The Thesis
The greenside bunker shot is the only shot in golf where you intentionally miss the ball. You do not hit the ball; you hit the sand, and the sand carries the ball out like a wave carrying a surfer.
This makes it, physically speaking, the easiest shot in golf because you have a huge margin for error. Dr. Bob Rotella reminds us that "The sand shot is an explosion," and the key is to remove the fear of the mistake. He notes that Curtis Strange won the 1989 U.S. Open by getting up and down from bunkers eight times in the final round—proof that sand is an opportunity, not a penalty.
Yet, fear creates tension, and tension leads to the two cardinal sins: the 'Pick' (hitting the ball cleanly and skulling it) or the 'Dig' (stabbing the club into the sand and leaving it there).
The Conflict
The conflict lies in how the club enters the sand: The Dig vs. The Glide.
The Dig (Hogan/Old School):
Ben Hogan, playing with wedges that had sharp leading edges, advocated a 'cutting' motion. He wanted to 'cut right through the sand underneath the ball.' He used a square stance and relied on strength to gouge the ball out.
The Glide (Woods/New School):
Tiger Woods completely rejects the digging motion. He argues: "I Slide, I Don't Chop." Tiger explains that modern sand wedges have a "flange" (the wide sole) that "extends lower than the leading edge. That causes the club to behave like a rudder... skidding through it easily instead of penetrating too deeply."
This design feature is called Bounce. To use it, you must expose it. Tiger says, "I aim the clubface to the right... It increases the loft... and it also increases the amount of 'bounce'."
The Exception (Watson):
Tom Watson warns that there is a specific time not to splash. For the "Full Sand Swing" (long bunker shots), he advises: "Your key thought is to contact the ball before the clubhead hits the sand." But for greenside work, he aligns with the splash method.
The Conflict: Hogan wants you to dig a trench. Woods wants you to skid across the surface.
The Synthesis (Best Practice)
We retire the 'Dig.' Modern wedges are designed to Glide. We adopt Tiger Woods's "No-Fail Setup" to activate the bounce.
1. Setup (The Table)
- The Stance: "I align everything—my feet, hips and shoulders—to the left of the target." This pre-programs a cut path.
- The Ball: "Position the ball forward... just opposite my left heel." This ensures you hit the sand first, not the ball.
- The Face: "Wide Open." Lay the face open before you grip the club. Tiger says this "increases the amount of 'bounce'."
- The Grip: Tiger adds a crucial detail: "I weaken my left-hand grip... so the back of my left hand faces the target." This prevents the face from closing through impact.
[Image: Golfer in bunker setup showing wide stance, ball forward, and extremely open clubface]
2. The Swing (The V)
- Takeaway: "I break my wrists early... cock them all the way." This steep hinge creates the angle needed to thump the sand.
- Impact: Tiger aims for a spot "about three inches behind the ball."
- The Secret: Acceleration. You must swing through to a full finish. Tiger says, "I don't apply any more effort than I would on a 40-yard shot," but he swings "through impact into the follow-through." The bounce prevents the club from digging, so you can swing aggressively without fear.
[Image: Sequence showing bunker swing: steep takeaway, thumping sand 2 inches behind ball, full finish with sand splash]
The Drill
The Line Drill
Goal: To learn to take the right amount of sand consistently. Tiger Woods uses this exact drill to calibrate his splash.
The Setup:
- 1. Go to a practice bunker.
- 2. Draw a line in the sand perpendicular to your target line.
- 3. Place a ball on the line, and then remove it. You just want the line for now.
The Action:
- 1. Take your setup with the line in the center of your stance.
- 2. Make practice swings trying to erase the line with the bounce of your club.
- 3. Tiger's Check: "I've drawn lines to indicate where the clubhead should enter the sand... When I want the ball to run... I aim for a spot about three inches behind the ball."
- 4. Once you can consistently thump the line, place a ball 3 inches in front of the line and splash it out.
The Lesson:
If you hit the line, the ball comes out. If you hit the ball first, you blade it. Trust the bounce and splash the line.