Standard Greenside Bunker Play Basics

Chad Phillips

Chad Phillips

Golf Digest Best in Georgia, Top Junior Coach, Director of Instruction - Pinetree Country Club

What are we trying to accomplish when we’re faced with the standard bunker shot? We’re trying to get the club to move underneath the golf ball creating a relatively soft ball flight that lands on the green with some amount of spin or stopping power.

To accomplish this, we need to know how to use the loft through impact as well as the bounce. This starts with the grip and orientation of the clubface. From there, we get to setup, where we open our stance and make it as easy as possible to hit behind and underneath the ball with a relatively aggressive swing.