswing

If the shoulders turn in the backswing, the golf club will swing too much inside. If the golf club swings too much inside in the backswing, the golf club will return too shallow in the downswing. This is a very difficult part of the bunker swing; I have always believed that proper shoulder movement is the secret to becoming a great bunker player.

This is the best way to describe what you are trying to do in the bunker. When you tee off, you are trying to propel the ball out and down the fairway. For most shots in golf, you are trying to propel the ball a long way. In the bunker, you are trying to propel the golf ball up, not out. The swing path for a full swing is such a shape that it sends a ball out, and the bunker swing will send the ball up.

The Chin

For amateur golfers, the position of the chin when addressing a bunker shot can be just as confusing as the position of the knees. Most amateurs have their chin so far down in their chest at address that I cant tell if they are trying to hit the ball or count the grains of sand surrounding their golf ball.

Amateurs think that if they start with their chin down, this will make them stay down or concentrate more. Unfortunately, during the downswing, they lift up the chin to give themselves room to swing the clubhead into the sand.

This chin movement is very difficult to time properly. If you keep your chin down, you hit the sand on too steep of an angle, and if you lift up, you will top the golf ball. The best way to find out where your chin should be is to make some practice swings in the bunker without a golf ball. You wont be intimidated because you dont have to actually hit a shot, and you will make smoother swings. After you make a swing, you can analyze the sand to see if you swung steeply enough .

If you keep your chin up in the bunker, you will have a better chance at improving than if you stick it down into your chest.

5

Part TwoThe BackswingThe Arm Swing

The swing you make in the bunker is very different from the swing you make with all of your other golf clubs. The bunker swing is an arm swing only. In the bunker, the arms swing the golf club to the top of the swing, back down to the golf ball, and on to the follow-through. The difference between a bunker swing and a regular full-shot swing is you do not turn the upper body in the backswing or downswing. You swing the golf club up and down without turning the right shoulder out of the way.

Allow me to explain why you only swing with your arms. The sole purpose of not turning in the back-swing is to make sure the golf club swings up in the backswing. Think about what you are trying to accomplish with most bunker shots. You are trying to hit a lofted shot with backspin. If you are trying to hit a shot that goes up without much distance, then you have to have a golf club that is swinging down and not level to the ground. The golf club will have a tendency to swing more vertically in the backswing and not around you if you dont turn your right shoulder in the backswing. If the golf club swings up, then it will have no problem swinging back down (what goes up, must come down).

The length of the backswing in the bunker should always be the length of a full 5-iron shot. The reason I dont say driver is because I dont want you to think turn. If I say 5-iron, you will at least get the idea that the backswing has to be long. Most golfers who struggle in the bunker are so afraid of sculling the golf ball over the green that they make tiny backswings in hopes of not sculling. The problem with a short backswing is you will not have enough energy in the downswing to get the ball of the bunker.

The length, strength, and tempo of all greenside bunker shots are the same. You do not control the distance you want the golf ball to travel with the length or strength of your swing. You control the dis-tance the golf ball travels in a bunker shot by the amount of loft on the clubface at impact. You dont have to hit the golf ball out of the bunker with 5-iron strength, but you have to have the backswing length of a 5-iron shot.

6

Right Shoulder Does Not Turn Out of Way

Part ThreeThe Top of the BackswingArriving at the Top

When you arrive at the top of the backswing, you have to be in a position where you can swing the golf club back down into the sand and turn through after impact.

If you get the golf club to the top of the backswing without turning your shoulders and keeping 75% of your weight on your left side, you will be in the correct position to swing the sand wedge back down into the sand and make contact safely behind the ball.

The steep angle the clubhead must follow in the downswing will force the golf ball out of the sand with ease, as long as you turn through after impact.

If you swing the golf club too much around yourself, the golf club will return on too shallow of an angle, and you will top, scull, or bounce the clubhead into the golf ball. If you swing the golf club up too vertically in the backswing, the golf club will come down too steeply, catching too much sand. The golf ball will barely get out of the bunker, or it might even stay in the bunker.

You have to keep in mind that no matter how short or long your bunker shot is, you have to have the exact same backswing. You do not control how far you want the golf ball to travel by the length of the backswing. The angle of the clubface at impact controls the distance the golf ball travels.

The backswing has to be long so you can generate clubhead speed in the downswing. If you dont swing the golf club back far enough, you will try to use your body to generate clubhead speed in the downswing. You do not have to use your body. There is plenty of clubhead speed with a full back-swing.

Amateur golfers are sometimes too afraid to swing the golf club all the way up to the top of the back-swing. Instead, they try to chip the ball out of the bunker. You have to be very talented to pull this shot off. The clubhead has to make contact with the sand and golf ball at a very precise spot, and there is no room for error. At least when you make a full backswing you can swing the golf club back down into the sand without fear of topping or sculling the golf ball.

7

Correct Position at Top of Backswing

Part FourThe First Move from the Top of the DownswingHow to Start the Golf Club Down

It is time to swing the sand wedge back down into the sand. The only thought you should have is to start your arms and sand wedge first. You do not want any other part of your body to move an inch yet.

One of the biggest mistakes amateur golfers make is they lower their knees, upper body, or both as soon as they start the downswing. The concept of what goes up, must come down doesnt seem to register with them. They believe that the only way to get the golf club back down from the top of the backswing is to dip their body down toward the golf ball.

Fortunately, the downswing is much easier than that. You have to have one thought when you begin the downswingswing the clubhead into the sand. With the proper setup and backswing, you have put yourself in a great position to simply swing the clubhead into the sand as you turn your body out of the way. As the golf club swung up in the backswing, the right arm folded. As you begin the down-swing, the right arm has to come unhinged in the downswing. This allows your arms to swing the club back down.

If you dont start the arms first in the downswing, the right shoulder will turn first. If the right shoul-der turns, you will not have any chance of hitting a solid bunker shot. When the right shoulder starts the downswing, the sand wedge starts outside the path into the back of the golf ball. Once the club-head swings from the outside, the golf club will dig into the sand too much on impact.

8

Swinging Down with the Arms

Part FiveImpactLayer of Sand, and Then the Golf Ball

This is the absolute moment of truth in a bunker shotimpact.

Bunker shots are either hit perfectly or missed completely. I have never had an amateur come up to me and say, I am a pretty good bunker player. Will you take a look and see if there is anything you can do to make me better? They usually say, Every time I am in the bunker, I hit the shot with so much sand, the ball never comes out of the bunker, or Every time I hit a bunker shot, I hit it halfway down the next fairway.

Do you know the number one reason why bunker shots are so difficult for amateur golfers? It doesnt matter whether you have played golf for one day or thirty-five years, the reason the bunker shot is so difficult is because you have been trying to hit the golf ball. No matter what shot you have, be it putting, driving, or pitching, you have to hit the golf ball first. But for a proper bunker shot, you have to hit the sand first. The layer of sand that gets between the clubface and golf ball is the cushion you need so the golf ball does not come off of the clubface so hot.

In the bunker, if you hit the golf ball first, you have hit a poor shot. It is the only shot in golf where you are trying not to hit the golf ball first.

9

Sand Between Ball and Clubface

You want to impact the sand behind the ball, which in turn puts a cushion on the face of the sand wedge, which in turn makes contact with the golf ball, and out of the bunker comes a great bunker shot.

Early in 1980, I dug a hole about a foot deep in a bunker on a golf course on the north shore of Chi-cago. I placed a camera in the hole so the lens was level to the sand. After I hit a dozen bunker shots, I reviewed the tape. It showed exactly what I thought it would. There was a layer of sand between the clubface and golf ball. What I didnt know was how much sand was between the clubface and golf ball.

Here is the part that surprised me. I would hit a bunker shot and swing the clubhead into the sand one inch behind the ball, two inches behind the ball, three inches behind the ball, and four inches behind the ball. All of the shots looked and felt about the same. They were all good shots. What mattered the most was the angle I swung the clubhead down in the downswing, not how far I hit behind the ball. If I swung the club too shallow, the shots were all long with no backspin. If I swung the club too steep, the amount of sand did not affect the outcome as much as I thought.

Some of you might wonder: If I swing too steeply, will I have enough power to get the golf ball out of the bunker? That is what the bounce of the clubhead is for. The bottom of the golf club has a bounce that will stop the clubhead from digging in too much when it enters the sand. Of course, you still have to turn through in the downswing, which we will address in the next part, but that is not nearly as important as swinging the sand wedge up and down.

10

No Layer of Sand

Part SixFinish From Impact to Finish and All of the Moves In Between

Just because you swung the sand wedge down on the correct path and safely made impact with the sand behind the golf ball, dont think your shot is over yet.

When you swing a golf club in the fairway, the clubhead is swinging somewhat level to the ground. The 9-iron may swing a little bit steeper than a 5-iron, but for the most part, they are both swinging level. Swinging the golf club level allows you to hit the golf ball for distance.

When you swing a sand wedge in a bunker, the clubhead is swinging more vertically into the sand. The downswing has to be more vertical because you are trying to hit the golf ball up, not out like a regular golf shot.

When you swing the clubhead into the sand, you have to help the clubhead come back out of the sand. Even though the clubhead has a bounce on the bottom of it to prevent it from going too deep into the sand, you still have to make sure you turn your lower body out of the way.

As the clubhead enters the sand, the lower half of your body has to be moving, with the left hip turn-ing left and out of the way. Your right knee must move toward the left knee, bringing the right heel up and facing your shoe laces toward the target.

The next thing that takes place is the clubhead has to come out of the sand. If your downswing was too shallow, the clubhead will bounce off of the sand, crash into the golf ball, and send it over the green. If you swing the clubhead too steeply, you are going to take too much sand, and the golf ball will probably stay in the bunker.

11

Clubhead Swinging Vertically into Sand

Part SevenThree Different DistancesClubface SquareClubface Open Five Degrees

Clubface Open Ten Degrees

Now that you know how to get out of the bunker, you need to know how to control the distance of your greenside bunker shots.

This is the key to distance control for bunker shots:

The distance of your bunker shot is controlled by the loft on your sand wedge, not the length of your backswing.

When you have a long bunker shot, the clubface should be square at address. You grip the golf club like you would your driver or 7-ironthe bottom edge of the golf club is perpendicular to the intend-ed line you want the golf ball to travel on.

For medium-length bunker shots, the clubface should be open five degrees. Simply roll the grip of the sand wedge in your finger tips until the clubface is open five degrees.

12

Long Bunker ShotsClubface Square at Address

For a short bunker shot, the clubface should be open ten degrees. You have to roll the grip even more so that clubface is at the proper angle.

This concept is so important for you to understand. The length, strength, and tempo of the bunker swing are the same for all three distances. The angle of the clubface controls the distance, so make that full swing every time.

13

Short Bunker ShotsClubface Open Ten Degrees at Address

Medium-Length Bunker ShotsClubface Open Five Degrees at Address

Part EightSand Firmness

There are as many types of sand as there are bunkers in the world. It seems like you can be in three bunkers in one day and encounter three completely different types of sand.

One bunker may get hit with a sprinkler more often than the next. Another bunker may be steeper, and there might not be as much sand in it. And yet another bunker may have a smaller lip, so the wind blows more of that sand out. You have the same golf course with the same sand, and all three of the conditions above make the sand depth in each completely different.

Soft Fluffy

The danger of bunker shots in soft, fluffy sand is that the leading edge of the sand wedge will dig in more. You have to prepare yourself for it. If you find yourself with a bunker shot in soft, fluffy sand, do not place as much weight on your left side. With less weight on your left side, the clubhead has a better chance of gliding through the sand instead of getting stuck in it.

Hard-Packed

On the other hand, you could be faced with a hard-packed wet or dry bunker shot. What happens in this case is the bounce of the sand wedge literally bounces off of the sand at impact and crashes into the back of the golf ball, sending it out of the bunker and over the green.

If your golf ball is lying on hardpan or wet sand, there are a couple of precautions you should con-sider.

Make sure you have 7585% of your weight on your left side. When you swing the clubhead into the sand, you have to follow-through low.

Keeping your weight on your left side helps the clubhead dig into the sand. The reason you have to follow-through low is to make sure the bounce of the sand wedge stays out of play. The harder the sand, the more the bounce of the club wants to bounce off the sand. When you have bounce in the bunker, you have a golf ball flying over the green.

Another way to approach a bunker shot on hard sand is to use your pitching wedge. A pitching wedge doesnt have a bounce on the bottom, so the golf club will have a better chance of digging in instead of bouncing up.

14

Part NineType of Lies

Buried Lies

If you golf long enough, you will eventually be confronted with a buried bunker lie. I play most of my golf in the desert, and the bunkers are firm. I do not get two buried lies a year. On the other hand, you might play most of your golf at a facility that has great bunkers. The sand is white and soft and fluffy. Perfect condition for buried lies.

If you do get a buried lie, here is how you successfully play the shot:

Play the golf ball back in your stance an inch or two from center. Square the clubface, and deloft the handle an inch or two. Swing the golf club up and down with a very low follow-through.

I have to warn you about one thing. The golf ball will not have backspin from a buried lie. Because the clubhead is swinging so steep into the sand, the ball will come out of the bunker hotwith a lot of top spin and no backspin.

Uphill Bunker Shots

There are two things to keep in mind when you have an uphill bunker shot.

Make sure your shoulders are parallel to the slope. Swing the sand wedge up the hill in the downswing.

The number one mistake amateurs make with an uphill bunker lie is to take a normal swing. With a normal downswing for an uphill lie, the clubhead digs into the sand, and the golf ball moves about a foot, never making it out of the bunker. The reason you cant make a quality shot with a normal swing in this instance is because the clubhead is swinging too vertically to the slope you are on. The club-head has to swing more level to the slope, so you can get just the right amount of sand between the clubface and golf ball.

Downhill Bunker Shots

Most of the time bunkers are designed to look like the letter U. The greenside lip of the bunker is high and the back is high, yet in the middle it is pretty flat. When a golf ball rolls into a bunker, the ball usually rolls to the middle, and you have a nice flat bunker shot. If the ball hits up high on the green-side of the bunker, it usually rolls back to the middle also.

Sometimes the ball will fly into the back of the bunker and stay there. This gives you a downhill lie. No questions asked, a bunker shot with a downhill lie is the hardest shot in golf. The reason is simple. The ground behind the golf ball is higher than the bottom of the golf ball.

15

If you take a normal bunker shot swing when you have a downhill lie, you will hit too far behind the golf ball. The bounce of the golf club will crash into the back of the golf ball.

There are three things you must do to assure yourself of a solid shot in this situation.

Make sure you have 90% of your weight on your left leg. Swing the golf club up and down as ly as possible. Follow-through as low as you can.

This is the best you can do with a downhill bunker lie. If you hit a downhill bunker shot properly, the golf ball will not have much height, and it will not stop when it lands on the putting surface.

Fairway Bunker Shots

A fairway bunker shot is not as difficult as many amateurs make it out to be. You have two things go-ing for you with a fairway bunker shot.

Fairway bunkers run parallel to the fairway you are on. There is rarely a high lip in a fairway bunker.

With that being said, there are two common mistakes most amateurs make with a fairway bunker shot:

They try to use their fairway woods to hit the shot. They try to swing with their regular swing.

Fairway woods are not designed to hit out of fairway bunkers. It is better to select an ironpreferably a lofted one such as the 5, 6, 7, or 8-iron. These clubs are more forgiving if you mishit the shot.

To attempt a shot out of a fairway bunker with your regular swing, as if you are in the grass in the fairway, is very risky. The reason is simplethere is no room for error. The sand is loose, and your feet might move. The sand is not forgiving at impact. If you catch the golf ball one inch heavy, that golf ball is not going anywhere.

The method for getting the golf ball out of fairway bunkers is slightly different from the method used for greenside bunkers.

Use a lofted club, such as your 5, 6, 7, or 8-iron. Place the golf ball back in your stance. Shift 60% of your weight onto your left side. Swing your arms up and down with minimal lower body movement. Follow through low.

The key to hitting out of fairway bunkers is to make club-ball contact. Unlike with a greenside bunker shot, you cannot hit the sand first in a fairway bunker.

16

I have asked the same question for the past 25 years: If you could pick your ball up out of a fairway bunker and walk 100 yards down the fairway and place it there, would you do it? If you use this method, the clubhead will make contact with the golf ball, and you will get a shot that gets you back in play. Dont try and be a hero and hit the ball onto the green from a fairway bunker that is 175 yards out. Get the ball back in play, and move on to your next shot.

If you would like to learn more about how Purepoint Golf can help take your game to the next level click here to browse our full catalog of products.

17