Do you always grab your sand wedge when your ball ends up in a greenside bunker? We dove into some stats provided by Shot Scope to see which club you should be using to escape the greenside bunkers. One of the best strategies to get out of a greenside bunker is to be confident in the shot you are taking. Knowing you have the right club in your hand will help.
About the data
The bunker statistics are based on a dataset of greenside bunker shots taken from within 25 yards of the pin. We did look at data for the 9-iron, pitching wedge and gap wedge but very few golfers used these clubs in this situation (fewer than three percent per club in most cases) so the sample size is extremely small.
Because most players rarely use those irons and wedges out of greenside bunkers, the limited data can sometimes show high up-and-down percentages. However, based on such minimal data, we can’t claim those clubs are truly the best choices.
Our main comparison focused on the sand wedge and the lob wedge, aiming to determine which is more effective for golfers in different handicap ranges.
Bunker performance metrics for golfers with a 1–5 handicap
Golfers with the lowest handicaps are the ones we want to emulate. These players are much more likely to get up and down than other handicap ranges. In addition, they tend to get the ball closer to the hole on their escape shots.
There is one big takeaway here that you will see and that is that the lob wedge is not only the preferred club but also the most efficient club for these lower-handicap players escaping from the bunkers.
The higher-lofted lob wedge is chosen 67 percent of the time whereas the sand wedge is only chosen 27 percent of the time. (The other six percent was a mix of the gap, pitching wedge and 9-iron.)
| Club | Up & Down % | % Not Getting Out First Try | Avg. Proximity (ft) | Club Usage per Handicap (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 27% | 5% | 19.9 | 27% |
| LW | 30% | 5% | 18.5 | 67% |
Bunker performance metrics for golfers with an 11–15 handicap
If we bump the handicap up to the 11-15 range, you’ll see the sand wedge to lob wedge usage is close to the same. So is the up-and-down percentage.
However, you will see that the up-and-down percentage for this group is considerably lower than that of the low-handicap players and they are almost twice as likely to stay in the bunker on their first shot.
Key takeaways: Maybe start incorporating the lob wedge even more to get out of the bunkers. The lowest-handicap players are doing it and having better success and hitting shots closer to the pin.
| Club | Up & Down % | % Not Getting Out First Try | Avg. Proximity (ft) | Club Usage per Handicap (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 18% | 10% | 24.2 | 41% |
| LW | 18% | 9% | 24.1 | 48% |
Bunker performance metrics for golfers with a 21–25 handicap
Higher-handicap golfers are the least likely to use a lob wedge. Only 35 percent of the high-handicap players choose the lob wedge to get out of a bunker. This group of players only gets up and down about 12 percent of the time.
Obviously, there is a skill factor and technique component to getting out of the bunker but the players with the most success are those using more loft. If you are a high-handicap player carrying a lob wedge, use it out of the bunkers.
The better players are doing it, you have no real downside, and you’ll be less likely to leave the ball in the bunker on your first try.
| Club | Up & Down % | % Not Getting Out First Try | Avg. Proximity (ft) | Club Usage per Handicap (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 12% | 14% | 28.2 | 50% |
| LW | 13% | 13% | 27.7 | 35% |
How to choose which club to use out of a bunker
When you learn the basics of how to hit a sand shot, you should be able to switch between the sand wedge and lob wedge based purely on the distance to the pin. Short shots with little green to work with are best for the lob wedge.
For longer bunker shots with a lot of sand to go over before reaching the green, consider using the sand wedge to cover a little more distance.
The bottom line and most important takeaway is that the lob wedge is a highly effective club to use out of the sand and many mid- to high-handicap golfers are not taking advantage of that. Go dust off the lob wedge and try it out of a bunker today.
Joe
1 year ago
Aaaand if you ever heard the conversation between Tiger and Scheffler….Tiger says he grew up with only a 56 and subsequently that is what he uses except for hitting a trick shot…