Ask a great player what is one of the hardest shots in golf and chances are they’ll tell you it’s that mid-range bunker shot between 45 and 75 yards.
With the in-between bunker shots, if you miss slightly, you’re probably hitting the same exact shot again. I recently came across a Titleist tip on how to handle this shot. Here’s my breakdown and advice.
Why is this bunker shot so difficult
Mid-range bunker shots create two major problems:
- You need distance.
- You still need height.
Most amateurs try to hit these like a longer greenside bunker shot. They’ll use an open face, a higher loft, and a big splash. The problem is that with a bunker shot like this, controlled carry is more beneficial than maximum height.
The traditional “explode it” technique introduces too much variability. When the ball is slightly back in the stance, the club is still digging when it reaches the ball. It’s not the right play.
The simple setup change
The adjustment suggested in the video is to move the ball almost uncomfortably far forward in your stance. He mentions putting it almost outside your lead foot.
Moving the ball that far forward, the club still enters the sand, travels under the ball, and then exits the sand as it reaches impact. Instead of the club digging deeper into the sand as it strikes the ball, it’s actually working back upward and that’s what gives you the margin for error.
Even if you catch a little too much sand, the ball still comes out. If you catch it slightly cleaner, it launches higher with spin.
Club selection matters more than you think
If you move the ball forward, you’re adding loft dynamically. That means your 56-degree wedge may have too much loft and you’ll come up short. In the 45- to 65-yard range, the 52-degree or even the 48 works.
This shot is one where your goal is to just get it on the green, avoid the bunker lip and avoid having to get out of the bunker again.
Why this feels so uncomfortable (At first)
When I first started playing around with this concept, I could tell it felt wrong. Most bunker instruction doesn’t have you put the ball this far forward in your stance and use a club with less loft.
What I noticed is that the forward ball position gives you more room to make a small mistake. The club has time to shallow and start exiting the sand and that changes everything. This is a shot where you’re playing for the best possible miss. You’re not trying to hit it to a foot from the hole. You’re trying to get it on the green and move on.
I would try this in your own game but there’s one big caveat: you have to practice it. That ball position is key and there is a point where it gets too far forward. You’ll need to work that out in a practice bunker before taking it to the course.
Once you figure out where that sweet spot is, I think you’ll find it’s a really reliable way to get the ball on the green.
Final thoughts
Mid-range bunker shots are hard because we try to hit them the same way we hit short bunker shots. I’ve always just adjusted the club I hit and tried to make it work. This method feels more reliable and the misses are much more controlled.
Give it a try.
Move the ball forward.
Use less loft than you think.
Swing like you’re hitting it off grass.
CB
4 months ago
Interesting idea, and I like the thought of having the ball farther forward. One needs to swing pretty aggressively with an explosion shot from that distance and the worst outcome is often picking the ball clean and airmailing the green by 40 yards, and this technique would seemingly lessen that risk. Good share.