Teaching Bunker Play
A number of years ago at a certification course, I was struggling with my greenside bunker play. My tendency was to either take too much sand, or getting too much of the ball. Bob Wyatt, our national coordinator, noted that this was the result of the clubhead coming into the sand at too shallow of an angle. I started coming in steeper and the results improved immediately.
Later that year I was hitting bunker shots at a tournament. An acquaintance of mine was also there, as was his uncle, the late Ted Kroll. Kroll was a prominent player back in the 1950s and played on three Ryder Cup teams. I had the club slightly open, but Kroll started telling me, “Open it up, open it up!” By the time I was finished, the clubface looked like I had it sitting flush with the sand. Skeptical, I took a swing, and the ball popped out with very little effort. After a few swings, I had tremendous control doing it this way.
To this day, I continue to hit bunker shots in this manner and can honestly say that greenside bunker play is one of my strong suits. But, there is more to it than just the 
instruction Wyatt and Kroll provided.
Lee Trevino said that it was a myth that ball position for bunker shots should be forward in the stance – he claimed it should be back! This doesn’t seem to square with any current bunker instruction, but upon closer examination Trevino was right, in a sense.
Because the stance for a standard bunker shot is open, we have two lines we need to be concerned with: stance line and target line. In considering ball position, you must reference which line. In relation to the target line, the ball will be forward of center, because it will be opposite the forward heel or slightly inside. In relation to the stance line, the ball will be back in the stance. Trevino was therefore correct, and so is instruction that says play the ball forward in the stance.
The weight should be predominantly on the forward foot, and stay there. Teachers debate exactly how much weight should be forward, so I experimented with a scale. I found that my weight distribution is about 75% forward. I’m not saying this is necessarily the ideal, but it shows that this is an important setup fundamental.
An important aspect in the backswing is to cock the wrists fairly quickly. This brings the clubhead up steeply, and makes it easier to bring it down in the same manner. On the forward swing, it’s important to start down by maintaining the wrist cock. At some point in the downswing the wrists will uncock naturally, but if it’s done too soon, the club will come into the sand at too shallow of an angle, and the result is what I experienced – taking too much sand or hitting too close to the ball. Only with perfect timing will a shallow angle of approach work.
The final fundamental I wish to address is making sure the body turns through the shot during the forward swing. Too many golfers use mainly their arms and hands for this shot. At finish, the weight should be even more on the forward foot as a result of the proper motion. The weight should never be forced to the forward foot, but merely allowed to finish there.
Hitting bunker shots can be intimidating for many golfers, but taking a page from Bob Wyatt and Ted Kroll is sure to help anyone improve in this area.
