The bunker shot is genuinely one of the easiest shots in all of golf — yet for the average amateur, it remains absolutely terrifying.
The fear of blading a sand shot across the green into someone's cart — or chunking it and watching it barely move — is enough to paralyze any golfer standing over the ball in the sand.
But with the three simple bunker shot keys outlined in this video, you'll stop worrying about hitting your playing partner and start thinking about getting the ball close to the pin.
Once you fully understand these three fundamentals, you'll be aiming at flags instead of away from hazards. You'll make aggressive swings and watch the ball come out high and soft with tremendous spin.
You'll also discover setup secrets that most golfers have never heard — techniques that nearly every elite bunker player incorporates instinctively in their sand play.
After you implement these changes, I'll walk you through my "Box Drill" — a practice method that makes taking perfect, shallow divots effortless and has you hitting bunker shots like a touring professional!
Here are the three keys to hitting perfect bunker shots:
Video Transcription: How to Hit Bunker Shots Like a Pro
There are three critical components to understanding how to hit excellent bunker shots in golf. The bunker shot is genuinely one of the easiest shots in the entire game, yet so many golfers struggle with it unnecessarily.
I'm going to break down the three keys you must understand to hit consistent bunker shots, and simplify the mechanics so you understand exactly how the shot works.
The first key is that we need to get the ball airborne. Obviously, the ball has to clear the lip and we typically want it to land softly on the green. That requirement dictates several things.
First, we need loft. You're not going to play sand shots with a 3 iron, for obvious reasons. I typically use my 60 degree wedge for any greenside bunker shot unless the distance requires something longer. That gives me substantial loft to work with.
Second, we need spin. On a short shot where we need to stop the ball quickly, we need significant spin — and spin is controlled by two variables. First, loft — the more loft you present, the more spin potential you create. Second, speed. Speed is one of the most overlooked elements in bunker play.
The more club head speed you generate, the greater your potential to launch the ball high and put enough spin on it to stop quickly near the hole.
To apply this effectively, you need to understand a couple of fundamental truths. First, the club face never actually contacts the ball directly. You're extracting sand — typically a couple of handfuls — and the sand launches the ball out. Since sand is heavy, you need considerable speed to move that volume of material.
The type of sand matters too. Florida sand tends to be light and fluffy, which means you need to move a lot of it, requiring even more speed.
More speed naturally wants to send the ball farther. To counteract all that speed — which we need for spin and to displace the sand — we need loft. Even my 60 degree wedge, the most lofted club in my bag, needs additional loft to produce the shot I want.
The first setup adjustment is laying the club face open. I literally place the back of my club on the sand so it leaves an imprint. With proper setup adjustments, I can present nearly 90 degrees of loft to the ball.
The second adjustment is lowering the shaft angle at address. As I lay the shaft down — lowering it from an upright position — the club can rest on the heel. This opens the face even further, creating additional loft.
How do I lower the shaft? By lowering my seat — squatting down slightly at address. This drops my hands, which brings the shaft angle much lower. In certain bunker shot variations, this can create what amounts to negative loft — extreme but effective.
Instead of standing close and upright, I stand slightly farther from the ball, squat down, and lower my hands. Now I have maximum loft available, which means I can be aggressive. I can take an authoritative wipe at the ball and generate tremendous spin and height, stopping the ball quickly.
That's the first key to bunker shot setup.
Now we need a drill that teaches you exactly how much sand to extract — and it's remarkably simple. I call it the Box Drill.
I draw a box — or a series of boxes — in the sand, each roughly the width of my shoe (I wear a size 10, so adjust accordingly). Each box establishes a clear entry point and exit point for the club, showing exactly how large a divot you should take.
When executed correctly, the club enters the sand at the back line and exits at the front line. The ball sits a couple of inches forward of the entry line, somewhere in the middle of the box. We're not striking the ball — we're entering the sand behind it and exiting in front of it.
To accomplish this, I adopt an open stance. As I squat down and lower my shaft, I open my stance as well, and position the ball very far forward — off my lead instep. The center of the box aligns approximately with my lead instep.
From the camera angle, because of the open stance, the shaft appears to lean backward behind the ball. That's actually desirable, because the final critical element is using the bounce of the club.
The trailing edge — the bounce — is the angle that extends below the leading edge. The more you utilize the bounce, the less the club digs into the sand. This allows you to travel through the sand on a shallow path, getting closer to the ball with less sand between the face and the ball, which produces more spin.
Using the bounce means the club glides through the sand rather than digging and chunking. That's why the shaft appears to lean slightly back — if I led with the leading edge, I'd simply drive the club into the sand. I want the club sitting on the back of the face for maximum bounce.
Now I'll work through the Box Drill. I take my swing — and you'll notice that satisfying thump sound. That's the back of the club face striking the sand. My divot entered at the back line and exited at the front. Perfect execution.
On to the next box. Same thump sound because my mental image is striking the sand with the top back of the toe — not the leading edge, but the very top back portion of the club. Same result — divot started here, exited there.
One more practice swing, then I step up to the ball without overthinking it. The ball comes out perfectly — a simple, well-executed bunker shot. Continue down the line and you'll develop consistency without conscious effort. Generate speed, create spin, and watch the ball come out cleanly.
As you practice the Box Drill, focus on taking perfect, consistent divots rather than fixating on the golf ball itself. The more consistent your divots become, the more consistent your bunker play will be.
Master my Box Drill, apply the setup cues, remember that you need loft, speed, and a controlled sand extraction to produce spin — and you'll never dread a bunker shot again. It's genuinely a simple shot once you understand the mechanics. For the same kind of clarity on your full golf swing, try a free AI swing analysis. To practice with real-time coaching, check out a free AI golf lesson.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
Are you set up correctly to hit a good sand shot?
Lay the club on its back
Upright shaft provides less loft
Lower shaft provides more loft
Squat to lower it even more
Draw boxes in the sand
Club sits on back of face
Drill in each box, then hit the ball the same way
Bunker shot
