When Should You Avoid The Golf Sand Wedge In The Bunker (Video) - by Pete Styles
When Should You Avoid The Golf Sand Wedge In The Bunker (Video) - by Pete Styles

So when you walk into a sand bunker, the natural option is to pick out the sand wedge. People almost think it’s a rule that if you’re in the bunker you have to use a sand wedge but not so. There are times and places when you wouldn’t use the sand wedge in a bunker. Probably 80 90% of the time it would be the right club but there’s times when it isn’t. Firstly, fairway bunkers, fairway bunkers generally in the fairway further back away from the green distance to the flag. So there’s times there where a sand-wedge is known to go and just pop the ball out high and short. But if I’ve got long way to go and I don’t have a lip to go over and I’ve got a good lie, I can pretty much use any club I like in my bag as long as it’s got enough loft to clear the lip and enough distance to get to the flag. I could use any of my irons, I could maybe even use a hybrid club or even a fairway wood. So in a fairway bunker, a sand wedge might not always be the right club. There’s also times when you’re up against the lip of a bunker.

If you can imagine playing a shot from here, playing it very steeply up against this very aggressively angled lip. The sand wedge is one of my more lofted clubs at 56 degrees but I do have one with more loft at 60 degrees which is my lob wedge. So in a situation like this when height an angle of getting the ball up is the most important thing to be taking my motion lofty club, my 60 degree club would be worthwhile. So I take my lob wedge, I might even open the face a little bit more on the lob wedge and play the ball out very, very quickly straight up the lip. It’s only one other time that I probably wouldn’t play a sand-wedge and that might be when there’s no sand in the bunker, If I’ve got a water-logged bunker or a bunker that’s not very well maintained and it’s pretty much scrapped down to the base and I don’t really feel that I can hit down into the sand and play a traditional bunk shot. I might be more inclined just to click that one off the surface with a pitching wedge. Again it’s a very rare shot and it’s a time and a place where you’re in a bunker that probably isn’t particularly well maintained, it might not be a great golf club to the play but in that situation, trying to play the normal hitting two inches of sand behind the ball with a sand wedge simply won’t work. You’d be better off with a pitching wedge and just try and nick it straight off the surface. So generally when you’re in a sand wedge might be the right case and might be the right club to use but it isn’t a rule you don’t have to play it, fairway bunkers, steep sided bunkers or poorly maintained bunkers you can use your other clubs. 2014-01-16

So when you walk into a sand bunker, the natural option is to pick out the sand wedge. People almost think it’s a rule that if you’re in the bunker you have to use a sand wedge but not so. There are times and places when you wouldn’t use the sand wedge in a bunker. Probably 80 90% of the time it would be the right club but there’s times when it isn’t. Firstly, fairway bunkers, fairway bunkers generally in the fairway further back away from the green distance to the flag. So there’s times there where a sand-wedge is known to go and just pop the ball out high and short. But if I’ve got long way to go and I don’t have a lip to go over and I’ve got a good lie, I can pretty much use any club I like in my bag as long as it’s got enough loft to clear the lip and enough distance to get to the flag. I could use any of my irons, I could maybe even use a hybrid club or even a fairway wood. So in a fairway bunker, a sand wedge might not always be the right club. There’s also times when you’re up against the lip of a bunker.

If you can imagine playing a shot from here, playing it very steeply up against this very aggressively angled lip. The sand wedge is one of my more lofted clubs at 56 degrees but I do have one with more loft at 60 degrees which is my lob wedge. So in a situation like this when height an angle of getting the ball up is the most important thing to be taking my motion lofty club, my 60 degree club would be worthwhile. So I take my lob wedge, I might even open the face a little bit more on the lob wedge and play the ball out very, very quickly straight up the lip. It’s only one other time that I probably wouldn’t play a sand-wedge and that might be when there’s no sand in the bunker, If I’ve got a water-logged bunker or a bunker that’s not very well maintained and it’s pretty much scrapped down to the base and I don’t really feel that I can hit down into the sand and play a traditional bunk shot.

I might be more inclined just to click that one off the surface with a pitching wedge. Again it’s a very rare shot and it’s a time and a place where you’re in a bunker that probably isn’t particularly well maintained, it might not be a great golf club to the play but in that situation, trying to play the normal hitting two inches of sand behind the ball with a sand wedge simply won’t work. You’d be better off with a pitching wedge and just try and nick it straight off the surface. So generally when you’re in a sand wedge might be the right case and might be the right club to use but it isn’t a rule you don’t have to play it, fairway bunkers, steep sided bunkers or poorly maintained bunkers you can use your other clubs.