One Simple Change That Will Fix Your Bunker Distance Control

Bunker distance control has always been difficult for me.

I think part of the problem is the mindset. When you get in a bunker, the first goal is usually, “Just get it out.” Then it becomes, “Get it out and somewhere close.” By the time you start thinking about actual distance control, you’re already dealing with a shot that probably isn’t the most comfortable for you.

At least, that’s how it has always felt for me.

I saw a Titleist video that explained something I think I’ve been doing for a while but hearing it said this way was a good reminder.

If you need the bunker shot to go farther, don’t swing harder: take loft away.

The lob wedge has a limit

I hit a lot of my greenside bunker shots with the lob wedge. It’s easy to get the ball out, I’m confident with the height I can get and it’s usually pretty accurate.

For a short-sided bunker shot, the lob wedge makes sense. Open the face, play the ball forward, keep your weight forward and use enough speed to get the ball up quickly.

But it’s important to remember that the more loft you add, the more speed you need.

That’s where a lot of bunker shots go wrong. Golfers open the face, add a bunch of loft and then make a slow, careful swing. The ball doesn’t have enough speed to get out the way they pictured it.

For a longer bunker shot, keeping the lob wedge in hand and just swinging harder isn’t always the smart play.

If you’re trying to stretch a 60-degree wedge into a 30- or 40-yard bunker shot, you have to hit it pretty hard.

Change clubs instead

If you need the bunker shot to go farther, grab less loft.

Try a 54- or 56-degree sand wedge, gap wedge or even pitching wedge depending on the shot. The lower-lofted club creates more ball speed so you don’t have to swing as hard to get the ball to travel farther.

You can still open the face. You can still use your normal bunker motion. You just don’t have to add as much loft.

That means the ball will launch a little lower, fly farther and roll out more.

Keep the loft for the shot you need

For the high, soft bunker shot, add loft and add speed. Open the face, keep it open and commit to the shot.

For the longer bunker shot, take loft away. Use less face opening at setup, less open-face feel in the backswing and less of that “hold-open” finish.

You’re not changing everything. You’re just matching the loft to the shot.

Practice it with the same swing length

The easiest way to see this is to take the same bunker swing with different clubs.

Take your 60-degree wedge, 56-degree wedge, gap wedge and pitching wedge. Make similar-length swings with similar tempo and watch what happens.

The 60 should launch higher and stop quicker.

The 56 should fly a little farther and release more.

The gap wedge or pitching wedge should come out lower, carry farther and roll more.

Once you see those windows, bunker distance control gets a lot easier and more predictable.

Final thought

The mistake is not using the lob wedge. The mistake is asking a wide-open lob wedge to produce distance without adding enough speed.

Before you change clubs, check the lip of the bunker. If you need height immediately, take the loft and commit to the speed. If the lip is not the main problem and you need the ball to travel farther, take loft away.

Same basic bunker motion and you’ll have better distance control.