Solving The Dreaded Long Bunker Shot

Every now and then you'll find yourself in a bunker that's situated some fifteen to forty yards from the green's nearest edge. This leaves you in that precarious "long bunker shot" situation - one in which the total distance to the flag is from twenty-five to fifty yards. The problem is that you eventually reach a distance, which depends on your own strength, at which you can't get the ball all the way to the hole using the standard bunker shot technique. This it is important to learn adjustments that can lengthen your sand shot range. Let me explain them in steps that you can bring into play as the length of the shot increases.

1. Know your full-length normal shot. The first thing you must know is how far you can hit a sand shot with your normal technique, which includes a slightly open stance and clubface plus a full, yet controlled, swing. Practice your basic technique so you know what your cutoff length is.
2. Square your stance and the clubface. This adjustment makes the clubhead contact the sand while moving directly along the target line. It will also slap the sand with slightly less loft, so the ball comes out a bit lower and carries farther. This adjustment alone should do the trick when you're only several yards beyond your normal full sand shot distance.
3. Slap the sand one inch closer to the ball. When you need even more carry, say ten yards more than you can get by squaring your stance and the clubface, you have to take a bit more risk by reducing the amount of sand you take behind the ball. Make sure to keep your head your still, since you're forced into accepting a smaller margin for error on this shot.
4. Use your pitching wedge. If the length of shot is still out of your range, play the shot with a square-faced pitching wedge. The pitching wedge normally carries five or six degrees less loft than the sand wedge, so this adjustment should add another eight to ten yards to your long bunker shot range.

You'll find that the adjustments offered in points two, three, and four will, when combined, roughly double your range from the sand. That is, if your normal, comfortable full bunker shot carries twenty-five yards, by incorporating all the points described, you should be able to increase your range to fifty yards. Of course, you need to practice to incorporate all these adjustments. The best way to ingrain them is by going out on the course in the evening with a half-dozen balls, when there's little play. Set up long bunker shots of varying distances. Learn each of the adjustments you need to increase your range the necessary amount.


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