How to Hit a Bunker Shot: 10 Tips & Techniques to Escape Every Time
Few things frustrate golfers more than a bunker shot gone wrong. One swing digs too deep and leaves the ball in the trap, the next catches it thin and sends it rocketing across the green.
Greenside bunkers don’t need to ruin your scorecard.
With the right setup, a few adjustments to your technique, and proper wrist mechanics, bunker shots can become one of the easiest short game shots you hit.
HackMotion has analyzed over 1,000,000 swings, and the findings are clear: wrist position determines bunker success. Maintaining extension, learning to hinge correctly, and committing to speed are the keys to splashing the ball out consistently.
This guide combines proven bunker fundamentals with HackMotion wrist training so you can finally master the sand.
How to Hit a Bunker Shot (Key Takeaways)
Here are a few of the most important things you should know about hitting bunker shots. Keep these tips with you the next time you get in a practice bunker:
- Select a lofted club to launch the ball high and out of the bunker, sometimes a 56 degree sand wedge isn’t enough and a 60 degree wedge is better.
- Play a high bounce sole grind to increase glide through the sand.
- Open your clubface slightly for added loft.
- Position the golf ball forward in your stance to promote striking the sand first.
- Lengthen your backswing to prevent clubhead speed loss through the sand.
- Extend the lead wrist to add more loft to your clubface.
- Hit the sand before your ball to get the clubface to travel under it and launch it out of the bunker.
Contents
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
10 Bunker Shot Tips & Drills for Consistent Sand Play
1. Choose the Right Wedge
Not every bunker shot calls for the same club. If you’re short-sided or facing a steep lip, a 58° or 60° wedge gives you the height needed.
If you have more green to work with, a 54° lets you carry further and release the ball.
Bounce is equally important. A high-bounce sole, such as a K-grind, prevents the leading edge from digging. Mid- and high-handicappers especially benefit from extra bounce in bunkers.
2. Build a Stable Setup
Most bunker mistakes happen before the club even moves. Your setup should make it almost automatic to hit sand before the ball. Take a wide stance and dig your feet into the sand for stability.
Position the ball forward, near your lead heel, and place the majority of your weight on your front foot.
Keeping the lead knee flexed over your foot throughout the swing helps you stay stacked over the shot and prevents leaning back.
3. Open the Clubface Early
The bounce on your wedge is designed to slide through sand, but you can only take advantage of it if the face is open. Too many golfers close the face by adding flexion in the backswing, which turns the leading edge into a shovel.
Set the face open before you grip the club so it feels natural in your hands. From there, focus on keeping loft on the face with your wrists instead of letting them roll over and shut the clubface.
4. Maintain Lead Wrist Extension
HackMotion data shows that players who struggle in bunkers often add flexion in the backswing. This shuts the clubface and creates a digging strike.
Better bunker players maintain extension all the way through impact, which keeps loft and exposes the bounce.
HackMotion Drill: Turn the Tap
This drill helps you exaggerate the extension needed to keep the loft on.
Turn the Tap Drill – Step by Step
- Set up with the clubface open and weight forward.
- As you swing back, feel the back of your glove hand pointing up.
- Through impact, imagine turning a faucet handle so the back of your hand still faces the sky.
- With the HackMotion biofeedback set around +30° extension, you’ll know instantly when you keep the wrist in the correct position.
5. Add Wrist Hinge for Speed
A stiff-armed bunker swing produces weak strikes that die in the sand. To generate enough speed, you need wrist hinge.
Think of the bunker as a finesse shot that actually requires both loft and acceleration. Without hinge, there’s no whip in the swing, and the ball stays in the trap (watch the video above).
Flick the Mud Drill – Step by Step
- On the takeaway, hinge your wrists as if flicking mud off the back of the club.
- Feel a full set at the top of the backswing.
- Swing down fast, letting the clubhead overtake your hands through the sand.
- HackMotion will confirm you’re hinging enough and releasing with speed.
This creates speed without tension and lets the sand, not the ball, be your target.
6. Lengthen Your Backswing
A common amateur mistake is taking a short backswing and then decelerating. The sand naturally slows the club, so you need more swing length than you think.
On a 15-yard bunker shot, take at least a three-quarter backswing and accelerate through to a full finish.
Trust that the extra motion won’t send the ball flying; it’s what allows the club to maintain speed through the sand.
7. Aim Square to the Target
Many players aim left, compensating for the open clubface. But aiming left often leads to a steep, out-to-in path that cuts across the ball. Instead, aim directly at the target.
The open clubface increases loft, but it doesn’t require you to change alignment.
Staying square helps you control both distance and direction.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
8. Keep the Loft Through Impact
It’s not enough to open the face at the address; you need to hold it through impact. If your wrists roll over, the face shuts, and the leading edge digs. HackMotion measurements show that skilled bunker players keep positive extension in the lead wrist at impact.
Practice swings where you imagine the clubface pointing at the sky well past impact reinforce the correct feel.
9. Commit to Hitting the Sand First
The golden rule in bunkers is that you don’t hit the ball; you hit the sand. Enter about an inch behind the ball and let the loft and bounce do the rest.
Deceleration is the biggest cause of leaving the ball in the trap, so you must swing through with commitment.
A simple way to practice is by drawing a line in the sand an inch behind the ball and focusing on splashing that line every time.
10. Trust the Bounce
Your wedge is built to help you. When you combine an open face, lead wrist extension, and enough speed, the bounce naturally slides under the ball.
Trusting this design is often the final step golfers need. Instead of trying to “lift” the ball, think only about splashing the sand. The bounce will glide, the loft will launch, and the ball will come out softly.
Why Bunker Shots Go Wrong
Most bunker struggles come down to setup and wrist mechanics. When the ball is too far back or your weight shifts off the lead side, you’re almost guaranteed to hit behind the ball or blade it thin.
Add in wrists that roll into flexion or swings that decelerate through the sand, and the result is inconsistency.
Without speed and proper extension, the club’s bounce never has a chance to work, and instead of gliding under the ball, the leading edge digs.
- Ball too far back in the stance.
- Weight shifting off the front foot.
- Wrists rolling into flexion.
- Lack of wrist hinge and speed.
- Deceleration instead of acceleration.
Practice Plan for the Bunker
Knowing what to do is one thing, but building confidence in bunkers requires practice with structure.
Instead of just stepping in and hoping to get a few out, follow this simple routine to train the right mechanics and see progress.
Start with Sand Only
Begin by making 10 swings where your only goal is to splash sand onto the green. Forget the ball. Focus on entering the sand about an inch behind your target spot and accelerating through.
Add Balls with a Line Drill
Draw a line in the sand and place balls slightly ahead of it. Practice hitting the line first, letting the ball ride out on the sand. This reinforces the feel of hitting sand before the ball.
Train Wrist Mechanics with HackMotion
Hit 10 shots while wearing HackMotion. Check that you’re maintaining lead wrist extension and adding hinge in the backswing.
Use the biofeedback mode to confirm you’re keeping the clubface open and engaging the bounce.
Finish with Real Targets
Pick a flag on the practice green and hit 5–10 “game-like” shots. Go through your full routine, commit to the swing, and land the ball near your target.
This mix of technique drills and pressure practice helps you groove the fundamentals while also preparing for on-course situations.
Final Thoughts
Bunker shots don’t have to be a source of panic. With the right wedge, a stable setup, and proper wrist mechanics, they can become one of the most reliable shots in your short game.
If there’s one move to prioritize, it’s lead wrist extension. Keeping the loft on the face allows the bounce to do its job, helping you splash the ball out consistently.
Next time you practice, use HackMotion to track your wrist positions. The feedback lets you see and feel whether you’re maintaining extension and hinge at the right times.
Once you train those mechanics, escaping bunkers becomes much simpler, and you’ll start saving strokes instead of wasting them.
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