Tips to Master Long Greenside Bunker Shots, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
Tips to Master Long Greenside Bunker Shots, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now if you asked any golfer, what do you think is the most difficult golf shot to hit? Most that would come out would be long bunker shot, the 20 to 30-yard bunker shot. So it is a greenside bunker but the flag has been placed way at the back of the green. Now, I am in a bunker here, I am going to try and hit a bunker shot in a minute where this flag probably is not actually deep enough to make it a difficult shot. This is only a 10 or 15-yard bunk shot, which I would class as not that difficult, but I am going to hit a shot in a minute that is going to go beyond this flag.

So why one of the most difficult shots in golf because we needed a certain amount of power, but we also need to get a really good contact; anything where we take too much sand before the ball will bring the ball out short; but if we take the ball completely cleanly, there is a big risk that it will go too far over the top of the green and almost come out like a thin and it may even hit the lip in front of me.

So to hit this long greenside bunker shot, the first thing I am going to do is actually suggest that you don’t use your sand wedge. I have my 52 degree wedge here, which is my gap wedge; sometimes you could even use a pitching wedge but I guess a little bit force momentum, not too much height, not too much spin, and should get the ball moving a nice distance.

The next thing is we would only going to try and take 1 inch of sand. The classic bunk shot is normally 2 inches of sand, I am going to suggest 1 inch of sand. It should give me a little bit more distance without too much sand getting in the way. I will take a relatively narrow stance, play the ball just slightly ahead of center and then a nice movement forward into my left hand side as I hit down on this one; plenty of commitment, plenty of follow through. I am probably going to use about a 40 to 50-yard long swing where that 1 inch of sand will just cushion the blow a little bit and bring it back to maybe 30 yards. So the shot I am trying to hit here is going to go over the top of this red flag and land on the far side of this green. Don’t expect this one to go close to the flag, that is not my target beyond the flag here.

It is a nice setup, shuffle my feet in to get comfortable, and a nice committed hit down. You can see that ball lands nicely over the top of that green, and I would say it has gone about 30 yards, which is the shot I was looking for. It is a nice committed, big deep divot but not too much sand before the golf ball. If you can follow those tips and hopefully this very difficult long greenside bunker shot should become a little bit easier for you.

 2012-05-10

Now if you asked any golfer, what do you think is the most difficult golf shot to hit? Most that would come out would be long bunker shot, the 20 to 30-yard bunker shot. So it is a greenside bunker but the flag has been placed way at the back of the green. Now, I am in a bunker here, I am going to try and hit a bunker shot in a minute where this flag probably is not actually deep enough to make it a difficult shot. This is only a 10 or 15-yard bunk shot, which I would class as not that difficult, but I am going to hit a shot in a minute that is going to go beyond this flag.

So why one of the most difficult shots in golf because we needed a certain amount of power, but we also need to get a really good contact; anything where we take too much sand before the ball will bring the ball out short; but if we take the ball completely cleanly, there is a big risk that it will go too far over the top of the green and almost come out like a thin and it may even hit the lip in front of me.

So to hit this long greenside bunker shot, the first thing I am going to do is actually suggest that you don’t use your sand wedge. I have my 52 degree wedge here, which is my gap wedge; sometimes you could even use a pitching wedge but I guess a little bit force momentum, not too much height, not too much spin, and should get the ball moving a nice distance.

The next thing is we would only going to try and take 1 inch of sand. The classic bunk shot is normally 2 inches of sand, I am going to suggest 1 inch of sand. It should give me a little bit more distance without too much sand getting in the way. I will take a relatively narrow stance, play the ball just slightly ahead of center and then a nice movement forward into my left hand side as I hit down on this one; plenty of commitment, plenty of follow through. I am probably going to use about a 40 to 50-yard long swing where that 1 inch of sand will just cushion the blow a little bit and bring it back to maybe 30 yards. So the shot I am trying to hit here is going to go over the top of this red flag and land on the far side of this green. Don’t expect this one to go close to the flag, that is not my target beyond the flag here.

It is a nice setup, shuffle my feet in to get comfortable, and a nice committed hit down. You can see that ball lands nicely over the top of that green, and I would say it has gone about 30 yards, which is the shot I was looking for. It is a nice committed, big deep divot but not too much sand before the golf ball. If you can follow those tips and hopefully this very difficult long greenside bunker shot should become a little bit easier for you.